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 through December 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 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, Jackson, Apple Creek, Brazeau, Old Appleton, Altenburg, Marble Hill, Burfordville, Jackson, Benton, Commerce, Fruitland and Pocahontas.

Dr. Frank Nickell, director of Southeast Missouri State University'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 complied a brochure, available at a number of sites around the region -- including at the Center and at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau -- which includes a detailed map of the roads on the route, a list of regional towns participating and attractions in them and a calendar of events throughout the region.

Nickell says the drive route contains a variety of interesting landscapes.

"The drive from Frohna to Brazeau and over to Uniontown and Friedheim is beautiful," he said. "That's one of the prettiest areas in this whole region."

He says the drive west to Marquand also is fascinating.

"It's very rural," he said. "There are lots of hardwood trees."

Nickell recommends that visitors stop at Commerce, especially at the Commerce Museum and the River Ridge Winery.

"Commerce is one of the oldest communities in the region, going back to the 18th century," he said, adding that Wittenberg and Brazeau were established prior to statehood.

Events scheduled along the drive in September include Floodfest Sept. 19-20 in Commerce; the East Perry County Fair Sept. 25-26 in Altenburg; Trisha's Bed & Breakfast 10th Anniversary Celebration with a "Gone With the Wind" theme Sept. 25-27; and the River Heritage Quilt Show Sept. 26-27 at Centenary Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau.

Other upcoming events on the calendar include Heartland's Women's Show Sept. 23-25 in Cape Girardeau; 7th annual Holiday Lighting Nov. 20 in Perryville; Crafts Extravaganza Weekend Nov. 21-22 in Cape Girardeau; the Christmas Parade of Lights Nov. 29 in Cape Girardeau; and Christmas Tour Dec. 12-13 in Commerce. Several other holiday events are listed on the calendar for throughout the region in December.

For more information about the drive, call the Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 777-0068.