If you're not familiar with the area, Syracuse and Central New York are BEAUTIFUL in the fall.

In the CNY area, you'll find a ton of apple orchards for all of your fall festivities. Some of our favorite spots for apple picking are: Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette, Navarino Orchard also in Lafayette, and Abbott Farms in Baldwinsville.

In Syracuse and Onondaga County you'll find some of the best food and drinks around. If you're planning on doing some eating in the area, some of our favorite spots are: Meier's Creek at the Inner Harbor for great craft beer and wood-fired pizzas, Santangelo's in Liverpool for Italian, Pastabilities in Syracuse for Italian with a spicy twist, Vietnamese Noodle House in Camillus or North Syracuse for Vietnamese, A.W. Wander in Manlius for craft beer and pizza, ONCO Brewery in Tully for craft beer, Angry Garlic in Baldwinsville for amazing garlic dishes, and the Brewster Inn in Cazenovia for a romantic dinner night.

While you're in Syracuse, you may also be able to catch an SU Football game if the schedule aligns!

About an hour heading north, you will find the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence Seaway. We love Alexandria Bay, Clayton, and Sackets Harbor. Sackets Harbor is home to the Sackets Harbor Battlefield which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Sackets Harbor is also home to some good breweries, our favorite being the 1812 Brewing Company. Clayton is home to great shopping, the Coyote Moon Winery, and another one of our favorite breweries, the Wood Boat Brewery. In Clayton, you can also hop on a Clayton Island Tour on the St. Lawrence River. Alexandria Bay is home to the Thousand Islands Winery, a favorite of ours. Alexandria Bay is also the home of Uncle Sam Boat Tours, another boat company that can take you out on the St. Lawrence River.

45 minutes heading northwest-ish, you will find Oswego, where Sara went to undergrad and grad school and where Adam got his CAS. Oswego is home to our third date: we caught a sunset over Lake Ontario, got an ice cream at Bev's Dairy Treat, and had the best Italian dinner at Canale's Restaurant. Oswego is also home to the only place in America where 982 Holocaust refugees were allowed to enter during WWII: Safe Haven. Oswego is worth a day trip!

If you're up for an adventure, you can also head out to the Adirondacks. Old Forge is about an hour and 45 minutes from Syracuse. Old Forge is a beautiful place for hiking and exploring. Lake George, one of our favorite places in the Adirondacks, is about a two hour and 45 minute drive from Syracuse and is home to some incredible hiking, boating, dining, and shopping. And Lake Placid, where we got engaged, is just under four hours from Syracuse. Lake Placid would be a great overnight on either end of our celebration and you'll find a lot of Olympic history, beautiful hiking, and great shopping and dining in Lake Placid.

Lastly, about an hour away heading west towards Rochester, you will find the Finger Lakes wineries and breweries. You can spend a day doing a wine or brewery tour.

S&A