Whether your ideal holiday involves sand or snow, these winter vacation ideas will have you plotting your escape
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12 Best Winter Vacations in the U.S. You’ll Want to Book Now
Updated on Nov. 22, 2024
Best tropical destination: Maui, Hawaii
Pristine beaches, perfect balmy temps and rainbows around every bend in the road, are just a few reasons why Maui continues to top winter vacation wish lists. Our family has especially appreciated this tropical slice of paradise as the kids have grown, and we’ve been able to trade sandcastle building in Kihei with snorkeling in Ka’anapali and visits to the Maui Ocean Center with road trips to Hana.
We also love the island’s upcountry charms. On a recent trip we admired the dramatic scenery during a day hike in Haleakalā National Park, tasted the king of fruits on a Maui pineapple farm tour in Hali’imaile and learned about the island’s paniolo (cowboy) history on a trail ride.
Where to stay: Located on expansive grounds next to Black Rock Beach, a fantastic snorkeling spot in West Maui, Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has a variety of rooms including family suites. Don’t miss the regular Maui Nui Luau, an evening of Hawaiian food, music, dance and history.
Best for history buffs: Hot Springs, Ark.
My mom retired to Hot Springs because of the mild climate and lower cost of living. While these two factors are a draw mid-winter, it’s the city’s fascinating history as a gangster getaway and the fantastic bathhouses that sprung up around a natural hot spring, which warrant exploration.
I always visit Bathhouse Row, a National Historic Landmark District right downtown where you can still soak in two of the eight architecturally stunning bathhouses. Across the street, learn all about the city’s former mafia ties at the Gangster Museum of America (Al Capone ran a moonshine business out of Hot Springs, and famously “took the waters” to try and cure his syphilis). When you’ve had your fill of history, go hiking in Hot Springs National Park or enjoy a drink at the Ohio Club, one of the city’s original speakeasies.
Where to stay: Located just steps from Bathhouse Row, the historic Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa opened 100 years ago this New Year’s Eve in its present location. Al Capone was a hotel regular, and room 443, the Al Capone Suite, features a bullet hole in the wall.
Best for the young (and young at heart): Rochester, N.Y.
Rochester is a hidden gem in winter, blending snowy charm with engaging indoor attractions. The Strong National Museum of Play, known for its hands-on displays, is a must for families and nostalgia lovers, offering everything from a ropes course to a recreation of the famed Sesame Street stoop and interactive exhibits like the Aquarium at Rainbow Reef, where the fish drawn by kids show up on a fish tank projected on a wall.
“It’s all very hands-on—active and imaginary play is encouraged—and there’s loads of room for kids of all ages to run around,” says Anne Fritz, deputy editor at Reader’s Digest and travel writer who recently visited Rochester recently with her two school-age children.
Beyond the museum, Rochester embraces the season with ice skating at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park and snowy hikes in scenic Highland Park. Warm up with comfort food like the kid-pleasing “Garbage Plate,” the city’s signature dish.
Where to stay: Located downtown within walking distance to restaurants and The Strong National Museum of Play, Hampton Inn & Suites Rochester Downtown features family-friendly rooms with a bunk bed nook for kids, an indoor pool, complimentary hot breakfast and free parking.
Best for pampering: Scottsdale, Ariz.
With over 50 luxury resorts and day spas, this Arizona city has gained a well-deserved reputation for winter R & R, and it routinely ranks in the Top 10 for Best Spa Destinations in the U.S. What makes Scottsdale even more appealing is its sunny climate that lures vacationers outdoors all winter. Hike up Camelback Mountain and bike ride along Scottsdale’s Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt, then retreat to the spa for a rejuvenating massage and hydrating facial. Or, be like me and relax by the pool for some Vitamin D therapy and doses of prickly pear margarita.
Where to stay: An easy walk from Old Town Scottsdale, mid-century modern icon Hotel Valley Ho is finishing an $18-million room renovation that wraps up in January. The property’s retro vibe extends to the VH Spa (choose between massages on the Jet Setter menu), and the Oh Pool bar, where classics like the Paloma and Bourbon Smash have been given a Valley Ho twist.
Best for Active Families: Steamboat, Colo.
I spent a ski bum year in Steamboat working at the Kids Vacation Center—now called Mountain Camp—a one-stop-shop where parents can drop off the littles for lessons, lunch and daycare before heading up the mountain to track up fresh corduroy or seek out powder stashes in the glades. Ski report website On the Snow rates Steamboat the No. 2 best resort for families, and I vowed to bring my own kids to my old ski stomping grounds one day.
