As Families Seek Meaningful Experiences and Room to Explore, These Spring Trips Go Beyond the Beach and Theme Park

According to the Family Travel Association, 92% of parents plan to travel with their kids this year, the highest level since before the pandemic, and average family trip spending has climbed to $8,052, a 20% year-over-year increase. But it’s not just the numbers that are shifting. The way families travel is changing, too. Nearly half chose multigenerational trips last year, and more families are moving away from crowded theme parks toward places that feel more real and more open.

“Spring break can be about finding a sunny, fun atmosphere as well as a place away from the crowd,” says Carolin Fuller, Director of Partnerships at Campspot. “Increasingly, travelers are looking for warm destinations with plenty of activities that are also far from the craziness of the typical spring break experience.”

What everyone seems to want, regardless of age, is time together and room to breathe.

Find a trip that balances togetherness and space to unwind with some of these family travel options this spring.

Panama with Copa Airlines Stopover Program

Nearest airport: Tocumen International Airport (PTY)

This is more of a travel hack than a standard destination idea. Through Copa Airlines, you can stay in Panama City for up to seven days at no increase to your airfare, basically turning one trip into two destinations.

The city has an interesting mix of glittering high-rises only ten minutes from Casco Antiguo’s pastel-colored colonial buildings, and the rainforest is a short drive beyond that.

Panama’s dry season runs roughly through April, making spring the most practical time to visit with kids.

Explore the Panama Canal, and split time between city and nature. Families with teens or mixed ages do well here because the stops, a mural-covered historic district, a rainforest, and quick beach access on either coast, offer enough variety that everyone stays engaged. And because it’s shoulder season for tourism, families can save money and avoid crowds.

Puerto Rico, San Juan and Nearby Areas

Nearest airport: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)

The best way to experience Puerto Rico as a family is to split the stay between two very different environments, and two excellent properties make that easy to do.

Start in San Juan at the Caribe Hilton, which is within walking distance of Old San Juan’s cobblestone streets, centuries-old forts, and some of the best street food on the island. The hotel itself is part of the island’s history, having been around for 75 years, and is the birthplace of the piña colada. Newer family suites, including two-bedroom configurations, make it a practical choice for larger groups.

From there, it’s roughly 30 minutes to the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve in Rio Grande, which is a completely different experience. You’re right at the edge of El Yunque National Rainforest, and spring is prime time for lush trails and waterfalls after the wetter winter months. Kayaking in bioluminescent bays, horseback riding, and ziplining through the forest canopy are just a few of the other options in that area.

“Puerto Rico is the perfect immersive destination that will officially give older kids and young adult travelers the travel bug,” says Chloe Moreno, Director of Diamond PR. No passport required, direct flights from most major U.S. cities, and two very different island experiences make it one of the most compelling family itineraries in the Caribbean right now.

Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile

Nearest airport: St. George Regional Airport (SGU) or Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

For animal-loving families, few travel options are as moving as a trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is the largest companion animal sanctuary in the country, a 3,000-acre refuge home to roughly 1,600 adoptable dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, horses, goats, pigs, and more.

With Spring temperatures in the 70s and the red-rock landscape, this is the ideal time and place to spend long stretches outdoors.

Free tours of the sanctuary run regularly and cover individual care areas like Parrot Garden and Piggy Paradise. These aren’t passive walkthroughs. You’re taking a dog for a hike or a joyride, strolling with cats and bunnies, giving pigs belly rubs, making enrichment toys for birds, or helping feed and walk horses.

Kids of all ages are welcome on tours. Kids ages 8 and up can volunteer alongside a parent or guardian, and teens ages 16 and older can volunteer on their own. For families looking for a trip that involves real work alongside animals with real stories, there’s nothing quite like it.

Five miles down the road is Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile, a 40-room hotel that takes pet-friendliness to a higher level. Up to four personal pets stay at no charge, a rare find in hotel lodging at any price point.

Families traveling without their own animals can arrange something even more memorable. A sanctuary dog or cat can stay in the room for the night.

Up to four people can share a room at no extra cost per person, making it one of the more affordable options.

Zion and Bryce Canyon are both easy day trips, and Southern Utah’s red-rock scenery is hard to beat in spring. But most families who make this trip find the most memorable is what happens at the sanctuary itself.

Miramar Beach, Florida

Nearest airport: Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS)

Miramar Beach sits far enough from 30A and Destin’s most congested stretches that families can relax and play even during busy spring travel periods, with beautiful white-sand beaches and turquoise water without the crowds.

The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa is large enough for families to spread out, with multiple pools, including a recently renovated indoor pool, and a rotating schedule of daytime activities, including beachside yoga, family-friendly games, and seasonal programming.

After a day in the sun, wind down at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood, the area’s only AAA Four Diamond steakhouse. Tableside-prepared dishes such as Caesar salad and Bananas Foster make it fun for the whole family.

New nonstop routes from Miami, JFK, and Boston make it easier than ever to get there, and regional resident rates for Florida, Texas, and Midwest travelers add another reason to book.

