Vermont: a leaf-peeper's paradise

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. If you want to take a trip this fall, head up to Vermont. Their deciduous trees put on an eye-popping display of color – people go there to "leaf peep." Every year, over two and a half million people head there for that purpose, and they spend a whopping amount of money. Vermont is the state with the most sugar maples, and when the weather cooperates, they capture your eye with red, orange, and yellow variations on leaves. They often grow with conifers, and those evergreen trees are a great foil for the maples’ colors. Of course, they are the best source of maple syrup, too. Some towns in Vermont don’t let leaf peepers drive through them; on back roads, the local people can’t go about their daily business. Still, plenty of places roll out the welcome mat.