Allegany County, Maryland has landed the No. 2 spot on USA Today's 2026 Best Fall Destinations readers' choice list, trailing only Mackinac Island, Michigan, which took the top spot. The western Maryland county's mix of scenic rail trips, canal towpaths and long-running fall festivals helped earn it a runner-up finish among the best places in the country to visit this autumn.
The ranking, first reported by WJLA, credits USA Today readers with voting on the country's top fall spots based on scenery, pleasant weather and seasonal activities. According to the supplied seed reporting, an expert panel nominated the top 10 fall destinations before readers cast their votes, with Allegany County finishing as a runner-up behind Mackinac Island in the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.
What Makes the County a Fall Favorite
USA Today's description of the region, cited in the seed reporting, points to leaf-peeping trips aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and cycling along the C&O Canal National Historical Park and Towpath as centerpieces of the county's autumn appeal. Both attractions are located within Allegany County, giving visitors two very different ways to take in the season's colors, whether from a train window or a bike seat along the historic canal path.
Whiskey Rebellion Fest Fuels Local History and Fundraising
Allegany County also hosts George Washington's Whiskey Rebellion Fest, an annual event that commemorates the president's final visit to Cumberland during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, according to alleganymuseum.org. The festival lets guests explore the Allegany Museum while enjoying regional spirits, live Scots-Irish music, historical reenactments, colonial tavern games, catered food and an open beer and wine bar, per the museum's own description. It's also billed as the museum's largest annual fundraiser, supporting free admission, educational programs and the preservation of more than 50,000 artifacts.
Heritage Days Marks Its 55th Year With an America 250 Theme
Cumberland's Heritage Days Festival, another anchor of the county's fall calendar, ran September 11–13 in downtown Cumberland, according to mdmountainside.com. Another source, gaptrail.org, described the event as offering “four charming days” of live music, arts and crafts vendors, festival food, children's activities, historic interpretation and walking tours; the two accounts differ on the festival's exact length. This year's edition carried an America 250 theme, bringing immersive encampments, historical demonstrations, artisan vendors, family activities, music and food across downtown, and organizers billed it as the 55th running of the festival and the unofficial start of fall for the city and county, according to chesapeake-inspired.com.
The 2026 edition also featured historically accurate replicas of George Washington's field headquarters staffed by costumed interpreters, mdmountainside.com reported, alongside a living history program created by the Museum of the American Revolution, per chesapeake-inspired.com. Festivalgoers looking to extend the outing had an easy option nearby: gaptrail.org notes that the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad offers trips from the festival area up to nearby Frostburg, pairing the history-heavy weekend with a scenic ride through the mountains.
How Allegany County Stacked Up Nationally
Mackinac Island, Michigan claimed the No. 1 spot on USA Today's 2026 list, edging out Allegany County for the top overall ranking, per the seed reporting relayed by WJLA. For a county whose biggest annual draws include a whiskey-and-history festival and a decades-old heritage celebration, landing at No. 2 nationally puts Allegany squarely on the radar for travelers planning their next fall getaway.