Scottsdale, Arizona

Nearest airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

Visit Scottsdale in spring, when the desert is still comfortable, and families can enjoy the outdoors before summer heat arrives. Enjoy baseball Spring Training at Scottsdale Stadium and Salt River Fields, and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, more than 30,500 acres of protected desert, is an easy half‑day outing for families who want to explore beyond the resort.

Old Town has walkable streets, public art, casual restaurants, ice‑cream stops, and shops that work well for teens and younger kids. It’s also a convenient base for museums, galleries, and the Scottsdale Waterfront.

For accommodations, ADERO Scottsdale Resort offers a quiet nature‑forward stay in the Sonoran Desert, with expansive mountain views and private trail access among 55,000 acres. Families who like to mix pool time with easy hikes or stargazing love the setting, and the spacious rooms and suites give everyone some breathing room.

Closer to Old Town, the recently completed $24 million renovation of the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas, including two‑bedroom Premium Villas with full kitchens, washers and dryers, and space for up to eight guests, is an ideal choice for larger or multigenerational groups who want room to spread out. 

Aruba

Nearest airport: Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA)

Aruba’s appeal has a lot to do with consistency, and it’s outside of the hurricane belt. The steady sunshine and the sea breeze, particularly in spring, create ideal situations for watersports.

The Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino completed a full-room renovation, including updated suites and connecting configurations that work well for families who don’t want to be stacked on top of each other. The resort has both a family pool and an adults-only pool and is a short walk away from Palm Beach dining and shopping.

For those who want to get out on the water, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and kayaking are all easily accessible. To explore the island itself, UTV tours across Aruba’s desert terrain and beach tennis are popular options. As the island comes out of its busiest winter travel season, spring visitors can experience more beach space and shorter waits.

Galveston Island, Texas

Nearest airport: Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) or George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

About an hour’s drive from Houston, Galveston has an old-school coastal charm with Victorian buildings, a wide seawall, and a walkable Strand district. 

In the spring, Stewart Beach and East Beach provide chair rentals, showers, ADA‑accessible amenities, and beach wheelchairs. Weekend sandcastle lessons, weekends at Pleasure Pier, and Moody Gardens programs across its aquarium, rainforest, and discovery attractions offer a variety of options. The free Galveston–Port Bolivar ferry is a hit for all ages, often with dolphin sightings along the way.

Nashville, Tennessee

Nearest airport: Nashville International Airport (BNA)

Lower Broadway has free live music starting at 10 AM every day. Families can walk in before the later-night crowds take over, catch a set or two, and move on without navigating a packed street.

In the spring, Cheekwood in Bloom transforms the estate gardens with over 250,000 tulips, daffodils, and violas spread across the property. The Adventure Park at Nashville has outdoor ziplines and obstacle trails. River Queen Voyages runs kayaking tours on the Cumberland. And Nashville Sounds baseball at First Horizon Park gives families an all-American afternoon that’s fun for the whole family.

Music lovers of any age can add in a few Nashville stops that go beyond the honky tonks. The National Museum of African American Music traces more than 50 genres from gospel and blues through jazz, R&B, and hip-hop using floor-to-ceiling video projection, interactive galleries, a rap battle studio, a psychedelic disco dance chamber, and chip bracelets that let visitors take home a personalized playlist.

The Gibson Garage is free to enter. Hundreds of guitars rotate on a conveyor belt overhead, and the staff encourages visitors of all ages to plug in and play. There’s an acoustic room, a live performance stage, and a Custom Shop where visitors can design a guitar from scratch.

For those staying at Gaylord Opryland Resort, the SoundWaves water attraction, which includes indoor surfing, lazy rivers, and pool experiences, opens rain or shine and runs discounted packages for teachers, first responders, and military families.

Costa Mesa, California

Nearest airport: John Wayne Airport (SNA)

Costa Mesa works well as a hub for Southern California. Newport Beach is 15 minutes away, Disneyland is about 20, and Los Angeles and San Diego are both easy drives. Catalina Island, another nearby option, has ferries from nearby ports for an easy escape for hiking, snorkeling, or exploring shops and waterfront paths.

Dolphin sightings pick up from April through May. Whale watching (and other wildlife sightings) from Newport is a truly memorable experience.

Hotels like the Costa Mesa Marriott offer full suites with separate living areas, making longer stays more comfortable for families. Parts of the city are walkable, especially near South Coast Plaza and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

For families with teens or mixed ages, the flexibility to spend one afternoon at the beach, another at a baseball game in Anaheim, L.A., or San Diego, and a morning watching dolphins offshore provides excitement and variety.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Nearest airport: Jackson Hole Airport (JAC)

Spring in Jackson Hole feels like two seasons at one time. Skiing can still be an option, with discounts of up to 30% on lift tickets, while wildlife begins its spring migration and valley trails start to reopen. It’s a rare combination that’s hard to find anywhere else, and for families who want more than a pure ski trip, the mix is compelling.

