•  www.kytourism.com/colorfall. Kentucky's Department of Tourism offers one of the best fall color guides on the Internet. The state is filled with showy vistas, river views and overlooks. Truly magnificent treetop color is almost as dependable as the fabulous hats seen each spring at the Derby. In addition to statewide updates on the changing leaves, you'll want to bookmark the site for the dozens of fairs, festivals and celebrations listed in the events section. Choose a couple and make plans to get out and enjoy the countryside and some Kentucky hospitality. The 2004 color updates begin today.

•  www.dnr.state.oh.us/fallcolor. Weekly reports about Ohio color hold off for an additional week on this site from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Although some maples and other more temperature-sensitive trees have already begun to turn, the regular updates won't begin here until Sept. 30. Still, there's plenty to see now with some of last year's best photos whetting guests' appetites for the glorious golds and robust reds that signal the start of the seasonal show.

•  www.in.gov/enjoyindiana. The invitation here says "Get an early start on fall in Indiana; after all, the trees did." As a native Hoosier, I can attest to the truth of the statement. The cool nights have maples, dogwoods and even some oaks giving visitors a sneak peek at what's to come. This site from the Indiana Office of Tourism Development offers an autumn's worth of adventures including two of my particular favorites, the James Dean Festival (this weekend in Fairmount) and the Covered Bridge Festival (Oct. 8-17). Nine communities join in celebrating Parke County's 32 amazing covered bridges.

•  www.fallinpa.com/fallinpa. The Pennsylvania site is part of the VisitPA package and, I must confess, it does a pretty good job of showcasing the reasons to put Pennsylvania on your list of "must sees" this fall. Not only are their graphics eye-catching, they won me over by beginning the copy with one of my favorite Emerson quotes, "Nature always wears the color of the spirit." You're encouraged to use their site to plan hiking, biking or driving tours. There's bird watching information and several live color cams overseeing some of the best spots for those who can't make the trip but don't want to miss the views.

•  www.fs.fed.us/r9/conditions/fall_color. If you want to expand your search for postcard-perfect photo ops, this site from the U.S. Forest Service offers updates from the national forests. This page is for the Eastern Region, but you can return to the home page to get information from throughout the U.S. And if you're looking for inspiration for your own camera work, some of the pictures included on these pages are phenomenal. You can almost hear the crunch of the leaves underfoot and imagine the smell of cider and gingerbread drifting through the air.

Jan Perry is an autumn-loving, Kentucky-based freelance writer. She invites you to send information about your community's fall festivals or pumpkin patch parties to her at SiteSeer2K@aol.com.