Looking to indulge your passion and explore somewhere new this summer or fall? Consider finding a festival destination where you can take in the sights and satisfy your taste for beer, barbeque, balloons…the sky’s the limit! Here are a few of our country’s famous festivals to whet your appetite, and be sure to look online for more options. There truly is a festival for everyone!

Summer Festivals

If a good stiff drink is one of your true pleasures, then consider going to New Orleans, Louisiana in July for the Tales of the Cocktail festival, a unique and popular mixed drink celebration with cocktail demonstrations, mixology competitions, seminars and plenty of tastings.

Colorado hosts one of the top wine festivals in the country. The Beaver Creek Wine and Spirits Festival is presented each August by Wine Spectator magazine, offering educational seminars, tastings and cooking classes-plus a rodeo and plenty of opportunities for each outdoor adventure.

For barbeque, beer, and bourbon lovers, Cary, North Carolina is the place to be in August for the Beer, Bourbon, and Barbeque Festival. Attendees have a variety of selections including 40 bourbons and 60 beers, pairing them with a bevy of barbeque dishes.

Fall Festivals

Colorado is also home to a much-anticipated festival event each fall. This year, the Great American Beer Festival takes place in October in Denver, a city holding a national top 10 ranking for beer. The festival features more than 200 beer tastings.

If you love apples and autumn in general, you may want to consider heading to Arendtsville, Pennsylvania during the first two weekends in October for the National Apple Harvest Festival. In addition to apple picking, attendees can sample fresh-pressed apple cider, try square-dancing and enjoy live music.

Have you always dreamed of a hot air balloon ride? If so then float over to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the International Balloon Festival. Each year in October, more than 600 hot air balloons line the skies by 7 a.m. for flying competitions. The festival also includes firework shows.