Summary
Best Places to Visit in the United States During the Winter
People who travel during the winter can be categorized into two groups: those who seek to escape the cold and those who eagerly embrace it. The United States is large and geographically diverse, with a wide range of weather, so vacationers can choose between winter and sun. Hibernation is for bears, not you, so check out this list of 20 fantastic destinations in the United States throughout the winter.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Your greatest bet for seeing Yellowstone as it was before cars were in the winter. Early in the month of November, the majority of park roads close to regular traffic, limiting access to many regions to “over snow” modes of transportation, such as bridge skis or organized motorcycle and snow coach tours.
The winter is a great time to visit because there are fewer people there, and you can see beautiful sights like frozen lakes, white-covered forests, and hot geysers If you’re looking for something to do after a snowshoe hike or ranger-led nature program in Yellowstone, Jackson Hole has three ski areas, a busy après-ski scene, and accommodations ranging from cozy wooden huts to four-star hotels.
Key West, Florida
When most of the country is shivering in the dead of winter, the Florida Keys are basking in an ideal 74 degrees C. This is not exactly news: winter is Key West’s busiest season. You’ll miss the peak of the party atmosphere on colorful Duval Street and the weekly Sunset Festival in Mallory Square, but you’ll still get to see the island’s unique charm. Laid-back activities include lazing on sandy beaches, eating delicious seafood, and visiting the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum to see the renowned six-toed cats.
Minneapolis
Sure enough, we’re talking about Minneapolis. Even if it does get chilly in the winter in this strangely overlooked Midwestern metropolis, Minnesotans celebrate the weather in a manner that would make many of their Scandinavian ancestors pleased.
The Great Northern is a 10-day extravaganza that brings together the city’s best winter outdoor celebrations, such as the City of Lakes Om at Ski Tournament and the City of Lakes Nokomis Winter Carnival. The enchanted Luminary Loppet highlights the latter, in which cross-country skiers race across the frozen Lake of the Isles under the light of torches, lanterns, candles embedded in blocks of ice, and even fire dancers. Skyway Connection, 11 miles of weather walkway footbridges connecting tens of buildings downtown; booming arts and culinary sectors; and other indoor delights of Minneapolis.
Pasadena, California
The Rose Parade in Pasadena ushers in the new year with marching bands, teams of clip-clopping horses, and magnificent floats decorated with enough flowers to fill several botanical gardens. The parade is a Southern California institution, and its surrounding festivities include the Deco Week flower decorating festival, the Bandfest concert featuring marching bands from the procession, and the Rose Bowl college football game. You’ve been warned: you need to act fast if you want to go to any of the above events.
Magic Mountain Ski Area, Vermont
This New England staple opened in 1960 in Londonderry, Vermont, and harkens back to the days before wide, treeless tracks became the norm at ski slopes. That’s why it can be challenging for individuals who aren’t used to navigating steep, winding hills amid dense forests.
However, advanced skiers will like the difficulty, fewer visitors, and cheaper lift tickets compared to New England and Rocky Mountain resorts. The location is ideal for purists, and it also serves as a learning center for novices and young children. After a day on the slopes, guests may unwind with a drink in the tavern while listening to live music and taking in breathtaking views of the mountain.
New Orleans
The undisputed high point of a Louisiana winter is the city’s annual Mardi Gras festival, the granddaddy of all street celebrations, held the day after Ash Wednesday in February. Even while Bourbon Street is the place to be if you just want to party, there’s more to the celebrations than beads and liquor. The days preceding Fat Tuesday are just as festive as the day itself, with parades, pageantry, rushees, and king cakes all playing a part in the celebration.
Planning beforehand is essential since hotels fill up quickly in the days leading up to Mardi Gras. You may enjoy the French Quarters and other jazz-filled historic enclaves like the Than the and Treme during slightly less crowded weeks in February and January. Temperatures are far lower than in the sweltering summer, and enjoyable moments can be had at any time of the year.
Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska
Indeed, the weather is chilly, and the evenings are very long. However, Alaska is a must-see for anyone who enjoys snowy landscapes and outdoor activities. Anchorage, Alaska, offers a wide variety of winter activities, from glacier hikes to dog sledding tours, so visitors may experience the city’s icy landscapes up close and personal.
The Aurora Winter Train is a great way to go farther inland to Fairbanks, as it chugs through a winter wonderland complete with snowfall and the occasional moose. The Northern Lights are visible from September to March, and you can learn about the people and ecological history of Alaska at the Museum of the North.
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
The smallest and least developed of the three U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Most guests take ferries from St. Thomas, as there is neither an airport nor a pier for cruise ships, and a beautiful national park covers more space than resorts.
Snorkelling in turquoise waters, beautiful beaches like Trunk Bay, green woods with walking trails, and up-close views of tropical flora, pelicans, tortoises, and other residents of paradise await day trippers and overnight guests alike. You should know that the winter is just after the hurricane, so certain areas in the Caribbean may still be rebuilding. Make sure that hotels, restaurants, as well as other businesses in the region you plan to visit have reopened before making the trip. Cascade is frozen in time at Michigan’s Pictured Rocks State Lakeshore Photograph: Craig Sterken/Shutterstock
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s far northern Upper Peninsula takes its name from a series of towering, multicolored sandstone cliffs that overlook Lake Superior. In the winter, snow and ice transform the area into a surreal landscape reminiscent of Elsa’s ice castle in the Disney film, Frozen.
