Leaf-peepers are flocking to see New England's brilliant fall colors

MEREDITH, N.H. — New England leaf-watching season is in full swing, as people from as far as Florida and Berlin flock to the region for scenic drives, train rides and bus tours to soak in the splendid hues of red, orange and bronze. With quaint towns and covered bridges scattered through swaths of changing forest, the rural Northeast provides an ideal setting to view nature's annual show.

''Leaf-peeping is one of the most accessible tourism things that you can do,'' said Teddy Willey, the general manager of the Frog Rock Tavern in Meredith, New Hampshire. ''You don't have to have the athleticism to be a hiker, you don't have to have the money to own a boat.''

You just need to be able to jump in a car and head north, he said.

The Associated Press livestreamed the colorful landscape on Tuesday.

''Once you're there, you just take it in,'' Willey said.

He spoke just after his tavern was flooded with tourists from Indiana who had stepped off a sightseeing bus.

Among them was Vicky Boesch, of Fort Wayne, who had made the trip with her sisters.

''The leaves were very pretty on the mountains because the sun was out yesterday, and so that makes them pop more,'' she said.

It wasn't only the fall colors that provided a contrast with Indiana, she said, but also the region's distinctive architecture, lakes and towns.

Gordon Cochran, of Lake View, Iowa, said he was in New Hampshire to visit his daughter and had a ''beautiful ride'' on the slow-moving Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad.

Weather conditions associated with climate change have disrupted some recent leaf-peeping seasons. One problem is that global warming has brought drought that causes leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach their colorful peak.

Willey acknowledges that he's not a leaf guy.