Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is the place to be this fall. With the town’s location on the Colorado River, south of Las Vegas, visitors return for seasonal events ranging from jet ski races to aerobatic air shows. Boating activities may not be the first thing that jumps to mind when considering outdoor activities in the desert, but, until Oct. 7, the International Jet Sports Boating Association will be at Crazy Horse Campgrounds for the 2018 IJSBA Blowsion World Finals. More than 750 high-performance watercraft from around the world showcase cutting-edge engineering through a series of exciting competitions.

Air Fest © GoLakeHavasu.com

Relics & Rods Car Club’s 41st Annual Run to the Sun Car Show, Oct. 17–21, is held at Bridgewater Links at London Bridge Resort. Ranking as one of the largest car shows in the Southwest, the event attracts vehicles from around America — all dating to 1972 or earlier. Among planned events are a Cruise Night, Show & Shine exhibit, fashion show, dinner dance, pancake breakfast and parade.

Later in the month, the Hangar 24 AirFest & 2nd Anniversary aerobatic air show and beer festival is held at Lake Havasu City Airport, Oct. 27. The event includes the chance to tour a B-17 Flying Fortress or to actually be a passenger during brief flights over Lake Havasu City. Notable as one of only eight still operating toda, out of the 12,731 models that were originally built, the B-17 will be accompanied by other historic aircraft making an appearance that include bi-planes and an A-10 Warthog attending from Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.