Spring Break Ideas for Families

Corpus Christi, TX

Padre Island National Seashore

70 miles of wild beach with sea turtle releases and shell hunting. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. Easily a full day.

Camping
Ages 3+
~5h
Paid

Glen Rose, TX

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

Drive-through safari park near Glen Rose TX where kids hand-feed giraffes from the car - 1,800 acres of zebras, cheetahs, rhinos and 50+ species

Nature
Ages 2+
~3h
Paid

Houston, TX

Space Center Houston

NASA's Houston visitor center - tram tours across the Johnson campus, a walk-through shuttle, moon rocks and Apollo capsules.

Science
Ages 3+
~5h
Paid

Needville, TX

Brazos Bend State Park

Wild alligator viewing from boardwalks and stargazing at the observatory. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. A half-day trip.

Nature
Ages 3+
~3h
Paid

Arlington, TX

Southwest Nature Preserve

Quiet urban preserve with scenic lake overlook in Arlington. Free. Best from about age 3. About an hour. Easy going.

Hiking
Ages 3+
~1h
Free

Austwell, TX

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Endangered whooping crane habitat with auto loop and observation tower. Free. Best from about age 3. A half-day trip. Stroller-friendly.

Nature
Ages 3+
~3h
Free

Dallas, TX

Frontiers of Flight Museum

Hangar museum at Dallas Love Field with thirty-plus aircraft, the Apollo 7 capsule, flight simulators and cockpits kids can climb into.

Museum
Ages 3+
~2h
Paid

Fort Worth, TX

Kimbell Art Museum

Free permanent collection in a famous Louis Kahn building in Fort Worth, small enough for a one-hour gallery visit with young kids.

Museum
Ages 4+
~1h
Free

Humble, TX

Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center

Boardwalk trails through cypress swamp with free guided canoe trips. Free. Works from toddler age. About two hours. Stroller-friendly.

Nature
Ages 2+
~2h
Free

San Antonio, TX

SEA LIFE San Antonio Aquarium

Small River Walk aquarium in San Antonio with a walk-through ray and shark tunnel plus supervised touch pools, about an hour end to end.

Aquarium
Ages 1+
~1h
Paid

San Antonio, TX

Witte Museum

San Antonio natural history museum with a dinosaur gallery and dig pit, Texas wildlife dioramas and a four-story body adventure.

Museum
Ages 2+
~4h
Paid

Somerville, TX

Lake Somerville State Park & Trailway

Two-unit park connected by 21-mile trail with lake swimming. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

Camping
Ages 2+
~4h
Paid

Hawaii National Park, HI

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Active volcano with lava tubes, steam vents, and a massive caldera. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. Easily a full day.

Hiking
Ages 3+
~5h
Paid

Kailua, HI

Kailua Beach Park

Award-winning white sand beach with turquoise water and gentle waves. Free. Works from toddler age. A half-day trip. Stroller-friendly.

Swimming
Ages 1+
~4h
Free

Kula, HI

Haleakala National Park Sunrise

Sunrise from 10,023 feet above a volcanic crater that looks like Mars. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip.

Nature
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Wailea, HI

Maui Sailing Canoe

A Hawaiian sailing outrigger canoe off Polo Beach, capped at eight people, with a turtle snorkel stop. Paid. Ages 4 and up.

Sailing
Ages 4+
~2h
Paid

Hawaii National Park, HI

Namakanipaio Campground

Drive-up tent camping in a eucalyptus grove inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, minutes from the Kilauea overlooks after dark

Camping
Ages 3+
Overnight
Paid

Hawaii National Park, HI

Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku)

Walk through a 500-year-old lava tube surrounded by prehistoric tree ferns. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. About an hour.

Hiking
Ages 2+
~1h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

Manoa Falls Trail

Rainforest hike to a 150-foot waterfall through a tropical jungle near Waikiki. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. About two hours.

Hiking
Ages 3+
~2h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

Restored seaplane hangars on Ford Island still bullet-scarred from 1941, holding a Japanese Zero, a B-25 and flight simulators.

Museum
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Koloa, HI

Spouting Horn

Natural ocean blowhole shooting water through a lava tube with an eerie moan. Free. Works from toddler age. About an hour.

Nature
Ages 2+
~0.5h
Free

Lanai City, HI

Garden of the Gods (Keahiakawelo)

Otherworldly red rock formations on Lanai's back roads (Keahiakawelo) - free to visit, but a 4WD vehicle is required to reach the site

Nature
Ages 3+
~1h
Free

Wailea, HI

Ulua Beach

Sheltered beach with excellent easy snorkeling and frequent sea turtle sightings. Free. Best from about age 4. About two hours.

