New here but need your help. My kids are 10 and 7 and we live in the Midwest. I cannot seem to decide on a spring break destination which for us is March 15- 24. I know it’s quite late to plan but we do want to take the kids somewhere. So we have taken very few vacations with the kids so DC, NYC or even SFO would all be a first time visit for them. We have family in Los Angeles and they have been there a couple of times. I even considered Hawaii but dropped the idea since I am not sure I’ll find good prices when March is so close.

Kids would love beaches since we don’t have any here in the Midwest. They also like history, museums, small hikes, would love to go walking around the city like in DC or SFO.

I’d like to book flights and hotels ina day or two. Thanks in advance.

San Diego comes to mind. Good museums, good beaches, lots of history, the zoo and Wild Animal Park . . .

We can certainly do San Deigo and I’m sure the kids would love it. We have been many times to LA and driven to San Deigo so was hoping to go elsewhere. Of course the kids are older now and can still have fun there.

Washington would be great. They are a good age for an introduction and then can go again at a later time. You might even combine it with a few days in Williamasburg.
I guess you've been to Chicago. Where is "your" "midwest".

I agree with Gretchen, if the shutdown ends so that DC will be fully open, I would head there with the kids. Many of the places you would want to visit are free. Perhaps contact your congressman and see if you can visit while it is in session along with a tour of the capitol. The Smithsonian properties wonderful for all ages, especially the Air and Space and History.

If they want some nature, just a short drive west is Great Falls of the Potomac and the P&O canal.

San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle ??

The water in the Pacific is much too cold for swimming then, even in San Diego.

In California I'd look at the Monterey Bay area down to Hearst Castle. You could do a loop trip out of SF that includes redwoods near Santa Cruz, the fab Monterey aquarium, Spanish mission in Carmel, amazing Point Lobos, butterflies in Pacific Grove, and the elephant seals near Hearst Castle. There's so much to do for kids and their parents that it's silly.

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San Francisco is a city. SFO is an airport that is not much fun walking around. Consider taking the Amtrak California Zephyr to Emeryville with an Amtrak bus over to one of several stops in the city.
If you decide on Los Angeles, take the Amtrak Southwest Chief which arrives early in the morning in Los Angeles.
There is a King Tut exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum of Science which is popular with kids. It is the last time that any of these artifacts will be on display outside Egypt.
San Francisco is quite hilly but there are cable cars to ride and a boat trip out to Alcatraz.

Gardyloo is right, the Pacific Ocean in California is too cold for swimming without a wetsuit despite what you may see on Baywatch, etc. with the exception of Hawaii.
Maybe Florida although I know little about it, or Riviera Maya in or south of Playa del Carmen to avoid the college age March spring breakers in the Cancun area. The water will be warm and turquoise and you can visit a few Mayan ruins for the educational part if you insist. My opinion is, they are on BREAK from school, let them have fun.

Just to clarify, I didn't recommend San Diego to actually swim (!). OMG no.

But the beaches are nice and there is a lot to de besides trying to swim. But it sounds like you've been there/done that. Washington DC would tick a LOT of boxes.

Tagging on to Emalloy for Washington again--there is the spy museum (what kid wouldn't LOVE that!!) and probably SO many things we can't list them all. SO it takes a real PLAN to do it right--I think maybe moreso than anywhere else. I also consider our nation's capital one of the most under appreciated destinations there is. People think of so many other US cities at first.
Our grandson went about the age of 10 and could not wait to go back again.

Puerto Rico? Has beaches, history, food. As part of US no one needs passport, no currency issues, and cell phones work without surcharges usually. Non-stop flights to San Juan from many places - not sure about midwest cities, but even if you have to connect through an east coast city, flights are often reasonable as far as cost and time. According to what I have heard, most of tourist areas have recovered from hurricane.