Every fall, towns across the country feature Oktoberfest-inspired festivals and events showcasing great brews, as well as German cuisine, autumn-inspired activities, and more. If you’re excited about these beer-centric events and looking for a more unique way to celebrate, check out one of the activities below to get into the Oktoberfest spirit.
Ride on down to Biketoberfest (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Daytona Beach Biketoberfest – courtesy of Daytona Beach Area CVB
Sure, Oktoberfest is fun… but have you heard of Biketoberfest? Motorcycling enthusiasts will descend upon the Daytona Beach area by the thousands on October 19-22 for the 31st annual Biketoberfest®, regarded by many as one of the top motorcycle rallies in the southeastern United States. The popular, four-day rally attracts motorcycle enthusiasts to the Daytona Beach area and neighboring communities throughout Volusia County with beautiful Florida weather, live music, the industry’s top vendors, bike shows, motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway, and miles of scenic rides along famous A1A, historic Main Street and the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop.
As motorcycle enthusiasts of all ages and riding all types of bikes explore the area, they will discover plenty of new additions. New restaurants include Stroud’s BBQ located in Daytona Lagoon, Harry’s Famous Pizza at the Ocean Walk Shoppes, Millie’s second seafood restaurant location in Ormond Beach named Millie’s North and Café Con Leche Granada, an Ormond Beach establishment that serves authentic Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican food. For those posting their journeys on social, the Daytona Beach Mural Trail offers visitors some colorful and creative new photo ops as well as the Riverfront Esplanade located in Downtown Daytona Beach. In addition, the recently renovated Daytona Beach Pier and Racing’s North Turn Beach Bar and Grille in Ponce Inlet have reopened to guests.
Attend an adults-only “beer camp” (Sonoma County, California)
Who didn’t love summer camp as a kid? Time outdoors with friends, late night slumber parties, and all the treats you couldn’t have at home. What if we told you that we have something even better than that? Fogbelt Beer Camp at Wildhaven is designed for our rad beer lovers who’s happy place is with nature. This two-night adult camp features amazing Fogbelt beers, live music, wood-fired cooking and so much more, all at the popular Wildhaven glamping experience located along the Russian River in Healdsburg, California in Sonoma County. Featured activities include wood fire cooking, coffee roasting, yoga, astronomy, live music, barrel aged beers, falconry, wilderness first aid, and brewing techniques. This year’s camp takes place October 20th through 22nd.
Head to this Smoky Mountain fall festival (Gatlinburg, Tennessee)
Fall decor in Gatlinburg, Tennessee by Sean Foster – Unsplash
From now through the end of October, the Smoky Mountain vacation town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee is celebrating with Anakeesta’s Bear-Varian Fall Festival. Anakeesta is decked out with pumpkins, seasonal décor, beer tasting, haunted rides on the Rail Runner, nighttime zip line rides, live music and movie nights on weekends in October.
This year, guests can purchase an additional add-on Beer Tasting Experience to general admission tickets for $21.99. With each pass, guests will be allowed to taste six 8 oz. pours of beer from multiple locations around the park. Anakeesta has partnered with four prestigious local breweries to bring a one-of-a-kind beer sampling experience to the Smoky Mountains including Gypsy Circus, Blackhorse Brewing, Tailgate Brewery, Highland Brewing, and Blackberry Farms.
In addition to great brews, specialty seasonal food offerings are available throughout the park. For German-themed treats, there’s pork schnitzel with brussels and smashed potatoes at Cliff Top Restaurant, bratwurst and kraut at Kephart Café, and German chocolate cake funnel fries at the Snack Shack.
Explore Chicago with the new Brew Pass (Chicago, Illinois)
A bartender pours beer on tap by Louis Hansel – Unsplash
Choose Chicago recently launched the Chicago Brew Pass, a new initiative to promote exploration of Chicago’s award-winning craft brewery scene. Through the Brew Pass, the first-ever digital pass of its kind in Chicago, locals and visitors can check in at breweries across the city and earn points that can be redeemed for fun, limited-edition prizes. Participants can use the Brew Pass to explore over 20 participating craft breweries at their own pace and start earning rewards one pint at a time!“Chicago’s craft beer scene is integral to our local hospitality industry,” said Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of Choose Chicago. “I am so excited to work with our partners to launch the Chicago Brew Pass and I encourage residents and visitors alike to use it as a tool to discover new local businesses and explore parts of the city they may not have been familiar with before.”
Participating breweries and taprooms include Begyle Brewing, Casa Humilde Cerveceria, DryHop Brewers, Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, Midwest Coast Brewing Company, Twisted Hippo, and many more. Points can be redeemed for limited-edition prizes including a variety of gear and sweepstakes entry for the ultimate Chicago weekend experience for two, which includes a two-night hotel stay for two in downtown Chicago, $100 restaurant gift card, two theater tickets, and two CityPASS tickets. Prizes will remain available while supplies last.
This article was originally published by Budgettravel.com. Read the original article here.