USA Winter Travel Guide: 10 Winter Sun Destinations
Make the Most of Your Winter in the USA!
Winter sun destinations in the USA are plentiful, offering a wide range of vacation experiences from colorful but stark deserts to tropical beaches, forests, and nightlife adventures. All of this is available in a vast country that spans the width of an entire continent. From the US Virgin Islands all the way to San Diego and Hawaii, you can find just about every kind of landscape you could ever want. From rainforests to wetlands, deserts, and beaches, it’s all right here.
If you’re looking for a unique and memorable vacation in the winter, you can escape the doldrums without ever leaving the country. Check out the best winter sun destinations in the USA for your next vacation.
1. San Diego, California
Enjoying the sun on the Pacific coast
Good for: Couples, Families, Photo
San Diego, California, is along the Pacific coast and offers beaches, warm weather, gigantic parks, and plenty of outdoor adventure and history to enjoy. Kids and adults alike love to visit the Balboa Park is a vast, 1,200-acre park with tons of attractions including museums, concert venues, shops, and restaurants. The USS Midway Museum offers the chance to go aboard a World War II-era aircraft carrier.
Belmont Park offers a beachfront amusement park with a true retro vibe. Be sure to explore the beaches themselves as they are a major attraction here, from Coronado Beach to Torrey Pines State Reserve.
San Diego, California
2. Charleston, South Carolina
Historic cobblestone streets and delicious food
Good for: Food, History, Photo
Charleston, South Carolina, is a historic port city along the Atlantic coast offering quaint cobblestone streets, antebellum houses, and waterfront promenades. Many of the primary attractions of this city are found in the elegant and historic French Quarter and Battery districts. Here you can enjoy walkable promenades lined with independent shops and restaurants along the waterfront. You can also visit Fort Sumter, the sea fort where the first shots of the Civil War were heard. The historic Charleston City Market covers four blocks with fresh and prepared food, arts, and crafts.
You can see blocks of Georgian-style pastel-colored row houses. Walk waterfront parks or stay in an elegant, upscale bed-and-breakfast on a former plantation.
Charleston, South Carolina
3. St. John, US Virgin Islands
A true tropical paradise
Good for: Adventure, Photo
St. John, US Virgin Islands, is the smallest island in the chain and offers a true Caribbean paradise with white-sand beaches, verdant green forests, and tons of outdoor adventure. Here you can go hiking among thick forested trails rife with wildlife like warblers, hummingbirds, and cuckoos. You can head for the mangroves at Hurricane Hole where you can go snorkeling to see anemones and living coral reefs.
What draws many people to St. John is that it’s the least developed of the islands, meaning there isn’t much in the way of shopping or dining. The beaches, however, are spectacular with soft sands and crystal-clear waters. Bring your binoculars and watch hawksbill sea turtles and dolphins swimming just offshore.
St. John, US Virgin Islands
4. New Orleans, Louisiana
Legendary jazz, epic festivals, and tons of history
Good for: Couples, History, Nightlife
New Orleans, Louisiana, is one of the most unique and vibrant cities in the nation offering a never-ending nightlife, deep history, and culture. It’s famed for festivals including the Jazz and Blues Festival, the Halloween parade, and Mardi Gras with raucous parties and colorful costumes. You can tour historic cemeteries to see things like the grave of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau or visit the French Market and the famed Café du Monde for café au lait and beignets.
You can hear different music at every bar along Bourbon Street or head for the elegant historic homes in the Garden District. For unique souvenirs, hit up antique stores on Royal Street and look for hidden treasures.
New Orleans, Louisiana
5. Phoenix, Arizona
Hiking in the Arizona desert
Good for: Couples, Families, History
Phoenix, Arizona, is the state capital and is famous for its year-round sun and high temperatures, and as the anchor of the Valley of the Sun. Here you can enjoy high-end spas and resorts, experience championship-level golfing, and party until dawn in the city’s unbelievable nightlife scene. At the Desert Botanical Garden, you’ll see 50,000 species of plants. Learn about Native American culture at the Heard Museum or explore art history at the Phoenix Art Museum. Quirky museums like the Musical Instrument Museum offer a touch of whimsy.
