HARTFORD, Conn. -- During the coming weeks, leaves throughout the Nutmeg State will turn to countless hues, making the River Valley/Connecticut region perfect for "leaf peeping."

A free, colorful, new pocket brochure, produced by the Central Regional Tourism District, now is available. It offers nine different self-guided driving tours.

The Central Regional Tourism District recently debuted its River Valley's fall driving tours during a special ride aboard New England's first-ever double-decker bus. The new 81-seat bus is the newest addition to DATTCO's fleet.

The event included members of the region's hospitality industry and media. It featured refreshments from local cider mills, breweries, farms and other autumn treats.

The new fall foliage tours brochure is a companion piece to the "2008 Visitors Guide to Greater Hartford & Connecticut's River Valley." It can be downloaded from the Central Regional Tourism District's Web site. To order a copy to be mailed to you, call 800-793-4480.

"Each of the tours in this guide offers detailed driving directions to spectacular views of the changing Connecticut landscape," said Paul Mayer, executive director of the Central Regional Tourism District. "We also include special activities that people can enjoy as part of their trip, along with a fall calendar of events."

The River Valley/Connecticut region covers 46 towns and cities and is located along the Connecticut River, which winds its way from the Long Island Sound up to the Massachusetts border.

The nine different self-guided driving tours in the River Valley's fall driving tours brochure are the Connecticut River-Metacomet Ridge Tour; Tobacco Valley Driving Tour; East of the River Driving Tour; Farmington Valley Tour; Quinnipiac River and Metacomet Trail Tour; Central Connecticut Tour; Old Wethersfield, Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry and Brownstone Quarry Tour; Gillette Castle and Devil's Hopyard State Parks Tour; and Connecticut River TidelandsTour.