When the sky’s been gray for weeks, the furnace can’t keep up with the chill and you’re tired of deicing the driveway, going somewhere warm for even a week can be the secret to maintaining your mental health.
Even if you’re lucky enough to live where it doesn’t snow, you’ve likely been rained in for weeks and are desperate to travel to a destination where you can bask in the warmth of sunshine and explore the outdoors without bundling up head to toe. And if it’s a dog-friendly getaway you’re after, all you want is someplace where you won’t have to do a major wipe-down after every damp and gloomy walk.
Here are 11 of the best spring break destinations in the U.S., whether your ideal vacation involves sinking your toes in the sand, seeking out spring wildflowers, tipping back a beer on a lakeside dock or testing your mettle with a boundary-pushing adventure.
Monterey, California
Sheltered within the horseshoe curve of Monterey Bay, this former center of the fishing industry made famous in John Steinbeckʻs “Cannery Row” has grown into a marine science destination of international stature.
At the groundbreaking Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can witness the antics of playful sea otters, circling sharks and chirping penguins diving into their pool. A leader in conservation science, the facility continues to unveil exhibits like “Into the Deep,” which mimics the nearly freezing, high-pressure environment of the deep-sea floor, where creatures found nowhere else have adapted to life in almost total darkness. Other highlights include the jellyfish tank, where the mysterious, transparent creatures seem to dance through the water; the Rocky Shores touch pool; and timed events such as sea otter feedings, which you won’t want to miss.
Related: Sardines, Steinbeck and sea otters: TPG’s guide to exploring Monterey, California
Possible whale sightings at various times during spring include humpbacks, grays, blues and even orcas. The best way to see them is on a boat tour such as those offered by Princess Monterey Whale Watching, which puts a marine biologist or naturalist on board to locate marine life and explain what you’re seeing.
TPG tip: You’ll find the full resort experience at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, which spans 22 private acres with two outdoor pools, three on-site restaurants, a seasonal beer garden and the cushy Spa Adeline. Rates start at $237 or 17,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Lake City, Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida
Once you know that Lake City, Florida’s Springlands, an hour east of Jacksonville, features more than 900 freshwater springs and 350 miles of rivers, you’ll wonder why this watery fantasia isn’t better known. Take Ichetucknee Springs State Park, where people tube and kayak through waterways populated by otters, soft-shell turtles, wild turkeys, wood ducks and the striking long-billed limpkins. Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park, named after a well-known cave diver and underwater photographer, protects one of the most extensive underwater cave systems in the continental U.S., where more than 33,000 feet of caves have been documented since the mid-1950s.
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Related: State parks with national park-worthy wonders
It’s worth the two-hour drive to St. Augustine to tour the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a fort built by Spanish colonists in the 17th century. You’ll want to add a tour of Villa Zorayda, built to resemble a mini-Alhambra with Moorish-influenced tilework.
If you time your visit toward the end of spring, you can experience Jacksonville’s celebration of Juneteenth, a high-spirited celebration that kicks off with a Freedom Walk and continues with the Melanin Market, which brings together more than 150 Black-owned businesses and features music, food trucks, craft booths and pop-up boutiques.
TPG tip: Convenient to Ichetucknee Springs, the Home2Suites by Hilton Lake City has a large pool enclosed in a sunny patio area, offers pet-friendly rooms and includes breakfast, making it a great home base from which to explore the area. Rates start at $151 or 45,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Related: Best all-inclusive resorts in Florida
The Finger Lakes, New York
New York’s Finger Lakes region, with 11 different lakes, offers seemingly endless possibilities for hiking, biking, boating, swimming and kicking back in the ubiquitous Adirondack chairs that adorn every porch and dock.
Base your stay in and around Seneca Lake, the largest and best known of the group. Visit the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls to better understand the history of the suffrage movement and the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn to learn more about her work organizing the Underground Railroad.
Outdoor attractions abound, including the many waterfalls that tumble over and through the areaʻs characteristic layered limestone cliffs. Watkins Glen State Park has no fewer than 19 cascades near the south end of Seneca Lake. Equally unmissable, Taughannock Falls State Park features one of the stateʻs tallest waterfalls at 215 feet.
Situated along several miles of Seneca Lake shoreline, the bustling hamlet of Geneva takes its cue from its Swiss namesake, with flower boxes studding the streets of its well-preserved 19th-century downtown. The many wine shops and wine bars reflect Geneva’s close relationship with the surrounding wine country, where tasting rooms abound along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.
The Rochester Lilac Festival, held annually in May, celebrates a collection of more than 12,000 lilacs in full bloom (America’s largest collection). The largest living history museum in New York, Genesee Country Village & Museum immerses visitors in 19th-century life with costumed guides demonstrating barrel-making, ceramics, blacksmithing and more.
TPG tip: In Geneva, choose 41 Lakefront Hotel, part of Wyndhamʻs Trademark collection, for the prime lake views from its spacious rooms, glass-fronted restaurant and lawn sloping down to the waterʻs edge. Rooms start at $99 or 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night.
