TV News: Travel Channel Launches "Travels Best" Seal to Officially Recognize Top 10 Lists

In a press release:

TRAVEL CHANNEL LAUNCHES “TRAVEL’S BEST” SEAL

TO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE TOP 10 LISTS

TravelChannel.com To Unveil “Travel’s Best Fall Foliage Road Trips” Today

As Selected By A Rotating Panel of Key Experts

CHEVY CHASE, MD (September 18, 2013) – Travel Channel launches the “Travel’s Best” seal, which recognizes TravelChannel.com’s popular and highly-coveted “Best” annual online top 10 lists. TravelChannel.com editors will enlist a panel of experts, including the Network’s on-air talent, that will collaboratively discuss and debate the lists, and determine the 10 best. The winners will be awarded with a “Travel’s Best” icon that can be used to celebrate the honor. Throughout the year, Travel Channel will name the “Travel’s Best” for categories including Halloween attractions, honeymoon destinations, travel gifts and beaches. The first “Travel’s Best” list will name the “Travel’s Best Fall Foliage Road Trips” for 2013.

“Travel Channel is the leader in travel entertainment,” says Laureen Ong, President, Travel Channel. “We have a powerful arsenal of collective knowledge and travel savvy; and by merging our stable of expert on-air talent with our Travelchannel.com editorial team and industry professionals, our ‘Best Travel’ lists are current, informative and surprising. Additionally, our viewers love them because they can take this breadth of travel expertise to plan their own journeys and adventures.”

The 2013 “Travel’s Best Fall Foliage Road Trips” expert panelists include: Samantha Brown, Travel Channel host; James Fisher, RoadTrippers.com Founder and CEO; Jeff “Foliage” Folger, New England fall foliage photographer; Erin Gifford, Kidventurous.com blogger; and Bill Kirk, Weather Trends International CEO and meteorologist.

“Travel’s Best Fall Foliage Road Trips” for 2013 (in alphabetical order by state):

Maryland, Deep Creek Lake (Peaks in early to mid-October)

Head to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland to enjoy gorgeous views by car along two fall foliage heritage tours. Motor along Route 219 up to the Deep Creek Lake overlook in McHenry, in a 90-minute driving loop that includes the lake, ski slopes and breathtaking autumn foliage. For a longer drive, try Historic National Road, which starts near Deep Creek Lake and winds through six states.

Mississippi to Hannibal, MO, Great River Road (Peaks mid-October)

Traveling along Great River Road (a collection of state and local roads which follow the course of the Mississippi River through 10 states of the United States) during autumn provides incredible leaf-peeping opportunities at every bend. This road trip finishes up in Hannibal, where you can visit Mark Twain’s boyhood home and a slew of other Twain-inspired attractions.

New Hampshire, Route 112 (Peaks late September to early October)

This grand dame of foliage routes – the ‘Kanc’ (Kancamagus Highway) – is always worth a drive, but we suggest taking Route 112 West past the quaint little town of Woodstock, NH. Continue on Route 112 to Kinsman Notch at Beaver Pond – a great spot for beginners and pros alike to photograph fall foliage.

New York, Hudson Valley (Peaks late September to early October)

As an agricultural area, Duchess County in the Hudson Valley of New York has some of the most beautiful land you’ll ever set your eyes on – sinuous roads, sweeping vistas, elevation changes, barns and more barns…and a cool diner for lunch. Use Route 82 and Route 44 in Salt Point, NY, as your “bookends” and all the roads in between as your playground.

Northeast Pennsylvania, Ricketts Glen State Park (Peaks early to mid-October)

The Northeast is blessed with beautiful fall foliage color due to an abundance of sugar maple and birch trees that turn vibrant orange, red and yellow each year. Ricketts Glen State Park off Route 29 and Route 487 in northeast Pennsylvania showcases some of the best of the season. The combination of 22 waterfalls, mountains and gorgeous 200-year-old trees make for absolutely stunning photos.

Northeast Pennsylvania, Route 507 Around Lake Wallenpaupack (Peaks early to mid-October)

Another great spot even closer to the Big Apple is Route 507 around Lake Wallenpaupack, also in northeast Pennsylvania. Stop in Hawley for some lunch and be sure to take the hour scenic boat ride around the lake for more stunning photos.

Vermont, Route 7 between Bennington and Rutland (Peaks late September)

In southern Vermont, Route 7 runs north/south through the Green Mountains. During a stretch just north of Bennington is a valley between two ridgelines covered in trees, many of them maples and birch.

Virginia, Front Royal to Route 211, Skyline Drive (Peaks early to mid-October)

The 105-mile Skyline Drive through Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park is a must-see for fall foliage. A great section of the Skyline Drive is from Front Royal to Rt. 211, around 32 miles, with plenty of overlooks. The park sees upwards of 250,000 visitors in October, so get peeping before 10 a.m. To avoid the crowds it is best to go during the week.

West Virginia, Harpers Ferry (Peaks early to mid-October)

An easy drive from Washington, D.C., Harpers Ferry in West Virginia has fall foliage that’s worth the drive with the whole family. Kids can easily manage the Jefferson Rock hike, which is less than a mile and has a vista overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. Another good spot for leaf peeping is Bolivar Heights, a Civil War battlefield across from the park entrance. You’ll find easy, flat trails and great views.

Wisconsin, Frank Lloyd Wright Design Tour (Peaks around early October)

Fall is the perfect time of year to visit American architectural icon Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic designs, which are particularly stunning when set amidst the changing fall foliage. Wright’s homes and buildings were designed to work in harmony with their environment. Driving through southern Wisconsin, some highlights include Taliesin, Wright’s summer home, Wingspread, the “epitome of organic architecture,” and the Seth Peterson Cottage, which you can rent as a vacation home.

TRAVEL CHANNEL (http://www.TravelChannel.com) is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it’s around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, MD, and New York, NY. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.