Visitors and residents from across the region will be able to drive, eat, dance and camp their way around Southeast Missouri's Mississippi River Valley for five months beginning in August during the annual Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive fall tour.

Along with the natural beauty of autumn in Southeast Missouri, participants will find friendly people, open houses, crafts, festivals, folk music, demonstrations, working mules and horses, carnivals, scenic vistas and much more. The drive is coordinated by Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Regional History.

Designated scenic drive routes run through a 50-by-50-mile section of the Mississippi River Valley, north and south from Perryville to Commerce, and east and west from Cape Girardeau to Marquand. The roads run through towns such as Cape Girardeau, Apple Creek, Brazeau, Old Appleton, Altenburg, Marble Hill, Burfordville, Jackson, Benton, Commerce, Fruitland and Pocahontas.

Dr. Frank Nickell, director of Southeast's Center for Regional History and coordinator of the scenic drive, said the river valley region has some of the best foliage in Missouri.

"It's as colorful as any section of New England, if you catch it at the right time," he said. "These are all areas that have very great beauty in the fall. And there's a great amount of history to see."

The Center for Regional History has compiled a brochure, available at a number of sites around the region, including the center and the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau. It includes a detailed map of the roads on the route, a list of regional towns participating and attractions in them, and a calendar of fall events throughout the region.

Commerce was added to the spring drive tour last April and is on the fall tour, too.

"That's really added a lot to the drive," Nickell said. "Adding the section from Scott City to Commerce adds a different landscape. You've got the river hills to the north and the opening of the delta to the south. You may have the best view of the river at Commerce than anywhere else along the way," he said. Other cities where visitors may view the Mississippi River are Cape Girardeau and Wittenberg.

Visitors to Commerce Sept. 20-21 can join in the Commerce Floodfest. Nickell said he also would recommend stopping at the Commerce Museum and at the River Ridge Winery.