Shelburne Falls, Mass. | Nov. 03, 2026, 2:58 p.m. ET | 4 min read

In the downtown of this historic village nestled in the Pioneer Valley of central Massachusetts, one red-brick building wears a blanket of ivy.

It’s a local tradition for couples in Shelburne Falls to take a wedding photo in front of the leafy vines. But when temperatures drop, the ivy turns brilliant shades of cherry red and jack-o’-lantern orange, transforming it into an Instagram backdrop for leaf peepers.

New Englanders, from Maine to Massachusetts, brace themselves for these foliage-adoring tourists every autumn. They arrive by the thousands, bringing their cars, cameras, and wallets with them.

The annual tourism wave has been essential to New England’s economy for decades.…