Best Winter Destinations for Families

Why hibernate all winter when you could be out exploring? Especially if you live in a cold climate, you need a break from the dreary days of winter! Luckily there are some easy and affordable options that the whole family is bound to love. Ready to start planning? Here are the very best winter destinations for families.

Travel is the Best Gift

Of course, it’s hard to budget for travel when you are buying Christmas gifts, give why not kill two birds with one stone? Give your kids tickets to somewhere exciting and provide them with a gift that they’ll look forward to and remember forever.

Your gift doesn’t have to be a pricey week in Disney World! A fun weekend away to a local amusement park or a camping adventure can be just what you need to break up a long winter. Even an overnight trip to the next town over is a rare chance to see you home from the eyes of a tourist. One of the best winter destinations for families could be right outside of your door!

Starting the tradition of bringing your kids away when they are young will create a new family tradition that they look forward to every year.

Look Southward: Texas

While Florida tends to get a lot of attention as one of the best winter destinations for families, it’s not the only game in town. In fact, Texas is the best vacation destination for a lot of families. It is warm, affordable, and packed with attractions.

Dallas has some of the biggest and best holiday parades in the south. The Fort Worth Parade of Lights held annually around Thanksgiving kicks it all off. Just outside of the city, you’ll find the North Pole Express Train, ICE and it’s a quick trip over to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

In Houston, you’ll find a must-see ice skating rink at The Galleria. They do ice skating lessons for all ages and have special events throughout the holiday season.

If you are looking to get away from it all, the Cadillac Ranch and the Palo Duro Canyon are essential Texas destinations.

Cheap Trip to Disney World

What would the kids love more than a trip to Disney World for Christmas? Not only is it a dream gift, but it is also a smart travel hack! Going to Disney World in January will save you a ton of cash and hassle.

Forget high prices and sweaty crowds! The crowds head back home during certain periods of winter, and the lines disappear. The weather is cool but not cold, and kids can have free run of the place.

Known as Dead Weeks in the travel industry, there are particular times of the year when travel is particularly easy and cheap. The first week of December and the first two weeks of January are prime time. [Check out our Orlando hotel deals. Some hotels are discounted over 50%.]

See the Northern Lights

Did you know that there are quite a few places around the United States where you can see the Northern Lights? You don’t need to tour to Iceland or stay in some far-flung Scandinavian destination to see the aurora borealis.

There are many places in the United States to see the Northern Lights. Of course, Alaska is a prime destination for seeing the Northern Lights during the winter. Denali National Park and Preserve is about four hours straight north of Anchorage, Alaska. It is home to Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest peak, and is prime viewing.

There are places in the lower 48 states too! You don’t have to travel far to see the Northern Lights, wherever you are in the country. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Maine, Cook County in Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are all excellent places to see the Northern Lights during the winter.

Winter Olympics Just for Your Family

Have you ever stopped to think about how many Olympic stadiums there are around North America? Salt Lake City, Lake Placid, Squaw Valley, Calgary, and Whistler all still have Olympic parks. And they are there for you to use!

Take a ski trip, go ice skating, or try something completely different and new. Have you ever been bobsledding? About how luging? There is no better time than this to give it a try.

Get that Tropical Feeling Inside

When the winter is starting to seem impossibly long, and you are just feeling frozen to the core, take off to somewhere tropical. But forget about the Caribbean or Latin America! You can warm up all over the United States in tropical indoor water parks.

Here are a few of the most popular picks: Aquatopia at Camelback Lodge in Tannersville, PA; Avalanche Bay in Boyne Falls, MI; Kahuna Laguna in North Conway, NH; Massanutten Resort in McGaheysville, VA; or Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

Great Wolf Lodge is a great pick no matter where you are. The largest family of indoor water parks resort hotels; they have 17 water parks across the country. Get the best deals for Great Wolf Lodge in Anaheim, CA, Gurnee, IL (close to Chicago), and Niagara Falls in Canada.