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Most people know the Willamette Valley for its world-class pinots and artsy cuisine-centered villages. But thanks to its location halfway between the Cascade range and the even wilder West Cascades, this bucolic swath of central Oregon has become a premier destination for waterfall enthusiasts when spring runoff is high. Another draw is central Oregonʻs agricultural bounty, which in recent years has become more accessible through farm tours, seasonal events and farm stays.
Hikers head to the Trail of Ten Waterfalls in Silver Falls State Park, which edges around a series of limestone terraces to access caves behind 100-foot cascades. In McDowell Creek Falls County Park, an easy 2-mile loop winds through mossy woods to four waterfalls, including 120-foot Royal Terrace Falls and Majestic Falls.
The 134-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, which follows the river from Salem to Eugene, is popular with cyclists of all levels, while experienced mountain bikers challenge themselves on the Benton County Winery and Historic Route, which climbs 3,500 feet while passing wineries, ranches and a turn-of-the-century covered bridge. With dozens of wineries and tasting rooms welcoming visitors year-round, it’s hard to know where to start, but the Willamette Valley Wine Trail offers maps and suggested itineraries.
TPG tip: The Vintages Trailer Resort features 34 retro rolling homes, each one a different model, updated in chic midcentury modern style and fitted with private decks furnished with chairs and tables, starting at $89 per night. Or use your points at the pet-friendly Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Portland Newberg, which has an outdoor pool and an on-site convenience store, with rooms from $142 or 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Tucson
An hour’s drive from the Mexico border, Tucson is the perfect place to savor the Southwest’s cultural mashup, with its extraordinary cuisine earning it a place on the world food map through its designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. In between meals, explore the Mission San Xavier del Bac, a Spanish Catholic mission dating to 1699, as well as the Pima Air & Space Museum, the Titan Missile Museum and the Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum.
In addition to being a popular place to go hiking during the day, Saguaro National Park was certified as an official Urban Night Sky Place in 2023. This designation recognizes sites that use planning and design to support an authentic nighttime experience despite operating in settings with high ambient light.
Related: Planning a stargazing expedition? Here’s everything you need to know about Dark Sky Places
Adult spring breakers will appreciate Tucson’s new four-day Agave Heritage Festival, the first festival in honor of the desert native, which has grown in this region for more than 1,000 years. The festival, which takes place April 9 to 12, honors community, culture and conservation through mezcal tastings, culinary events, educational seminars and more.
TPG tip: The half-hour drive from downtown is well worth it at the adults-only Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, which has three pools, acres of hiking trails and the Life in Balance Spa. All-inclusive rates start at $1,199 or 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Maui, Hawaii
Spring is whale watching season in Maui, and what amazing whale watching it is. Kaanapali, undergoing a resurgence after the 2023 fires, is one of the best spots to catch migrating humpbacks, or you can join a whale watching excursion with Sail Trilogy or Maui Whale Adventures. Ask whether there’s a naturalist on board, and some boats even feature hydrophones that amplify the eerie sound of whale song.
Of course, you’ve come to Maui to go to the beach, and Maui’s varied topography means you’ll find every kind, from swathes of white sand to secluded rocky coves; Wailea and Napili Bay are perennial crowd-pleasers.
Take a day to drive the Road to Hana, which snakes along the sheer cliffs on the island’s west side and will have you stopping at every turn to photograph waterfalls and dramatic ocean views.
On the way, stop at the Kahanu Garden, a National Tropical Botanical Garden, where you’ll find one of the island’s largest forests of native hala. Many visit the park to see the National Historic Landmark Piilanihale Heiau, a massive lava rock shrine thought to be the largest ancient human-made structure in Polynesia.
TPG tip: Situated at Puu Kekaa (Black Rock) with 23 acres of spectacular Kaanapali Beach oceanfront, the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is beloved for its 142-yard lagoon-style pool surrounded by lava rock paths and bridges. Rooms start at $413 or 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Related: The best hotels in Maui, from luxury stays to family-friendly resorts
Breckenridge, Colorado
In search of fresh powder, rather than soft sand? You wonʻt do better than Breckenridge, which enjoys one of the longest ski seasons in the continental U.S. thanks to its location at 9,600 feet in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The BreckConnect Gondola, beloved by visitors for providing a car-free vacation experience, operates until April 28, after which buses transport skiers and riders up the mountain.
Breck, as regulars call it, may be best known for skiing and snowboarding, but it is quickly gaining popularity as a four-season destination, with hikers and bikers arriving from mid-April on. Low-elevation trails such as Creek Trail and the family-friendly Cucumber Gulch Wildlife Preserve are among the earliest to clear of snow.
Mountain bikers should be prepared for mud; however, locals and regular visitors affectionately refer to late spring as “mud season,” and many prefer it for the lack of crowds and bargain lodging rates. Rent your preferred set of wheels from one of numerous local outfitters and bike or e-bike on the 7-mile Blue River Recreation Path.
If the weather really warms up, paddle boarders head for Dillon Reservoir and Maggie Pond; you can join them with a rental from Charter Sports. At the Country Boy Mine, guides take you deep into the tunnels once rich with ore.