The Lodge at Jackson Hole is a particularly good family base, known partly for its collection of more than 40 hand-carved wooden wildlife figures created by Jonathan the Bear Man, and kids who report how many they’ve spotted to the front desk earn a reward.

The lodge features a heated year-round indoor/outdoor pool and a Snowmobile Adventure Package. Spring shoulder season means lighter crowds, shorter lift lines, and more room on the trails. Lodging rates are lower than during peak winter, and the iconic Town Square, with its antler arches, is easy to explore without the summer rush.

Bellevue, Washington

Nearest airport: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Bellevue offers Pacific Northwest character and easy walkability without Seattle’s density. The city is just 15 minutes from Sea-Tac with flat-rate shuttle service, and in spring it earns its nickname as a “city within a park” with cherry blossoms emerging through March and April, the Bellevue Botanical Garden’s bloom season, and waterfall hikes at places like Snoqualmie Falls, where spectacular waterfalls run from snowmelt.

For families with tech-curious teens, The Microsoft Visitor Center features interactive exhibits on AI and gaming history, and coding and robotics workshops at iCode Bellevue give older kids hands-on experience with real tools.

The Hyatt Regency Bellevue or W Bellevue are both within walking distance of the downtown culinary trail, where Japanese omakase, Peruvian ceviche, and Taiwanese dumplings are within a few blocks of each other, a diverse food scene that reflects how international and welcoming the city is.

Families can paraglide off nearby Poo Poo Point (a name that surely receives giggles), kayak on Lake Washington, or explore what’s consistently ranked one of the safest cities in the country.

Florida’s Space Coast

Nearest airport: Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB)

There are very few places where you can stand on a beach and watch a rocket launch. Florida’s Space Coast is one of them. The Space Coast Launches App lets families track schedules in real time.

Kennedy Space Center is a full-day destination, interesting for all ages, from younger kids who want to sit in a real spacecraft to teens who can spend hours in the Apollo and Artemis mission halls. Brevard Zoo is one of the country’s most interactive, including the only zoo where you can kayak through an animal exhibit, paddling past giraffes and zip-lining over habitats. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Indian River Lagoon offer opportunities for manatee sightings. The Space Coast draws families, but not at the density of other Florida destinations.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Nearest airport: Copenhagen Airport (CPH)

Copenhagen has direct flights from 12 U.S. cities and was named the world’s most livable city by The Economist in 2025. It’s also one of the most family-friendly cities in Europe.

The entire city is built around cycling infrastructure, with wide dedicated bike lanes and a 750-foot harbor bridge exclusively for cyclists. Families can rent bikes and move through the city the way locals do.

In spring, the harbor swimming and sauna culture that’s a normal part of Copenhagen life starts up in full. La Banchina and CopenHot offer floating saunas and harbor dips that are equal parts Nordic wellness ritual and memorable family activity.

The Experimentarium is a hands-on science museum designed specifically for engagement rather than observation, and the Danish Architecture Center connects sustainability, design, and urban living in ways that resonate with curious teens.

For families willing to make a day trip, LEGO House in Billund and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense are both accessible by train. The weather in spring is mild, cool enough for jackets and warm enough for outdoor fun.

Campspot Campground Network

Nearest airports: Varies by location

Campspot connects families to more than 300,000 campsites across North America, many of which feel far more like small resorts than traditional campsites. Choose from award-winning sites, including Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Tower Park in Lodi, CA (lazy river, water zone, room to spread out), Camp Margaritaville Breaux Bridge in Louisiana (three pools, waterslides, swim-up bar, live music), and Splash Valley in Ontario (lake activities, hiking trails, newly expanded beach).

Spring availability is better than peak summertime, and rates are typically lower.

Niagara Parks, Ontario

Nearest airport: Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

Niagara Parks is celebrating the Butterfly Conservatory’s 30th anniversary this year. More than 2,000 butterflies fill the glass-enclosed rainforest setting, which opened March 7 alongside a new Orchid Show featuring over 1,700 Phalaenopsis orchids and early spring blooms.

Then there’s Niagara Takes Flight, Ontario’s first flying theater, which sends guests soaring over the Falls in gondola-style seating through cinematic aerial footage and multisensory effects.

At the Niagara Parks Power Station, a glass-paneled elevator descends 180 feet into an underground tunnel that leads to river-level views of Horseshoe Falls, and at night, the Power Station at Night transforms the space through a dynamic multimedia show.

To save some money, The Niagara Falls Wonder Pass bundles admission to multiple attractions with WEGO transportation, and kids 12 and under ride free on GO Trains from Toronto.

Intrepid Travel Family Tours

Nearest airports: Varies by itinerary.

For families who want new experiences without planning every detail themselves, Intrepid Travel’s family-focused tours take much of the logistical burden off the trip. Their Morocco Family Holiday itinerary runs for 8 days from $756 per person, and their 10-day Botswana Family Safari starts at $1,890 per person. Both have five-star guest ratings and include local guides.

Spring departures align with most school break calendars, and using local guides throughout means families engage with each destination rather than moving through a templated version.