BROWN COUNTY — Leaves are nearing peak fall color in Brown County, and that's meant a lot of visitors.
I visited Brown County State Park three weeks ago to predict when peak fall color would happen.
Eli Major, the park's naturalist, explained that peak color typically happens between October 23 and 25 each year.
The leaves looked a lot different on my visit to the park today compared to the last time I was here.
While there were lots of brown, red, yellow, and orange leaves, there were still some persistent green leaves.
"End of this week and into next week, we're predicting that's going to be the peak," Astra Sisson updated.
Sisson is one of the park's assistant property managers. While she explained that the peak is still a few days away, visitors have not been disappointed.
"We just needed a break from the fast pace of Chicago life," explained Diane Macklin. "We're just here for the day."
Diane and her husband Ron, drove all the way from Chicago to visit Brown County, and they gave raving reviews.
"Being here is just a beautiful thing," Ron Macklin said.
Sisson explained that during this time of year, the park stays busy not just on weekends, but also through the weekdays.
This past weekend was a busy one.
"Our family campground was full this weekend. The lodge was at capacity," Sisson recalled. "The park was packed. We had thousands of visitors."
Sisson thinks attendance may be slightly down compared to 2024, because the weather has been a little cooler in late October 2025.
It's more than just the State Park that is bustling. Nashville is full of visitors strolling its streets.
Izzy Allen with The Nashville House also talked about a busy weekend.
"We had some visitors from Venezuela this weekend," Allen shared. "It's kind of steady and definitely slammed on the weekends. The weekdays are pretty much the same. We call it the week of Fridays."
Allen is grateful for the boom in business, all thanks to the fall foliage.
Now, everyone is preparing to stay busy this week and into the first weekend of November, as leaves continue to change.