Thirty years later, Steamboat is still less busy than resorts closer to Denver, and receives just as much snow—about 300 inches annually. Recent capital improvements have also upped its appeal, including the addition of the Greenhorn Ranch Learning Center, designed for beginners, plus a new gondola (the country’s fastest and longest) and a huge, 650-acre terrain expansion this season that adds expert-only glades and gullies that were previously out-of-bounds.
Where to stay: Located at the base steps from Mountain Camp drop-off, the newly-renovated Steamboat Grand Resort has traditional hotel rooms, plus condos perfect for families or multi-gen gatherings. Après-ski, head for the outdoor pool and hot tubs to splash around under the stars.
Best for marine lovers: Monterey, Calif.
Anyone who’s watched Finding Dory knows about The Monterey Marine Life Institute, the movie’s version of the real Monterey Bay Aquarium. The first ocean center with a living kelp forest, this acclaimed aquarium is a trove of marine education and conservation. Monterey is also a gray whale migration hotspot—every winter some 20,000 of these curious cetaceans migrate through Monterey Bay, with the peak from January through March.
“We have a really deep sea canyon just offshore that provides the krill, sardines and anchovies that baleen whales eat,” says Barbara Thomas with Princess Monterey Whale Watching, a company that runs tours all year to see gray, humpback and blue whales passing by on their journey from Alaska to Mexico and back.
Though it’s not exactly beach weather in this part of the Golden State mid-winter, visitors can still hike area trails, kayak to look for seals and otters, or hit the fairways at the acclaimed Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Where to stay: Located across from historic Fisherman’s Wharf, Portola Hotel & Spa has recently launched a whale-watching package that includes a discounted room rate and tickets on Princess Monterey’s whale-watching vessel.
Best for neurodiverse travelers: Traverse City, Mich.
In August, Traverse City became the first Certified Autism Destination in the Midwest. This means that attractions like ski resort Crystal Mountain and the Great Lakes Children’s Museum, plus accommodations including Great Wolf Lodge, have trained staff in autism sensitivity and awareness.
“The goal is to create a welcoming environment for all residents and visitors and to make the travel experience friendlier for families,” says Whitney Waara, Traverse City Tourism’s COO. “Sometimes it’s as simple as creating a quiet space or helping provide accurate information about what a certain experience is like.”
Though the Northern Michigan town is better known for summer lakeside fun, its peaceful winter wonderland provides a nature-based, low-sensory experience. Snowshoe along the Empire Bluff Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, one of the country’s most accessible national parks, or book a private ski lesson at Crystal Mountain.
Where to stay: With themed family suites and a massive indoor water park that provides a sensory guide for its water slides and attractions, Great Wolf Lodge makes a cozy retreat on cold winter days.
Best for animal lovers: Kanab, Utah
Southern Utah is famous for its national parks, including Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. They’re accessible year-round, and look particularly stunning with a dusting of fresh snow. But on a family trip to adventure mecca Kanab a few years ago, it wasn’t just the sand boarding at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State park that had us smitten, or the hiking through narrow sandstone slots in Red Canyon.
We also fell in love with the animals at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter that cares for 1,600 rescued and surrendered animals on its expansive grounds along Kanab Creek in Angel Canyon. Travelers can sign up for two-hour volunteer shifts to help with animals—we spent an afternoon making enrichment toys for parrots and cockatoos, and giving them bird baths with a water spritzer, to much excited squawking. We ended the day by bringing a cuddly rescue pup to our hotel for a sleepover—a highlight for the kids.
Where to stay: Rover and Moggy can stay overnight at the Best Friends Roadhouse, a pet-centric hotel that not only welcomes animals to its rooms and suites, but provides welcome treats, food and water bowls, built in pet beds and cuddle cubbies in select rooms, and a fenced-in pet park.
Best for the ABCs (arts, beaches and culture): St. Petersburg, Fla.
With sunny skies, warm winter temps and a buzzing food scene, this vibrant city—named one of the happiest towns in America—makes a friendly escape for art lovers and beach bums. Tampa-based travel writer Susan B. Barnes regularly crosses the bridge to St. Pete to grab lunch at Casita Taqueria, browse for records at Daddy Kool, and hop between the city’s 16 museums.
“You can never go wrong at The Dalí Museum,” says Barnes. “For more of the classics, there’s the Museum of Fine Arts, and the newer Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement is a must for Arts and Crafts movement enthusiasts.”
Head east from downtown St. Pete to hit the stunning white sand beaches that frame the Gulf of Mexico. Though Hurricane Helene hit the coast hard this fall, Barnes says the resilient beach communities are starting to open back up and welcome visitors.
Where to stay: With just 18 rooms and design touches like canopy beds and clawfoot tubs, The Birchwood boutique inn is located on Historic Beach Drive, close to restaurants and museums.
