Brown County sees spike in business as leaves changes

NASHVILLE, Ind. — With fall break upon us and parents searching for things to do with their kids, it’s expected to be a big weekend in Brown County. The leaves are starting to reach their peak and people are flocking south to see the beautiful scenery.

From green, to yellow, to orange. Once the leaves change colors and start to fall, Nashville becomes a very popular place. People are coming from all over to check out the leaves and the beautiful hills Brown County has to offer.

“Once it starts to change, you just see a lot more people coming in,” said Warren Cole, co-owner of Hobnob. “People are wandering around, it’s just a fall tradition. It’s just kind of like the flooding of the Nile in Egypt.”

Betsy Potts and her husband, John, don’t live in Nashville, but visit the area multiple times a year. Betsy has been visiting for a long time and has fond memories of this place from when she was a kid.

“It’s just beautiful and quaint all year round, but I have special memories even from my childhood,” said Potts. “Coming down here to see the leaves and enjoying the ambiance is one of my favorite things to do.”

The ideal conditions for vibrant fall colors are warm, sunny days followed by cool, but not freezing, nights. Sunny days create more sugars in the leaves, which can lead to more brilliant reds and purples. 

The cool nights prevent the sugars from leaving the leaves, helping to create vibrant colors. And the freezing temperatures can damage leaves and lead to poor color and early leaf drop. 

“We’ve been packed all of September and October. Even more so today,” said Cole. “We open at 11, and by 11:05, we’re full with a waiting line. That’s pretty typical for this time of year. And the colors are just starting to peak. So this weekend may be the big one.”

For many businesses on the stretch of Main Street, this is their time to shine. A lot of businesses will make most of their profit just from the fall season.

“October’s definitely a month to pull in money and profit. It helps a lot. It’s a big, big month, and it’s critical really to us,” said Cole.