Icicle-covered caverns are as dazzling as crystal ballrooms, and ice climbers can’t resist the allure of massive frozen rivers and towers of ice. In fact, every year in the month of February, ice climbers from all over the world gather here for the Michigan Ice Fest. Visitors of all experience levels are welcome to participate in the action for free, either by spectating from the picturesque sidelines or by taking advantage of the available classes.
Las Vegas
Since New Year’s Eve is the biggest party night of the calendar year within one of the country’s biggest party cities, you can bet that the casino, clubs, and hotels of Vegas will be jam-packed with revellers. However, after that comes a time in January and February when demand for Las Vegas vacations is normally weaker, resulting in accommodation prices and airfare dropping to their lowest levels, especially for travel during the week rather than the weekend.
While the rest of the country is nursing holiday hangovers, Sin City’s concerts, gaming floors, odd museums, and thrill coasters remain open year-round. Hiking in Red Rock Canyon or skiing down Mount Charleston are great ways to beat cabin fever. However, you won’t be able to swim in any outdoor pools: A lot of people are taken aback when they realize that the high temperature between January and February is typically about 50 degrees.
Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge has long since transitioned from a major gold town to a skiing hotspot, but the downtown district, where many stores and restaurants are housed in beautifully maintained Victorian buildings, has retained a lot of its 19th-century charm. Also, Breckenridge Ski Area, one of the most visited winter resort destinations in North America, is still the main draw.
Breck boasts over 150 routes and around 3,000 skiable acres, making it a great ski resort for all skill levels. Although there are obstacles for advanced snowboarders and slalom skiers, the resort is primarily renowned for its ease of use, with about half of the trails classified as easy or intermediate. Because of it, I highly recommend it to families. And with other Rocky Mountain ski areas like Keystone only 15 miles away and Vail 37 miles away, there are plenty of reasons for visitors to take advantage of their multi-resort ski pass.
Crystal River, Florida
Hundreds of manatees migrate to the constant 72-degree spring of Kings Bay on Florida’s western coast, roughly 80 miles north of Tampa, every winter as the Gulf Coast cools off. Crystal River Wildlife Refuge, located in the area, is the only refuge in the United States specifically designated to protect the distinctly rotund animals.
You might spot one or two year-round if you’re lucky, but if you visit the preserve between November and April, you’ll see dozens. These days, it’s not uncommon for visitors to get in the water with manatees, but if you’d rather keep your distance, you can still observe these gentle giants from the Three Sisters Springs boardwalk. In addition to the prehistoric human settlement ruins, which may be the oldest in the country, there are also interesting marshes and tidal creeks to explore.
Upper Mississippi River Towns, Illinois and Iowa
Seeing a bald eagle on the Mississippi River is as quintessentially American as it gets. The greatest time to see these two magnificent American landmarks together is in January or February. The birds, which number in the tens of thousands, migrate south to eat fish and sleep on the nearby bluffs. Events like Bald Eagle Weeks in Rock Islands, Illinois, and the Dubuque Bald Eagle Watch in Dubuque, Iowa, are held every year in river towns along the path to celebrate the migratory birds’ annual migration.
At these and similar festivals, visitors can learn more about the national symbol through workshops, demonstrations, and photo displays, as well as take part in birding expeditions on foot and by bus. Staying in the Quad Cities, a group of four cities in Iowa and Illinois on either side of the Upper Mississippi, allows you to enjoy both the great outdoors (snow tubing, pass skiing) and cultural attractions like the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, which houses a world-renowned collection of artworks from of the Western World.
Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
Writing about summer excursions to Death Valley often takes on the tone of apocalyptic fiction, describing perilous desert treks past sites with foreboding names like Coffin Peak and Devil’s Country Club in the warmest, driest, godforsaken best spot on earth. However, if you come during the winter, the temperature drops from an oppressive 120 degrees Fahrenheit to a mild 60s or 70s.
That makes trekking and wilderness camping much safer, and we enjoy them more since we can take in the landscape without worrying about being killed. The vast salt flats of Swiftwater Basin and the wide views from mountain tops overlooking sand dunes and plains in colors of red and gold are just two of the park’s many breathtaking attractions.
Conclusion
These winter destinations were ideal for creating unforgettable memories with loved ones. The United States offers a wide variety of winter getaways, some of which are best suited to those who thrive in the cold and others to those who, like us, long for the warmer climes. We wish you a wonderful winter vacation in the United States and hope this article was enjoyable and helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Where is the warmest place in the US during winter?
Miami, Florida, is the warmest city in the United States during the winter. There are also some of the warmest temperatures in the United States here. In the middle of winter, temperatures rarely dip below 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius), with daily highs averaging about 70 degrees.
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What is the cheapest way to be a snowbird?
Downsizing to a smaller home with one or two fewer bedrooms can help you save money. In order to save money, some snowbirds may decide to sell their existing property and purchase a smaller one in the desired location. To downsize is to relocate to a smaller dwelling, the purchase and upkeep of which will save a significant amount of money.
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What part of Florida do snowbirds go to?
Snowbirds often rent homes in Fort Myers, Bradenton, Naples, Sarasota, Destin, Clearwater, Cape Coral, and Panama City Beach. Key West, Amelia Island, and the Florida Keys aren’t the only excellent snowbird locations in Florida.
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Where do Canadians go in Florida for the winter?
Clearwater. Clearwater is a 3-mile barrier island just across the causeway from Tampa International Airport, and it’s famous for its white sand beaches, resorts, condos, and restaurants that welcome families. There are a lot of Canadian “snowbirds” who spend the winter in Clearwater.
Thank you for reading!