Travel Talk 2¢: What would you say is America's top spring break destination for families?

We have had terrific US spring breaks in:

1. San Diego

2. Arizona (based in Flagstaff; saw the Grand Canyon, Sedona, etc.)

3. Williamsburg

4. Chicago

5. Disneyland/Southern CA

My favorite spring break trip: Moab, Utah.

The hiking is incredible, and a lot of the hiking is fairly easy. There's also great biking. One bike trail even has fossilized dinosaur footprints. The atmosphere is casual and there are some fun restuarants.

Moab is just starting to warm up in March and April. The sun is spectacular on the red rocks. It's a great destination for families.

I've been traveling to the Brunswick Islands in North Carolina my entire life & go there (now) pretty much year round. (Since I reside in CLT) That being said, we didn't have Spring Break when I was a kid, so as an adult w/small ones now (5 & 2), I would say the Keys for us, or the Caribbean.

Disneyland and southern California area is wonderful during the spring. The weather is pleasant and the scenery breath-taking. In addition to the wonderful restaurants as well as shoppping areas.
Santa Barbara is also just gorgeous!

kureiff-- Moab sounds wonderful. Where would you recommend for families to stay? Resort? Mom and pop place?

missypie-- Williamsburg is great with kids--educational, and then there's Busch Gardens!

Brutforce-- which island in the Caribbean?

ileen-- how are the crowds at Disneyland? I imagine their nothing like Orlando.

Washington DC!

Our spring break is the end of March. Williamsburg was a perfect spring break trip. The temps were great for walking around without melting from the humidity. We stayed on one of the Williamsburg properties - which I highly recommend. Our 5th grade twins at the time had been studying this era the entire school year - so it was literally coming to life for them. After all the history - we would have loved a playday at Busch Gardens - but they hadn't opened yet for the season.
We did Southern CA another year for spring break. Again - awesome weather (although it was sweatshirt weather on the beaches the days we went). I remember long lines at Disneyland and California Adventure. Three other spots I think would be great for spring break (simply because you can avoid the extreme heat/humidity in the summer) - Washington DC, San Antonio, TX and Boston.

I think your answers will vary depending on whether they come from the East or West.

Here on the West Coast, our favorite spring breaks spots have been (1) ski areas (Snowbird/Alta, Whistler, Mammoth Mountain, or Mt. Bachelor); (2) Hawaii; and (3) the Southwest canyon country, including the Grand Canyon (hiking to the bottom of the canyon for an overnight stay).

This is for a family with active teenage kids and their outdoorsy mom.

I wondered if the Grand Canyon could be a spring break trip the end of March. At one time I read a post that someone said "if you have crampons, you'll be okay." That made me think it would be too icy to hike down for my comfort. If I'm making the pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon - I'm getting down there by raft, or hiking...and if I could avoid doing it in August - all the better.

blueslipper---I suppose ice right at the top would be a possibility in late March, but not at all likely. We've done it twice around the 8th or 9th of April (our daughter's spring break week), and the temperature and trail conditions were perfect.

Yes, Williamsburg has Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, Busch Gardens AND an outlet mall!

We hiked a ways down the Bright Angel trail one year in mid-March. There was a tiny bit of ice near the top but nothing that couldn't be avoided. There was snow in the shady spots at the side of the trail which was a great source of amusement for my native Texan children.

On March 1st I'm calling to try to get Phantom Ranch reservations for a walk all the way down the Grand Canyon for Spring Break 2009. (wish me luck!). I'm thinking start with major hiking in the GC; then end at one of the Phoenix resorts that has its own water park.

Katie, please keep in mind we are the 'off the radar travelers', we try & go to Montserrat in Feb. or Mar. every year (when possible/feasible).

We have done San Francisco and the Oregon coast for spring break. This year it is Hawaii.

Favorite family spring break trips for us:

Deer Valley and Keystone for skiing
Disney cruise
San Diego - Disneyland (heavy on the theme parks, with Disney, Legoland, Sea World and SD Zoo, but kids LOVED it)
Grand Canyon (we did have several inches of snow on the rim in mid-March two years ago), mule ride to the bottom and night at Phantom Ranch, and ended at lovely Enchantment Resort in Sedona.

Many friends head to Florida's Emerald Coast but weather there is iffy in mid-March so we haven't done that yet.

Good luck with your planning.

Here's what we liked a lot:

Southern Utah/Sedona - love this area to begin with, but I feel the spring is an awesome time to visit b/c the temps are so much more pleasant than in the summer

San Diego

Bahamas - Atlantis

St. John

Sanibel/Sarasota

Here's where I suggest more families consider going this spring break -- TO THE BANK. Put some money in savings. You might need it someday.

Katie:

Florida is great, and we've done the Keys twice, for the snorkeling (Looe Key). Bahia Honda has a sandy beach, and the waves are very gentle for young children. The main activities were swimming, kayaking, boating, fishing. The kids liked feeding the tarpon at Robbie's. Pennekamp has a nice small aquarium. As I recall, it was mostly families with kids. The waves are too tame for boogie boarding in the keys. We took a day trip to the Dry Tortugas, it was pretty interesting.

My kids (now teens) loved Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon. They earned Jr. Ranger badges at each of the parks. We hiked and went on a horseback ride. The kids saw petroglyphs. We visited some smaller state parks in the area and hiked there too. My daughter was studying the Navajo Indians at school and it was thrilling for her to visit the area.

Another year we went to New Mexico. The kids enjoyed Santa Fe and Carlsbad Caverns (another Jr. Ranger badge). We went to White Sands, and boy it was windy! On Easter Sunday, we walked across the bridge from El Paso, Tx to Juarez Mexico and enjoyed the day walking around, shopping, and meandering.