Best for budget-conscious travelers: Las Vegas
Although the days of the $5 all-you-can-eat buffet have gone the way of the dodo, savvy travelers can still have a Vegas adventure on a budget. Personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on the Best Winter Holiday Destinations in 2024, and Las Vegas tops the list for ease and expense of getting there, and because it has the lowest price for a three-star hotel room among U.S. sun destinations.
What’s more, there are tons of hacks for saving money in Sin City. For example, website OnTheStrip.com lists free and cheap things to do, like play 25-cent games at The Pinball Hall of Fame, and suggests more affordable eateries on the strip, such as the Circus Circus brunch buffet. People watching is also gratis, and can be as entertaining as a Cirque du Soleil show!
Where to stay: For retro vibes and a great location, you can’t beat the Flamingo Las Vegas. Boasting rooms from $24 (plus resort fee and taxes), the Flamingo is a Vegas casino original, and viewing the hotel’s namesake (pink Chilean flamingos) is free.
Best for travelers with disabilities: Washington, D.C.
With dozens of museums, plus history galore, the nation’s capital city makes a great mid-winter escape, especially for travelers with disabilities. All monuments and memorials on the National Mall are wheelchair accessible, and the National Park Service offers brochures in braille for each attraction. ASL interpreters are also available free of charge; it’s recommended to book this service at least three weeks in advance.
The Smithsonian Museums are also inclusive, providing access services for public programs, such as sign language interpretation, which can be arranged by emailing [email protected]. Many museums also have tactile elements, and the Smithsonian Institution guide and map are available in braille and large print at each museum’s information desk.
“All of the museums are super accessible—there’s lots of room for a wheelchair to move around,” says Amy Brecount White, a travel writer who lives just outside of D.C. For dining, she recommends the 7th St. N.W. corridor, where you’ll find a number of restaurants by Chef José Andrés, including the wheelchair-accessible Jaleo.
Where to stay: Located close to the White House, The Westin Washington, D.C. Center has spacious accessible rooms with roll-under sinks, roll-in showers and space next to the toilet to park a wheelchair.
Best for beach bums: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Inject cheer into your winter on St. Thomas, an unincorporated U.S. territory, where the colorful storefronts and homes in Charlotte Amalie, vibrant Fort Christian, and the pink sands of Lindquist Beach, will quickly dab away the gray.
The island is known for its stunning beaches, and Coki Beach, at No. 4 according to Trip Advisor, didn’t disappoint—we spent a leisurely day snorkeling with striped angelfish and iridescent triggerfish in the bay’s clear water. White sand fans should also plan a day trip to Magens Bay Beach and Sapphire Beach (it gets its name from the color of the sparkling blue water). If you have enough time, catch the 45-minute ferry to neighboring St. John to splash in the bathtub-warm water of Trunk Bay, located in Virgin Islands National Park and considered the world’s best beach.
Where to stay: Waste away on Water Bay at the gorgeous Margaritaville Vacation Club. You don’t have to be a Jimmy Buffet fan (but it helps) at this adults-only resort, where it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere and the bars and restaurants feature that “frozen concoction that helps me hang on” (a.k.a. the margarita).
Best for family entertainment: Anaheim, Calif.
Home of the Happiest Place on Earth (a.k.a. Disneyland), Anaheim is a top-rated family destination for good reason. The theme park juggernaut turns 70 in 2025 and is celebrating early by launching a new ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (in the old Splash Mountain space), this November. Though days spent at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure can easily pack an entire holiday, my son and I were happily entertained elsewhere in Anaheim.
We visited Knott’s Berry Farm, Orange County’s original theme park with wild west vibes and old-timey rides like the GhostRider wooden roller coaster. We also spent a morning exploring the Anaheim Packing District, a former fruit packing facility turned public market and food fare, and an afternoon on the water slides at Great Wolf Lodge. Sporty travelers can catch an NHL game at the Honda Center, or hit nearby Newport Beach, a half-hour drive away.
Where to stay: Newly renovated, and within walking distance of Disneyland, The Anaheim Hotel offers traditional guest rooms and larger family suites, plus kid-friendly amenities such as an outdoor pool, lawn area with games, and on-site laundry.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece on winter vacations, Lisa Kadane tapped her experience as a longtime travel journalist to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Anne Fritz, deputy editor of Reader’s Digest online and an experienced travel and lifestyle journalist.
- Insuremytrip.com: Best Spa Destinations in the U.S.
- On the Snow: 19 Best Ski Resorts for Families and Kids
- Barbara Thomas, marketing director for Princess Monterey Whale Watching
- Whitney Waarai, COO for Traverse City Tourism
- Susan B. Barnes, Tampa-based travel journalist
- WalletHub.com: Best Winter Holiday Destinations (2024)
- Amy Brecount White, novelist and travel writer
