Winter vacation for students typically coincides with the holiday season. As such, students tend to spend their time off at home or traveling around to meet family. But spring break is a very different story.
Spring break is one of the few times during the school year that students get to go out and explore the world beyond the walls of their school. Whether you’re a college student planning a getaway with friends or a parent planning a trip with your younger children, there’s a spring break destination that’s perfect for you.
Looking for where to go for spring break? We’ve compiled a list of the best spring break trips in the US for you, from the most popular destinations to towns that are true hidden gems. Pick your favorite place to go this spring break, and you’re bound to have an amazing trip!
Don’t forget to check out our web story: The 15 Best Spring Break Destinations in the USA
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The 15 Best Spring Break Destinations in the USA
1. Take a Spring Trip to Seattle
Seattle has recently become one of the most popular spring break destinations, for good reason. Although the weather can sometimes be rainy, spring in Seattle means beautifully blooming gardens, parks lush with cherry blossom trees, and the return of events like the Seattle International Film Festival and Taste Washington.
2. Experience the Vibrant Scene in Miami
Unlike Seattle, Miami is certainly not new to the list of the most popular and best American spring break destinations. While some northern destinations need to wait until summer for swimming, you can enjoy the waters around Miami even in early spring.
Add in Miami’s famous nightlife and festivals that celebrate the city’s diverse cultures, delicious food scene, and happening music scene, and you’ve got the making for one of the best spring break trips in the US!
3. Enjoy Some Sun in Fort Lauderdale
Florida is home to some of the most popular spring break destinations in the US, and Fort Lauderdale is another city that belongs on that list.
In addition to enjoying the sunshine and warm waters around the city’s beaches, you can also spend your spring break enjoying the vibrant nightlife, including many rooftop bars that let you take in the sunset each evening.
Fort Lauderdale is also a great option if you want to balance some lazy beach days with more active adventures, such as kayaking at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park!
4. Say Hooray for Hollywood in LA
Los Angeles is one of the best places to go this spring break if you want to immerse yourself in Hollywood history. Enjoy sunny days as you take backlot tours of Warner Bros and Universal Studios.
Or get out in nature while still taking in the sights of Los Angeles with a hike around Griffith Park. For even more family fun, there are all sorts of museums around LA, including the reopening of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s beloved Butterfly Pavilion each spring.
5. See the Shows and Sights of Las Vegas
Visiting Las Vegas in the summer is not for the faint of heart. Summertime can reach temperatures well into the triple digits. No wonder why many people would rather their Las Vegas trip be a spring break trip.
With the temperatures being milder in spring, you can enjoy many nearby destinations, such as Red Rock Canyon State Park and the Hoover Dam, without the high heat keeping you indoors. But even just walking along the famous Las Vegas Strip is much better in spring!
6. Revel in New York, New York in Spring
Each season brings about something new in New York City, which is why it’s one of the best places to visit for spring in the US. Even if you just visited NYC in winter, you’ll find it’s a whole new place come spring, with showcases of blooming flowers throughout the city, such as at Macy’s Flower Show and the New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show.
Or you can simply head over to parks like Central Park to check out the cherry blossoms, as well as enjoy the outdoor activities you can do in the park now that the snow is melting away.
7. Enjoy Phoenix Before the Summer Heat
Like Las Vegas, Phoenix can get incredibly hot in the summer, also reaching into the triple digits. But the weather is just right in spring to get the best of both worlds. While it’s still hot enough for lazy days poolside, it’s also temperate enough that you can get out and see the blooming cacti and wildflowers that arrive with the spring season in the Sonoran Desert.
8. Experience the Festival Season in New Orleans
New Orleans is one of the most fun places to go on spring break because you can guarantee that there’s always something happening to keep you busy during your trip. With the arrival of spring comes a season chock-full of festivals for everyone.
There are events for book lovers, film buffs, music fans, craft beer drinkers, and foodies, as well as celebrations that honor the diverse cultures throughout New Orleans, such as the beloved Super Sunday event.
9. Venture Through the Great Outdoors in Bend
Bend, Oregon, is where to go for spring break if you want to immerse yourself in nature. Bend in spring is a strange and wonderful time when you get to enjoy the end of winter activities and the arrival of warm weather events during the same trip, perhaps even on the same day.
Mount Bachelor boasts one of the longest ski seasons of anywhere in the US, with lifts going up all the way until late May. But there are also plenty of spots sans snow this time of year, which makes for great spring hiking and biking conditions.
10. Ski in Breckenridge
Speaking of places to ski in spring, you can also enjoy a long ski season in Breckenridge, Colorado, making it another one of the top places for spring break for winter sports lovers. Breckenridge aims to stay open for skiers and snowboarders until well into May, although only intermediate and advanced terrain is open after mid-April. The shift to spring skiing means far fewer people on the slopes.
11. See the Bats in Austin
Despite being a major city, Austin isn’t actually one of the most popular spring break destinations in the US. But it’s being seriously overlooked!
Spring in Austin means gardens filled with blooming flowers and fields of wildflowers both in the city and throughout the quaint towns of nearby Hill Country. It’s also filled with festivals, like South by Southwest and Hot Luck Festival.
Spring also brings about the return of the largest urban bat colony in the US under the Congress Avenue Bridge, which you can see via tours like a sunset kayaking trip.
12. Take a Hike in Morro Bay
For another off-the-beaten-path option that’s one of the best places to visit for spring break in the US, try Morro Bay.
This charming California city doesn’t exactly experience beach weather in the spring, but there’s still plenty to do, from kayaking around Morro Rock to taste-testing your way through various wineries. Staying in Morro Bay also makes it easy to take day trips to other interesting locations, like Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
13. Get Outside in the Outer Banks
Spring in the Outer Banks is a great time to take part in all the outdoor activities the area has to offer. This spring break trip is for those of us who don’t want to simply sit on a beach but instead get up and get active on it. From hang-gliding at Jockey’s Ridge State Park to trying your hand at kitesurfing, there’s no end to the fun you can have all day here.
Plus, while many of Outer Banks’ shops, restaurants, and hotels close with the winter off-season, they’ll be back up and running by your spring break. You can rest assured that you’ll have everything you need during your stay.
14. Step Back in Time in Savannah
There’s so much to love about Savannah in spring, which is why it’s one of the best American spring break destinations! The streets of Savannah come to life with warm weather and music playing from various festivals and concerts. The weather is also just right for a cruise aboard a riverboat that’ll give you stunning views of this historic city.
15. Experience Spring Skiing in Park City
Park City’s ski season usually lasts until around mid-April, making it another one of the top places for spring break if you’re looking to experience the end of winter sports during your trip.
In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Park City also boasts a vibrant nightlife scene with over 100 restaurants and bars, outdoor concerts popping up throughout March and April, and food tours that will show you why so many people love the area’s food scene.
There you have it! The 15 best spring break trips in the US. What’s your favorite American spring break destination? Let us know in the comments!
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