The Bay area was a big hit. (Stayed w/relatives near Mt. Diablo State Park) We did a long day trip to Yosemite (jr. ranger badge). Another day went to Benicia and Sonoma. The kids loved San Francisco - the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate park was cool. We took Bart when possible.

We loved CA so much we went back.
Monterey California was another Spring Break Destination. The kids enjoyed the aquarium, Carmel beach, walking around Carmel. We all loved the shoreline walk in Pacific Grove, with a carpet of pink flowers. We also went to Big Basin State Park for the Redwoods. We watched people surf at Santa Cruz from the boardwalk.

We took a ball whereever we went, something like a nerf football that we could throw around when the kids got bored and needed a break. We took tennis rackets too, you can always find a tennis court even in a small town.

Another time we went to the Tampa area and Sanibel. Sanibel was nice. We took a side trip to the Everglades (another jr. ranger badge) and did a kayak tour. On the way back we went to Marco for the day and found lots of nice shells at Tigertail. The kids said Tigertail beach was the best part of the trip.

.. we've taken "outdoorsy and active" trips...

Our favorite place is the Outer Banks. Every summer - just can't get enough of the waves. We've been there every season except Spring Break.

Places I'd like to go for Spring Break in the US but haven't been:
1. Moab
2. San Diego
3. Texas (San Antonio)
4. Great Smoky Mountains (rent a cabin, do some day hikes)
5. Asheville NC, bike riding, hiking,
6. Hawaii

wliwl - I've been to the bank (working) and been out of work for over a year. We are doing just fine thx. Perhaps you were looking for the investment board ? lol

We live in Denver, and our airport is literally swamped with incoming student breakers headed up to ski. They arrive in droves every year.

We spend every spring break skiing. Heading out to Montana this year...

Most families I know go skiing out west, or if they have young kids, Disneyworld, or a ranch vacation in Arizona.

like_2travel--- thanks for sharing.. where are you from? You've really been all over...lots of variety!

padams... are you headed to Big Sky?

This year we are going to Tucson (from Colorado) for sun & baseball spring training, go Rockies! Last year we went to Akumal, Mexico. Have been skiing before. Love Caribbean, St. John, but have been in June when prices are much lower. Now with college costs a reality, we can't afford the Caribbean. Mexico is much more reasonable & for us, getting there is quicker.

We have been to San Fransisco, Hawaii, Aruba, Puerto Rico and this year we are skiing in Snowshoe WV. Since our spring break tends to fall directly before or after Easter, we have liked the warmer climates. This year Easter is early so we are going to our ski place for some late winter skiing. (Hopefully we will have snow!)

We are from the Richmond VA area.

We've had many spring break trips to Hilton Head and Sanibel.

Spring break is our most challenging vacation each year for several reasons. The weather in mid to late March really is not that good or predictable in most of the continental US. It is typically on the cool side in California and the high deserts of Arizona/Utah. Florida weather may be fickle as well; a cold front or a week of rain is not out of the question, and huge crowds/gridlock are a given. Rowdy college students eliminate some destinations, like South Padre.

In the US, our best trips have been to the Coachella Valley of California in combination with San Diego or L.A.. We also had a terrific trip to Death Valley and Zion National Park. A ski trip is another possibility, but we prefer to go earlier in the season.

Katie_H,

I'm from the DC area (Northern Virginia).

Sincerely,
like_2travel

We have really enjoyed dude ranch vacations (Rocking Horse Ranch in NY), late-season skiing at Copper Mountain in CO and Williamsburg. I have gotten a lot of good advice and ideas about family vacations from WeJustGotBack.com. It is only about family travel and an excellent resource for parents. I like that they give each property a grade and tell you the best age range for kids. It is so helpful!

We do not go on a spring break every year but when we have we have gone to an all inclusive resort in Mexico. We have also taken two cruises, Royal Carribean and Disney. We loved both. We are from the Chicago area and many people go to Florida and sit in the sun!

For a fabulous "blue water" experience, check out the Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands. Really caters to families and the snorkeling is amazing!!! Nice and warm during spring break.

like_2travel: Go Asheville!! I am a very biased resident of Asheville. It is a great town to visit if you are outdoorsy. I am myself and actually work at a rafting company and call it a job (lucky me!!). If your youngsters prefer the "tourist attractions" like go-carts and putt-putt, Ripley's, etc. the TN side of the Smokies is good and has a gazzillion cabins, etc. to rent. Our family did that for Christmas and rented a new cabin for 20 people. On the other hand Asheville is more of a city enironment. It has a great downtown with cool shops, & restaurants. You will find easy access to hiking and biking just out of town up to an hour away giving you more than you could possibly do in a week. Of course the Blue Ridge Parkway gives access to lots of places. To get the kid out, Asheville has a place called The Asheville Fun Depot which is a great family entertainment center that boasts 2 years recognition as the countries top family entertainment complex of its type by the national amusement associaiton group (my daughter works there so factual info yet biased once again!!). Historically you have Biltmore House, Cherokee, Wheels through Time(best museum ever, even the kids will enjoy if you like the history of motorized vehicles...especially motorcycles).
Since we live here we tend to go away so Coast of NC (Wrightsville Beach), Western National Parks, or Cumberland Island GA (Awsome!!) We have also done the Orlando gig. Our newest enlightenment: It really is worth the extra $$ to stay on property! Immeasurably more relaxed, enjoyable, and convenient.

makeitagreatday--- I'll vouch for Asheville too. I went white water rafting once on the French Broad River not far from Asheville. I'd recommend it to families, especially ones with teens.

Katie, if you like whitewater you need to come visit CLT & the new Whitewater Center. www.usnwc.org.

Brutforce--- I had actually never heard of this Whitewater Center. Looks pretty amazing--- I like climbing too. Prices seem really reasonable too for what they offer.