Flocking to the foliage

In southern Indiana, autumn means big tourism bucks as people from all over the Midwest pack restaurants, hotels and festivals while enjoying the changing of the seasons.\n"As the leaves change color, business explodes," said Doug Baird, Brown County State Park manager. \nThe park -- about 20 miles east of Bloomington -- receives one-third of its yearly revenue in October, he said. \nBaird credits the beauty of the season for the influx of visitors. \n"The park and surrounding area is such a vast plot of land," Baird said. "We can see out into the hills for miles and miles."\nBrown County Inn takes advantage of the business increase each year.\n"Right now, I have 100 rooms, but I could sell 400 if I had them," Brown County Inn general manager Tom Craciunoiu said. \nCraciunoiu said there is a wider variety of guests this time of year, with most from the surrounding areas -- Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Chicago and parts of Kentucky and Ohio.\nMany of the state park's tourists also visit Nashville, Ind. \nNashville, a town of about 800, is known as a fall tourist hot spot and includes crafts and antique shops, artist galleries, wineries and a variety of restaurants. \n"Starting the first week of October, it just gets busier and busier until the first week of November," said Dylan Elliott, manager at Franco Marie's Italian restaurant in Nashville. "We schedule more people, stock better and make special desserts -- a little extra special care for all the tourists." \nHe said Nashville is a natural choice for tourists hoping to enjoy the fall foliage. \n"I think what makes Nashville a good spot is the almost mountainous terrain, the clean air and the hospitality," he said. "It's so relaxing." \nThe Brown County Chamber of Commerce starts planning for the fall in January and February. \n"Occupancy is higher in October than any other month," said Theresa Anderson, director of Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Fourth-quarter sales are the highest of any other time of year. For the most part, it is like a monthlong festival." \nSome students take the 20-minute trip to Brown County to enjoy the state park or surrounding acres of woods and lakes. "I like to walk trails in the woods, and it's very pretty," said Nicole Sztuk, a freshman from Fort Wayne who recently visited Brown County State Park with a friend. "There are very few places (in Fort Wayne) where you can do that."\nAbe Martin Lodge, a hotel and restaurant inside Brown County State Park, fills its cabins each October two years in advance, said general manager Shannon Byrne. \nSophomore Erica Wiley recently returned from a stay in an Abe Martin Lodge cabin, a place where she said she was able to relax.\n"It's nice to get away from the college life and have some peace," she said.\nThe season also inspires other IU students to get active, whether by camping, hiking or through other outdoor activities. \n"Fall and leaves make it so nice to be outside," said sophomore Mica Harrison, who organizes group camping trips and overnight stays in Brown County. "People are more willing to do things in the fall than they are in the spring"