Need help finding a good family-friendly Spring Break destination? Do you know you want to go somewhere but don’t know where to start? See our family travel tips of the top 10 family Spring Break destinations to get those creative travel juices flowing…
Isn’t Spring Break the best? Kam used to teach junior high and every time February rolled around, she had a countdown till Spring Break (She LOVED her students, but man – she needed some space after the LOOOOONG winter months). Honestly, one of the hardest things about Spring Break is deciding where to go! Read below to find out our top ten Spring Break destinations and the two places we try to avoid during Spring Break.
The Top 10 Family Spring Break Destinations
1- Rome
Rome in the spring is beyond beautiful!! The Borghese Gardens smell divine with the fresh blossoms, the weather is near perfect, and there are colorful flowers and citrus trees all over the city.
2 – New York City
The weather is heating up, Central Park is becoming green again, and the city is extremely active with people on the streets after hunkering down for the winter. It is vibrant and fun!
3 – Hawaii
There is rarely a bad time to visit Hawaii, but come April the rainfall has almost cut in half from the winter months. We love all of the Hawaiian Islands but our favorites have to be Kauai and the Big Island.
Need help deciding where to stay in Hawaii? See our Top 4 and 5 Star Resorts for Families in Hawaii you can also download our free Hawaii Coloring pages for kids here!
4 – San Diego
San Diego is quite a bit more busy during the Spring Break season, but is still lovely and has so many fun family activities.
5 – Washington D.C.
The cherry blossoms – enough said!!!
6 – London
The city isn’t too busy with tourists yet, the weather is mild, and there are so many amazing things to do both inside and outside.
Thinking of taking your little ones to London and not sure what to do? Get started on planning a Child-Centered London Vacation now!
7 – Cartagena, Colombia
April is WARM in Cartagena! This lively city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has delicious food, exceptional history, beautiful beaches, and so much to see and do.
You can see our Cartagena Colombia Guide here!
8 – Utah!
We have to do a shameless plug for our home state. Seriously, the national parks in Utah in the spring are FANTASTIC. If you are a hiker, check out Angels Landing at Zions National Park, for sure!
*To see what to do in Salt Lake City for a couple of days check out our Honest Review of SLC
9 – St. Lucia
St. Lucia is gorgeous! There is so much to do including beach activities, hiking, and more tropical adventures. The fact that it is a little bit harder to get to really helps with crowd control.
*For our favorite things to do in Saint Lucia, click Why Saint Lucia is the Best Carribean Island
10 – Charleston S.C.
Again, this is becoming a trend here but the blooms! The weather is warm but not a gazillion degrees and the emerging food scene in Charleston cannot be beaten There are also two wonderful festivals during this time; The Food and Wine Festival, and the Houses and Gardens Festival.
The Few Places We Try to Avoid for Spring Break
There are a couple of places we try to avoid when picking Spring Break destinations – simply because we like to try and avoid the crazy crowds.
Mexico – We LOVE Mexico! See our recent Cancun post here. But, we try to visit when it is a little less overrun by … fraternities.
Disney Parks – Unless you are able to do the VIP Disney Service, for us, Disney over Spring Break is just WAY TOO BUSY. If you do end up going to Disney for Spring Break we have some Disney Mom Hacks that You Need to Know Now that will make your trip so much easier and less stressful!
What do you look for in a family Spring Break destination? What is your favorite Spring Break spot? Where are some of you going?
Happy travels!!!
With Love – The Smith Family
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I really enjoy Utah as well! Great vacations destinations.
Thanks Shauna!!
I’ve been to a couple places on this list! I have always wanted to see more of Europe, though!
These are great places that I’d love to visit. I think Hawaii would be a fun time. Enjoy your trip to Columbia!
Thanks, Emily!! We are loving it :). Hope you had the best Spring Break!
Disney can be ok depending on your spring break time.
I disagree with New Zealand. Too much travel time to enjoy just a few days there. Kids would have to miss more school
Hello Cristine! We often miss a day or two at the beginning and at the end of our Spring Breaks so it gives us about 10 days and many of our readers are from places that are easier to travel to NZ. When is your favorite time to visit Disney?
Kam
yes!! D.C. AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS! its beautiful the city basicaly turns pink! gosh i miss that place!
So agree! Did you live there??? If so, I feel jealous! Xo Kam
This is a good list, and agree its the worst time to visit the Disney Parks. Actually, all of Colombia is great to visit during this time, the weather is perfect in the spring and you won’t get the crowds like the summer. I’ll have to check out Charleston during this time, good point about the weather.
This is a good list, and agree its the worst time to visit the Disney Parks. Actually, all of Colombia is great to visit during this time, the weather is perfect in the spring and you won’t get the crowds like the summer. I’ll have to check out Charleston during this time, good point about the weather.
My top pick from your list is St. Lucia in Caribbean. I am a beach bum, like seriously. I do not go to the beach to just have photos but for the waves, the blue color of the water and seafood!
Spring is a good time to go on a trip. Spring in St Lucia sounds like a lovely break. My other picks would be New York because there’s so much to do there and the weather in Spring is just right.
You are so right Christina, spring is perfect for NYC!
Well, of course, I’ll vote for London as I live here. You are right, spring can be cold and wet but once the spring flowers come out the parks are beautiful. Like you I’m a big fan of St Lucia too, and I’d love to see more of Charleston – I’ve been once but that was midsummer and very hot and humid. Spring sounds like a much better idea!
Sign me up for Hawaii! Nothing recharges me better than a tropical island, sandy beach and an ocean. St. Lucia would be my next pick.
This is a great list! We love all the places and would love to return to DC to see the cherry blossoms! Charleston in SC is also a charming city, we were there in summer and it was very hot. So Springtime would definitely be better. We would also add San Francisco to your list: Spring is the best time to explore SF, since it tends to get foggy in summer.
Fantastic addition ladies! San Fran is the best!
We don’t get Spring Break in Australia. But if we did a quick trip to London would be amazing. Just a pity about the 24hrs of travel it can take to get us there.
Last year Darcee & I went to Cartagena for “Spring Break” and it was amazing! We loved exploring the old city and all of the street art in next door Gethsemani!
Also, I used to live in San Diego and have to admit it is one of my absolutely favorite cities in the entire U.S. Obviously it has amazing beaches but if you head up to the North east County you can love exploring the small towns of Ramona and Julien which are like hidden mountain towns!
Eric Cartagena is seriously so amazing, right? How fun that you were able to live in San Diego! It is such a spectacular place :).
Our family’s beyond the spring break stage but I do love traveling in shoulder seasons when you can avoid crowds and keep expenses lower than other times of the year. Loved long road trips while growing up but my family isn’t as interested now. It’s also harder to get long vacations organized. Never do Disneyland during peak times is right!
You have listed some great places here, although I’d love to add a couple more to the list – Japan for the sakura festival, although it gets really crowded then and Amsterdam for the tulip blooms! I haven’t been to several places you’ve listed here so I know my best options for next spring 😉
I LOVE your addition Medha! Hugs, Kam 🙂