Swimming
Ages 4+
~2h
Free

Waimea (Kauai), HI

Koke'e State Park

Highland trails and Na Pali Coast cliff-top lookouts in a mountain forest park. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Castile, NY

Letchworth State Park

Grand Canyon of the East with three major waterfalls and a 600-foot gorge. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 2+
~4h
Paid

Poughkeepsie, NY

Walkway Over the Hudson

Walk 212 feet above the Hudson River on the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. Free. Works from toddler age.

Hiking
Ages 2+
~1h
Free

Trumansburg, NY

Taughannock Falls State Park

Easy walk to a 215-foot waterfall taller than Niagara Falls. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. About two hours. Stroller-friendly.

Hiking
Ages 2+
~2h
Paid

Tupper Lake, NY

The Wild Center

Natural history museum with a treetop Wild Walk and live animal exhibits. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. A half-day trip.

Nature
Ages 2+
~3h
Paid

Buffalo, NY

Buffalo Museum of Science

Buffalo science museum with dinosaur skeletons, a mummy, live animal encounters, and a rooftop observatory for night sky viewing.

Science
Ages 2+
~3h
Paid

Cold Spring, NY

Clarence Fahnestock State Park

Hudson Highlands park with lake swimming, Appalachian Trail, and camping. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 3+
~4h
Paid

Corona, NY

New York Hall of Science

Queens hands-on science museum with a build-and-test design lab, a room-size interactive ecosystem, and a preschool zone.

Science
Ages 2+
~4h
Paid

Garden City, NY

Long Island Children's Museum

Fourteen hands-on galleries in Garden City with bubbles, a climbing structure, a sound studio, and a toddler-only Tot Spot.

Indoor Play
Ages 1+
~3h
Paid

Hector, NY

Finger Lakes National Forest

The only national forest in New York with free camping and 30+ miles of trails. Free. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~3h
Free

Keene Valley, NY

Beaver Meadow Falls Trail

Scenic river trail to a beautiful 30-foot waterfall in the High Peaks. Free. Best from about age 5. About two hours. Dogs welcome.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~2h
Free

Rochester, NY

Rochester Museum & Science Center

Rochester science museum with three hands-on floors plus the Strasenburgh Planetarium's dome star shows and full-dome films next door.

Science
Ages 2+
~3h
Paid

Syracuse, NY

WonderWorks Syracuse

Indoor science-and-illusion attraction at Destiny USA in Syracuse with a hurricane simulator, ropes course, and laser tag.

Indoor Play
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Broken Bow, OK

Beavers Bend State Park

Oklahoma's premier family state park with trails and river access in the Ouachita Mountains. Paid entry. Works from toddler age.

Hiking
Ages 2+
~4h
Paid

Broken Bow, OK

Broken Bow Lake

Crystal-clear 14,000-acre mountain lake with calm swimming coves and 180 miles of shoreline. Free. Works from toddler age.

Swimming
Ages 2+
~3h
Free

Wilburton, OK

Robbers Cave State Park Camping and Cabins

Classic Oklahoma state park with campgrounds, cabins and a real outlaw cave in the sandstone bluffs of the San Bois Mountains

Camping
Ages 2+
Overnight
Paid

Broken Bow, OK

Beaver Lodge Nature Trail

Easy 2-mile forest loop trail through towering pines in Beavers Bend State Park. Free. Best from about age 3. About an hour.

Hiking
Ages 3+
~1h
Free

Broken Bow, OK

Beavers Bend Safari Park

Drive-through and walk-through safari with 350+ exotic animals near Hochatown. Paid entry. Works from toddler age. About two hours.

Nature
Ages 2+
~2h
Paid

Broken Bow, OK

Beavers Bend State Park Cabins

Rustic and modern state park cabins in the pines at Beavers Bend, minutes from Broken Bow Lake and the Mountain Fork River

Lodging
Ages 1+
Overnight
Paid

Broken Bow, OK

Cedar Bluff Nature Trail

Easy 0.8-mile river-view loop across from Dogwood Campground in Beavers Bend State Park - one of Broken Bow's best quick family hikes

Hiking
Ages 3+
~0.5h
Free

Broken Bow, OK

Riverman Trail Rides

Guided horseback riding through the Ouachita Mountains overlooking the Glover River. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. About an hour.

Nature
Ages 3+
~1h
Paid

Hodgen, OK

Cedar Lake Recreation Area Camping

National forest campground on a small lake with a sandy swim beach and a flat shoreline loop trail kids can walk on their own

Camping
Ages 3+
Overnight
Paid

Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Oklahoma City art museum built around a fifty-five foot Chihuly glass tower, with weekend family art studios and a film theater.

