With falling leaves, a change of pace

Autumn guests at the Birches Resort in Rockwood, Maine, can bike, hike, leaf peep, moose-watch, or row on Moosehead Lake.

Thoughts are slowly turning to the cool and colorful days of fall, when leaves turn and crowds shrink. Here is a small preview of autumn offerings:

• The Birches Resort in Rockwood, Maine, advises you to get out of the car and take in nature's foliage show at its 11,000 acres of wilderness preserve on Moosehead Lake. Among its activities:

  Moose Watch is an eco-trip in which participants keep an eye out for Maine's mascot while learning about the area's natural wonders. Cost is $35 per person.

  The Lake to Land Ride begins with participants being shuttled to Mount Kineo in pontoon boats. A guided mountain bike ride follows on about 20 miles of old carriage roads and trails that lead to views of Mount Kineo, Moosehead Lake, and the surrounding woods. A packed lunch is included in the price of $80 per person

  The Socatean Sojourn has you paddling down Socatean Bay and Socatean Stream to view moose and other wildlife. A pontoon boat takes participants to and from the stream. The four-hour trip is $75 a person, with lunch included.

  Those expeditions are primarily for guests. Accommodations range from yurts ($40 per person per night) and Kozy Kabins ($35 a person) to Riverway lodge suites ($193 for four people) and vacation homes like the four-bedroom Grandview ($480 per night for up to six people). All accommodations have weekly rates as well. The main lodge has several rooms at $101 for two people. Visit birches.com or call 800-825-9453.

• A new museum and scenic drives are among the reasons that Philadelphia and environs can be a pleasant fall destination. The Please Touch Museum (pleasetouchmuseum.org) opens Oct. 18 in its new Fairmount Park location. Scenic drives are easy to come by in Bucks County (bucksscountycvb.org), Chester County (brandywinevalley.com), Delaware County (brandywinecvb.org), and Montgomery County (valleyforge.org). The Philly Overnight Hotel Package, available all year at gophila.com at varying prices, will give you time to see what you want.

  Visit gophila.com.

• In New Hampshire's Mount Washington Valley, Bike the Whites packages let you see foliage up close, and include lodging, dinners and breakfasts, customized routes, maps, luggage transfers, roadside assistance, bike storage, and complimentary water bottles. Accommodations are provided by the Brass Heart Inn, the 1785 Inn & Restaurant, and Snowvillage Inn. If you don't want to bring your own bicycle, Bike the Whites offers rentals. Package rates are $429 through Sept. 15 and $499 Sept. 16-Nov. 2.

  Visit bikethewhites.com or call 800-421-1785.

• The Baseball Hall of Fame's Fantasy Camp Package will give fans who can afford it the opportunity to play side-by-side with the game's finest in Cooperstown, N.Y. From Oct. 1-6, participants will receive instruction from Hall of Famers George Brett, Phil Niekro, Mike Schmidt, and Ozzie Smith and former major-leaguers Lance Niekro, Von Hayes, Jamie Quirk, Vince Coleman, Dave Bergman, and Jon Warden. Campers will also get a private behind-the-scenes tour of the Hall of Fame Museum, play with the Hall of Famers on historic Doubleday Field and Leatherstocking Golf Course, and join in a private candlelight dinner "honor ceremony" in the Hall of Fame Gallery. The package also includes five nights at the Otesaga Resort Hotel. The cost is $8,495.

Visit ww2.baseballhalloffame.com/fantasycamp or call 607-547-0369.

Overseas fees

Foreign travel can be expensive enough without ATM and credit card fees. As SmartMoney magazine notes, you can use an ATM in, say, London to withdraw the equivalent of $200 and get hit with a foreign transaction fee as well as a fee for using a competitor's ATM, costing you up to $7 for that relatively small withdrawal. Then there is a 1 percent transaction fee charged by Visa and MasterCard, and a 3 percent fee from most banks that issue the cards. The magazine quotes Curtis Arnold of CardRatings.com who recommends doing what I have for years: Use a Capital One credit card in foreign countries because that bank charges no overseas transaction fees and doesn't even pass on the 1 percent from Visa and MasterCard.

Las Vegas for women

This girlfriends' package has the tantalizing title of Sex in Sin City. The Signature at MGM Grand's Las Vegas escape package features two nights' accommodations, Cosmopolitans served in keepsake martini glasses, a gift of pink chenille robes, chocolate fondue, an afternoon in a private cabana at the Signature pool and poolside massage services for four, three hours with the services of a private limo to take you shopping or nightclubbing or both, use of the 53,000-square-foot Wet Republic pool, a sushi dinner, a night at Studio 54, shoe-shaped treats on your pillows, and a continental breakfast in your suite. The price is $425 per person, based on four-person occupancy.

Call 877-727-0007. For hotel information, visit signaturemgmgrand.com.

Kayaking in Maine

L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools has a 90-minute Portland Harbor Kayak Tour, with no equipment or previous experience in kayaking needed. Guides give a short paddling demonstration before you glide through Maine waters in search of seabirds and harbor seals. The tour is offered daily through Sept. 8, and on weekends through Oct. 12. The cost is $29 for adults, and $19 for ages 10-15.

Visit llbean.com/ods or call 888-LLBEAN-1 (552-3261).

When not included, hotel taxes, airport fees, and port charges can add significantly to the price of a trip. Most prices quoted are for double occupancy. Offers are subject to availability and there may be blackout dates. Richard P. Carpenter can be reached at car penter@globe.com.