Enjoy a scenic autumn getaway with these destinations.
Fall is a wonderful time for travel — the cooler weather, the changing of the seasons, and fewer crowds are all reasons to escape your everyday routine for a brief change of scenery.
If you’re looking to plan a quick getaway this season, here are some hearing loss-friendly travel destinations to visit during fall.
- Los Angeles
- New England
- Colorado
- New York City
- New Orleans
Read on to learn more about these hearing loss-friendly travel destinations and the activities they offer!
Los Angeles
Why not start your fall off with a visit to one of the most star-studded destinations in the country? Fall isn’t peak tourism season in Los Angeles, so you likely won’t have to deal with as many lines or crowds as you might in the summer months. The city is also home to a variety of hearing loss-friendly activities, including the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Getty Center.
LA is also just a quick day trip away from Disney Land, which offers a number of accessibility services for guests who have hearing loss, including assistive listening devices, handheld and video captioning, and sign language interpretation services.
New England
There’s arguably no more picturesque place to be in the world during fall than New England. Peak foliage occurs in mid-October, but the leaves begin turning in early to mid-September and can remain quite colorful well into November. Bar Harbor, Maine, is home to Acadia National Park and is located primarily on Mount Desert Island. Acadia’s rocky, tree-lined beaches are a breathtaking sight to see. Ahead of your visit, you can request an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, and personal assistive listening devices are available to use as well.
Colorado
Because of its varied terrain, Colorado is also a terrific place to spend some time in the fall. It can feel like a brisk fall day (even perhaps a light snowfall) in the mountains and a warmer late summer day closer to sea level. Whether you’re looking for a leisurely afternoon stroll or an advanced rocky climb, there are hikes for all levels in Colorado’s National Parks. Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park will find video and audio captioning on the park’s welcome videos, and sign language interpretation services are also available if you request them a month ahead of time.
New York City
If the hustle and bustle of the city are what you crave, there’s no better way to “choose your own adventure” than with a long weekend in the Big Apple. NYC is home to world-renowned museums such as the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the American Museum of Natural History. If you’ve got NYC’s landmarks on your bucket list, then the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are not to be missed. These attractions feature hearing loss accessibility services, including video transcripts, ASL interpretation, hearing aid and induction loop-compatible programs, and more.
A trip to NYC isn’t complete without taking in a Broadway show, and fortunately, many theaters offer options for attendees with hearing loss, including open captioning and infrared headsets.
New Orleans
By October, temperatures and humidity in the Big Easy have dropped considerably, making it a great fall getaway. Enjoy the beautiful weather with paddle boarding or kayaking the Bayou St. John. If you’re traveling with young children, the Louisiana Children’s Museum is a must-see. History buffs can spend hours at the National World War II Museum, where they can watch Beyond All Boundaries, a Tom-Hanks-narrated experience where you can request assistive listening devices or sign language interpretation (at least 48 hours in advance). In the rest of the museum, hearing loss-friendly options include captioned exhibit videos and circulating staff trained in ASL. And be sure not to leave town without indulging in a few world-famous beignets!
Stay tuned to the CapTel blog for more hearing loss-friendly travel destinations and tips for traveling with hearing loss!