Museum
Ages 4+
~2h
Paid

Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma History Center

Oklahoma City state history museum with hanging aircraft, a full oil derrick, a Route 66 section and a hard-hitting Dust Bowl gallery.

Museum
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Valliant, OK

Pine Creek Lake Camping

Basic Army Corps campgrounds on a quiet reservoir west of Broken Bow, for families who want an empty boat ramp over restaurants

Camping
Ages 3+
Overnight
Paid

Homestead, FL

Royal Palm and the Anhinga Trail

A half-mile boardwalk over a gator hole where alligators, anhingas, herons and turtles sit within a few feet of the rail.

Hiking
Ages 2+
~2h
Paid

Sarasota, FL

Myakka River State Park

A canopy walkway suspended in the treetops, an airboat across an alligator lake, and one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks.

Nature
Ages 3+
~5h
Paid

Chiefland, FL

Manatee Springs State Park

A first-magnitude spring running into the Suwannee River, with winter manatees, a boardwalk through cypress swamp and easy swimming.

Swimming
Ages 3+
~3h
Paid

Chipley, FL

Falling Waters State Park

Florida's tallest waterfall drops seventy-three feet into a sinkhole and disappears underground - nobody knows where it goes.

Hiking
Ages 3+
~2h
Paid

Fernandina Beach, FL

Fort Clinch State Park

A remarkably intact brick fort with costumed reenactors, plus shark tooth hunting on the beach and camping under live oaks.

Nature
Ages 4+
~4h
Paid

Hobe Sound, FL

Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Paddle Florida's first Wild and Scenic River through cypress, and climb the sand pine ridge for a view over the whole coast.

Kayaking
Ages 5+
~5h
Paid

Islamorada, FL

Anne's Beach

A free roadside beach with warm, ankle-deep water for hundreds of feet and a boardwalk through mangroves - made for toddlers.

Swimming
Ages 1+
~2h
Free

Sanibel, FL

J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

A four-mile drive through mangrove estuary where roseate spoonbills, ibis and alligators feed at close range on a falling tide.

Nature
Ages 3+
~3h
Paid

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Grayton Beach State Park

Sugar-white sand and emerald Gulf water on Florida's 30A, plus a rare coastal dune lake behind the beach that kids can paddle a kayak across.

Swimming
Ages 2+
~4h
Paid

St. Augustine, FL

Anastasia State Park

Four miles of Atlantic beach plus a warm, shallow tidal lagoon that is close to perfect for beginner paddlers, ten minutes from St. Augustine.

Swimming
Ages 3+
~5h
Paid

St. George Island, FL

St. George Island State Park

Nine miles of undeveloped barrier island beach with almost nobody on it, plus calm bay-side water and excellent shelling.

Swimming
Ages 2+
~5h
Paid

Thonotosassa, FL

Hillsborough River State Park

Class II rapids - genuinely rare in Florida - viewed from a suspension footbridge, plus canoe rentals in a CCC-built park near Tampa.

Kayaking
Ages 5+
~4h
Paid

Rio Grande, PR

El Yunque National Forest

The only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest system, with roadside waterfalls and a canopy tower a short walk from the car.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~5h
Free

San Juan, PR

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

A six-level Spanish fortress on the headland, with tunnels, sentry boxes and the best kite-flying lawn in the Caribbean.

Nature
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Camuy, PR

Parque Nacional Cavernas del Rio Camuy

One of the largest cave systems in the world, entered by trolley down into a sinkhole, with a subterranean river running far below the walkway.

Nature
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Loiza, PR

Pinones

A coastal boardwalk and bike path through mangrove and palm, lined with kiosks frying the best street food on the island.

Biking
Ages 4+
~4h
Free

San Juan, PR

Castillo San Cristobal

The largest Spanish fort built in the Americas, with a tunnel system, a dungeon and centuries-old ship drawings scratched into the walls.

Nature
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Vieques, PR

Sun Bay (Balneario Sun Bay)

A mile-long public crescent of calm turquoise water with picnic shelters, wild horses on the grass, and almost nobody on it.

Swimming
Ages 1+
~4h
Paid

Christiansted, VI

Christiansted National Historic Site

A yellow Danish fort on the harbour front, with dungeons, ramparts and cannon, in a walkable eighteenth-century colonial town.

Nature
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

St. John, VI

Annaberg Sugar Plantation

The best preserved sugar mill ruins in the Virgin Islands, on a hillside with a windmill tower and a view to the British islands.

Nature
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid