There's even a new word for it: "Fall-o-ween". September isn't the end of summer anymore, it's the start of the Fall-Halloween Season.

The Fall Foliage weeks are a wonderful time to get out into the countryside, maybe stay at a family-friendly country inn or B&B. See:

• see Fall Foliage vacation ideas

Also part of the fall scene are Corn Mazes: they make a great outing (and are more fun, for kids and teens, than leaf-peeping!) Slot one into a fall-foliage weekend: you can find Corn Mazes all over the place -- pumpkin patches, too.

But of course the big crescendo is the lead-up to October 31. Halloween celebrations and events have multiplied to the point where they're a holiday season on their own. All through October, find Boos at Zoos, haunted houses, Halloween-themed weekends at country inns, theme park events from Sesame Place Spooktacular to Mickey's Party to teen Horror Nights...

• find Halloween Events - (hint: book early for Mickey's Party, right.)

See also: lots more Fall Vacation Ideas - White Mountains, NH; Colorado Rockies; Riviera Maya; Orlando Christian music bashes...

^{* photo courtesy of Walt Disney World}