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So many festivals, so little fall

When time is short, go power tripping.

In this part of the world, fall is sweet, but way too short.

All of the quaint little towns along rivers and in the bluffs have to pack their autumn festivals into the same six weekends, rolling out parades, pumpkin contests and oompah bands for all the leaf-peeping tourists.

The choices are paralyzing. Flea market or scarecrow contest? Pumpkin regatta or studio tour? Yodeling contest or dachshund races?

You can't do it all, but you can do a lot. Just go on a power trip — to two, even three festivals in one day.

Here's a guide to the best places to be each weekend if you want to cram in as many fall festivities as possible before cold weather arrives.

To plan more power tripping, just go to local events calendars. The ones for Wisconsin and Minnesota allow you to plug in a place, a date and the radius within which you want to travel. For Iowa and Illinois, you can type in a region. In Michigan, select a date and town and you'll see festivals nearby.

For more festivals by weekend, see our Events Calendar.

If you want to stay overnight, make reservations as soon as possible. And before setting out, call or check websites for festival highlights and plan around them.

Second weekend of September/Southern Minnesota

The first time I went power tripping was the weekend after Labor Day, when Northfield holds its Defeat of Jesse James Days, the historic village of Mantorville holds Marigold Days and the Minnesota River college town of St. Peter holds the Rock Bend Folk Festival.

Don't miss the bank-raid re-enactments in Northfield, where the bad guys ride horses. In Mantorville, catch a melodrama. In St. Peter, kick back in the city park and listen to as much music as you want — it's free.

I hit them all on a day trip from the Twin Cities, and after three festivals and three towns, I felt as if I’d been gone three days. The best thing was that fall was just getting started.

Side trip: Two festivals are just west of Minneapolis on Lake Minnetonka: James J. Hill Days in Wayzata, known for its dachshund races, and Apple Day in Excelsior (Saturday only).

And on the downtown Minneapolis riverfront, there's more dachshund dashing during Oktoberfest.

Third weekend of September/Lake Michigan from Milwaukee

If you think accordions and beer steins say "fall,'' start your weekend in Glendale, on the northern edge of Milwaukee.

The monthlong Oktoberfest put on by the United German Societies in Heidelberg Park is the oldest in the Midwest. It includes folk dancing, sing-alongs, yodeling and such typical German festival foods as spanferkel and rollbraten.

Then drive — or bike, using Ozaukee County's Interurban Trail — to the historic Yankee mill town of Cedarburg for Wine & Harvest Festival. Don't miss the Great Pumpkin Regatta, where paddlers in hollowed-out pumpkins race across Cedar Creek, or the grape stomp.

Go on to Grafton for the Paramount Blues Festival in Lime Kiln Park.

The bicycle trail ends at the county line, north of Belgium. But if you keep going, you'll hit Two Rivers for Ethnic Festival and Algoma for the Wet Whistle Wine Festival at Von Stiehl Winery, which includes a celebrity grape stomp and fine-art show.

Fourth weekend of September/St. Croix River Valley

In fall, the small towns that line the St. Croix River between Minnesota and Wisconsin are a favorite destination. This weekend is a particularly good time to go.

Just west of Taylors Falls, stop by the Franconia Sculpture Park for the family-friendly Franconia Art & Music Festival. 

Farther down the river, the village of Afton holds Afton Art in the Park; after that, head south to Afton State Park and the apple orchards along St. Croix Trail, which will be offering hay rides and trips through corn mazes.

And across the river in Lakefront Park, Hudson holds Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival, with a juried show, music and food.

For more, see A fall sortie on the St. Croix.

First weekend of October/Mississippi River Valley

The Mississippi is like a magnet in the fall. Start on the Minnesota side of Lake Pepin, just an hour from the Twin Cities, where Lake City is celebrating Johnny Appleseed Days. Downriver in La Crosse, it's the last weekend of Oktoberfest, and the beer will be flowing.

The most scenic part of the Upper Mississippi may be northeast Iowa. Drive up to Effigy Mounds National Monument for Hawk Watch Weekend and to hike along the bluffs.

Down at the riverside, it's the first of two weekend flea markets under the bridge in Marquette. A hop farther, it's the first of two arts & crafts shows in McGregor, a quirky little town tucked at the foot of the bluffs.

And take time to drive up to Pikes Peak State Park, 500 feet above the river. The views are spectacular, and admission is free.

Second weekend of October/Door County

With all its orchards, Door County is impossibly scenic in fall, and its fall color tends to hang on longer than most places. Stop in Egg Harbor for the Pumpkin Patch Festival, then continue to picturesque Ephraim and its juried Townline Art Fair.

And if you want to see artists in their natural habitats, stop along the way for the Art Studio Tour of Northeast Wisconsin, with artists in and around Green Bay, Kewaunee and Algoma.

Side trip: In northern Illinois, swing by St. Charles for Scarecrow Fest and Galena for Galena Country Fair in Grant Park, which includes a big bake sale, farmers market and arts show. Galena is known as an adult destination, but this weekend there are games and prizes for kids, too.

And if you've got the cojones, stop by the Turkey Testicle Festival in Byron, near Rockford, to partake of the goods.

Third weekend of October/Dells and coulees

In Wisconsin Dells, the season is winding down, so it's a good time to visit if you like it quiet. The Dells' last big fling is Autumn Harvest Fest, with hayrides, pumpkin decorating and scarecrow-stuffing.

Or skip the kid stuff and go straight to Wisconsin Dells on Tap to sample craft beer from nearly 30 breweries and chat with brewmasters.

Just south of the Dells, the big Fall Art Tour winds through the most picturesque nooks and crannies of southwest Wisconsin. It’s in and around the towns of Baraboo, Dodgeville, Mineral Point and Spring Green.

And take an hour or two to hike in Devil's Lake State Park just south of Baraboo, which still should have good fall color this weekend.

Last updated on September 14, 2011