Outdoor adventurers will love the hiking and viewpoints at Camelback Mountain and Papago Park. If you’re traveling with family, head over to Castles N’ Coasters for thrill rides and mini golf.
Phoenix, Arizona
6. Miami Beach, Florida
Stunning beaches and celebrated architecture
Good for: History, Nightlife, Photo
Miami Beach, Florida, is an island city connected to the southern mainland by bridges and offering endless stretches of white sand, clear waters, and historic districts. Notable beachfront areas in this city include South Pointe, Nikki Beach, Lummus, and the North Shore Open Space. At the famed South Beach, you can rub elbows with celebrities and explore the art deco architecture in the Historic District along Ocean Drive. Head for the Miami Beach Botanical Garden for a tropical escape from the hustle and bustle.
Miami Beach is also loaded with nightlife opportunities. Party your heart out and go salsa dancing, savor cocktails at LGBTQ+ clubs, see burlesque shows, or bust moves in classic nightclubs to the latest EDM tunes.
Miami Beach, Florida
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
Visiting Pearl Harbor and climbing a volcano
Good for: Adventure, History, Photo
Honolulu, Hawaii, is on the south shore of Oahu and offers nightlife, shopping, dining, and nature as well as historic sites to explore. You can head for Pearl Harbor, where the Japanese attack in 1941 heralded the United States’ entry into World War II. You can get above a historic battleship at the USS Arizona Memorial. You can hike into the rainforest and explore the caldera of a volcano at the Diamond Head crater. In the Waikiki neighborhood, you’ll enjoy world-class shopping and dining and a nightlife that never quits.
Beaches like Hanauma Bay offer endless stretches of soft, white sand and crystal turquoise waters. At Iolani Palace, tour the former home of the last monarchs of the island chain.
Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Savannah, Georgia
Where to discover the historic antebellum South
Good for: Food, History, Nightlife
Savannah, Georgia, is a coastal city bordered by the Savannah River that’s famed for its parks, antebellum architecture, and historic district filled with old-world charm. Head to Forsyth Park, which is shaded by oak trees, dotted with Spanish moss, and lined with cobblestone squares. The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist with its Gothic Revival grandeur sits right in the middle of this district. Visit the 18th-century ruins at the Wormsloe Historic Site or explore the haunted Mercer-Williams House Museum.
On East River Street, you’ll find shopping, dining, and nightlife opportunities from fast food and rock clubs to fine dining. Book a table at one of the grand restaurants set inside historic buildings and enjoy a culinary feast.
Savannah, Georgia
9. Palm Springs, California
A desert getaway with golf, resorts, and boutiques
Good for: Couples, Families, Shoppers
Palm Springs, California, is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert and is famed for its championship golf courses, spas, hot springs, and upscale resort hotels. This city is also popular among architecture buffs for its many fine examples of mid-century modern architectural design. Palm Canyon Drive offers a premier shopping district with vintage independent boutique stores, interior design shops, and upscale name brands. The area also has a wealth of fine dining establishments for enjoying the best of California cuisine.
Surrounding the city is the famed Coachella Valley where you can go horseback riding, biking, and hiking. For something quirkier, head for the Cabazon Dinosaurs display that always thrills the kids.
Location: California, USA
Palm Springs, California
10. Santa Fe, New Mexico
The heart of the Southwest
Good for: Couples, Families, History
Santa Fe, New Mexico, offers the chance to walk back into the Wild West, see historic buildings, and visit a wealth of museums and entertainment attractions. Here you can ride the trail that Billy the Kid rode. You can explore art history at places like the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
You can visit the Palace of the Governors to learn about the state’s history and see the 17th-century adobe building at the San Miguel Chapel. For more unusual family fun, head for Meow Wolf Santa Fe, an interactive art museum and scary haunted house attraction.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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