TPG tip: The expansive 205-room Hotel Alpenrock Breckenridge, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, has it all — direct ski-in access, along with a free shuttle into town and pet-friendly rooms. Rates start at $192 or 77,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Pigeon Forge and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park turns technicolor in spring when wildflowers like trillium blanket the forest floors while valleys burst out in a fiery bouquet of orange, yellow and purple. Prime viewing spots include Porters Creek for trillium and the Cove Hardwood Nature Trail to see expanses of flowers spread across the valley. The park celebrates its bounty of bloom April 22-25 with the three-day Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.
If you’re a country music fan or visiting this area with kids in tow, you’ll want to hit up Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. The country music-themed attraction features a theater with regular concerts and rides like the Lightning Rod roller coaster, the Dollywood Express locomotive and the Big Bear Mountain roller coaster. This spring will also see the much-anticipated launch of NightFlight Expedition, a multimedia experience that combines a roller coaster and a whitewater rafting ride to take riders on a simulated nighttime journey to search for bioluminescence in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While the opening date has not yet been announced, it is expected to be in late spring or early summer.
Related: Destination Dollywood: First-ever Dolly Parton-themed flight to take off later this year
TPG tip: Ten minutes from Dollywood and 20 minutes from the national park entrance, the new Embassy Suites by Hilton Pigeon Forge Resort has indoor and outdoor pools and rooms with space for families of up to six. Rooms start at $229 or 60,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Greater Palm Springs, California
The spring bloom in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts and Coachella Valley is deservedly world-famous, with carpets of poppies, lupine and desert sunflowers contrasting photogenically with cholla cactus, fan palms and other desert favorites. And a California superbloom may happen this year — here’s what we know so far.
See them in the Mission Creek Preserve, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Randall Henderson Trail in the San Bernardino National Forest, or get farther out into rugged canyon country with a guided Jeep tour. And, of course, you’ll want to visit Joshua Tree National Park.
And you don’t even have to give up the beach by choosing the desert: The Palm Springs Surf Club, which opened in 2024, features the ultimate modern wave pool designed by professional surfers to provide an authentic wave riding experience for those at all levels. The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage features a wealth of interactive, hands-on exhibits designed especially for children under 8, including those with learning challenges.
Anyone who appreciates soaking in natural mineral hot springs should visit the 73,000-square-foot Spa at Sec-he, which is owned and operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and features halotherapy salt caves and quartz beds.
TPG tip: The Thompson Palm Springs has 168 rooms, decorated in a chic midcentury modern-meets-Mediterranean design scheme. Rates start at $383 or 21,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Moab, Utah
Moab, located between Arches and Canyonlands national parks, offers the perfect home base to explore both, as well as Dead Horse Point State Park, which many consider on par with the state’s sublime national parks. In addition, Moab is surrounded by numerous state parks and public open spaces managed by the Bureau of Land Management, where it’s possible to hike among hoodoos, arches, rock spires and red-rock canyons without the crowds.
One of the top mountain biking destinations in the country, Moab lures riders with hundreds of miles of slickrock trails, among them the beloved Moab Brand Trails. While riding slickrock is a challenge prized by experienced riders, Moab also has plenty of beginner-friendly bike trails, and bike rentals are plentiful. Moab is also where you’ll embark on one of the river rafting adventures that ply the Green and Colorado rivers.
TPG tip: Stay at the Red Cliffs Lodge Moab, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, which feels like the best kind of summer camp with a pool, horseback riding and an off-roading center. Rates start at $426 or 64,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Route 66
This spring is the perfect time to take a Route 66 road trip, with centennial celebrations taking place all along the 2,400-mile Mother Road, which was officially inaugurated in 1926. There’s no better place to start your journey than beneath the “Begin” sign across from the Art Institute of Chicago, where centennial festivities kick off in April with a vintage car show and live music. A new exhibit at the Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum in Pontiac, Illinois, explores the cultural influence of the Mother Road, while the visitor center at Route 66 State Park in Eureka, Missouri, exhibits an impressive collection of authentic artifacts.
Classic car parades feature in many centennial celebrations, grandest among them Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise on May 30, which aims to set a world record by assembling more than 3,000 makes and models. Albuquerque has taken an artsy, interactive approach to the celebration with Route 66 Remixed, which features 18 massive installations, murals and sculptures created in partnership with Meow Wolf and Refract Studio. In Arizona, the Grand Canyon gateway town of Williams will honor the centennial with a vintage car festival June 5-6. Santa Monica, California, with its iconic “End of the Trail” sign at the edge of the Pacific, hosts nightly concerts through the spring and summer.
Prepare yourself by watching “Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road,” a documentary trilogy now available to stream. And download the Travel Native America app, created by the American Indigenous Tourism Association, to discover significant places and historical sites along your route.
TPG tip: In Williams, the Trailborn Grand Canyon is part of Marriott’s Outdoor Collection and goes all-in on Wild West vibes with a saloon-themed beer hall and steakhouse. It has rooms starting at $119 or 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
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