Fall is harvest season, which makes it the perfect time to venture out to a food festival, says Kathleen Daelemans, a cookbook author and contributor to NBC's Today Show. The events offer great tastes and activities. "It's a great time for great food," says Daelemans, who shares some favorites with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.

1. Oktoberfest
Chicago
This Lincoln Park festival, which runs Sept. 23-25, supports St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, which was established in 1882 by German immigrants. "It's all about beer and brats," Daelemans says. Local Chicago Foodie Talitha Shamaly likes it because "the food's yummy and the prices are great. It's the one festival I can get my husband to attend because there's a beer garden under a big-top tent!" Guests can dance to bands like the Polkaholics, while Sunday's Kinderfest has activities to keep children happy. 773-525-0709; stalphonsuschgo.org

2. Maui Fair
Maui, Hawaii
Picture a county fair in the tropics and you'll get an idea of what to expect at this gathering, which runs Sept. 29-Oct. 2. Visitors can taste the island's heritage through Hawaiian, Filipino and Japanese foods. "The islands are a melting pot of culture for so many wonderful cuisines," Daelemans says. Island superstar chef Peter Merriman, Chef and owner of Merriman's Restaurants goes every year, "The Maui County Fair is one of my favorite fall events to sample local flavors...They have everything from Chow Fun, Portuguese soup, Kalua Pig and Cabbage, Malasadas and Shave Ice. The proceeds help benefit the community which is pretty cool too" 808-242-2721; MauiFair.com

3. Arizona Taco Festival
Scottsdale, Ariz.
This Oct. 15 festival along the Arizona Canal attracted more than 10,000 attendees the first year. On offer: premium tequila tastings, Lucha Libre wrestling, music and an array of tacos to sample. A children's area has hourly piñata beatings. Thirty teams are expected to enter the taco competitions, which include chicken, beef, pork and seafood. aztacofestival.com

4. New York City Wine & Food Festival
New York
This festival, Sept. 29–Oct. 2, attracts an array of Food Network stars and the New York foodie world, including Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Martha Stewart. "This is like the Las Vegas of local food festivals," Daelemans says. "It's an amazing group of people they've gotten together. Literally hundreds of personalities." Visitors can browse and nosh, or get tickets for seminars, meals and cooking demos. Admission ranges from free to $500. 866-969- 2933; nycwineandfoodfestival.com

5. Atlanta BBQ Festival
Atlanta
Barbecue gets the big-city treatment in this 3-year-old festival expected to attract 15,000 'cue lovers Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The gathering, which features Texas, Carolina, Memphis, St. Louis and Kentucky-style barbecue, includes plenty of chances for sampling. "This is my kind of food," says Daelemans, who is the author of New York Times bestseller, Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen, 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss. "You save your calories for stuff like this — where it really matters." 877-725-8849; atlbbqfest.com

6. Long Family Orchard, Farm & Cider Mill Commerce, Mich.
Daelemans has a weakness for this family farm 35 miles northwest of Detroit. During the fall, guests come to pick apples, sip cider, and on weekend nights, wander through a corn maze. "There's nothing like walking through an apple orchard and being able to taste apples right off the tree," she says. Special activities run weekends through October, beginning Sept. 24. The maze opens Oct. 14. 248-360-3774; LongsOrchard.com

7. World Veg Festival
San Francisco, California
What better place to celebrate meat-free eating than vegetarian-friendly San Francisco? The schedule includes a vegan fashion show, a raw dinner and speed dating. "If anyone can do vegetarian, San Francisco can," says Daelemans who studied under renown San Francisco Chef Judy Rodgers, Chef & Owner of Zuni Café on Van Ness says. The 12th annual festival will be Oct. 1 and 2 at Golden Gate Park. 415-273-5481; worldvegfestival.com

8. Taste of Our Towns (T.O.O.T)
Lewisburg, W.Va.
Regional food, such as fried green tomato sandwiches, bread pudding and Celtic shortbread, is reason enough to attend the Oct. 8 event. But Daelemans says she's just as wowed by the tiny downtown, where there's still a penny candy store and lots of local pride. "It's just a beautiful part of the country and it's a fabulous town. It should be on everyone's bucket list." 304-645-7917; CarnegieHallWV.org

9. The Common Ground County Fair
Unity, Maine
Maine is the host of two notable Fairs this fall, The Common Ground County Fair taking place September 23-25th and right before Halloween don't miss Maine's newest festival Harvest on the Harbor, October 20th-2st. Run by M.O.F.G.A. (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) all the food featured at the Common Ground Country Fair is Maine grown and organic. A true celebration of rural life, this Fair features demonstrations, Maine organic produced foods, crafts and livestock exhibits. Maine's own NPR Presenter and cookbook author Kathy Gunst says "You'll find the usual kind of country festival fun-- manure pitches, horse drawn rides, a donkey and mule show, horse harnessing, and more. But there are also new age and farm-related workshops emblematic of Maine country life— composting, seed saving, bio-efficiency, recycling, enhancing your immune system with herbs, solar versus wind power, and more. The food? You'll find fabulous offerings like locally raised grilled lamb kebobs, home-baked breads, BBQ, lobster rolls, and gluten-free offerings."

10. Harvest on the Harbor
Portland, Maine
From a Grand Tasting on the Harbor to a marketplace filled with delectable food and wine samples, to celebrity chefs and cooking demonstrations this October 20th-21st event has it all. A favorite festival off foodies and wine connoisseurs, Gunst is a fan too, "While Harvest on the Harbour is relatively new to Maine it has become a great weekend of chef dinners, tastings, farm-to-table events, and cookbook signings and demos. Not to mention a major opportunity to eat lots of lobster and taste food from many of the state's great, award-winning chefs!"

Gunst is a keynote Chef at the Festival this year and will be performing a cooking demo and signing her newest book, Notes From a Maine Kitchen.

11. Newfane Harvest Fair
Village of Newfance, Vermont
This October 8th and 9th weekend long Fair features 90 juried Arts, Crafts & Specialty Products, the Church's famous Homemade Apple Pies and Crisps, Live Music, Children's Activities, Flea Tent and peak of Vermont's Fall Foliage on the surrounding hills. Vermont Chef and Cookbook author, Ellen Ecker Ogden wouldn't miss it, "Fall festivals in New England are quite spectacular and authentic to the spirit of agriculture. The foliage is peaking and the food is fresh off the vine. It is a true celebration of the harvest season, and in just a few short weeks everything changes. Newfane is a quintessential small Vermont town with lots of charm."

Ogden's newest book is The Complete Kitchen Garden, Stewart, Tabori and Chang / Abrams Books. http://newfaneheritagefestival.blogspot.com

12. Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta
Santa Fe, N.M.
This festival, which runs Sept. 21-25, offers a chance to sample Southwest cuisine in the scenic state capital. With nearly 100 wineries participating, there's no shortage of great sips either. For many, the highlight is a Saturday night grand tasting at the Santa Fe Opera. 505-438-8060; santafewineandchile.org

Click here to read the original article by Larry Bleiberg at USA Today.