13 Family Spring Break Destinations That Will Only Get Better in 2020

This adorable seaside town has lots to offer vacationing families. Monterey is famous for its aquarium, where children ages five and up can spend the night. The newest exhibit, ¡Viva Baja! Life on the Edge showcases creatures from the coastal habitats of Baja California, including the brightly colored Cortez rainbow wrasse and the Pacific sea horse, which can grow up to a foot tall. Don’t miss dinner at Old Fisherman’s Grotto during your stay.

A visit to the country’s capital city is a great Spring break idea, especially since this year is an election year. Along with the American History Museum and the Washington Monument, the kids can enjoy visits to the zoo, the Natural History Museum, and the Natural Gallery of Art. (And even better, all the national museums are free!) For an extra treat, see if your spring break falls during DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival – it’s incredible!

Myrtle Beach is a 60-mile string of beaches on the Atlantic coast. New in 2020 is The Hangout, a restaurant at Broadway at the Beach, with dance contests, courtyard games, and fire pits for families to enjoy. For more family fun, visit the Family Kingdom Amusement Park or take a ride on the SkyWheel, which towers 200 feet above the oceanfront boardwalk.

Costa Rica features picturesque beaches where you can buy fresh coconut milk (right out of the coconut, of course) to sip while you enjoy the most gorgeous sunset you’ve ever seen. This country also has amazing rain forests to discover and explore, even by zipline in Arenal National Park if you’re brave enough. Don’t miss the chance to see sloths up close at the Diamante Eco Adventure Park. Lonely Planet recently named Costa Rica as one of the best places to travel in 2020, and noted that it is one of the most sustainable places on the planet, so this is the year to visit!

La Paz, which is up the coast a little ways from Cabo San Lucas, offers gorgeous white sand beaches for families to enjoy. There’s also a boardwalk to explore. It’s the perfect Mexican destination for families who want to avoid the rowdier Spring break crowd.

There is no shortage of family fun in this alpine paradise. Favorites include the Dinosaur Resource Center, the Ghost Town Museum, and of course, the Garden of the Gods. In 2020, the new Olympic and Paralympic Museum will open, as well as a new summit house on Pikes Peak.

Joshua Tree offers a uniquely beautiful family experience, as kids will delight in climbing over the large boulders strewn around or exploring the two distinct desert ecosystems. Little ones with energy to burn will love hiking all day in the desert, then stopping at Joshua Tree’s four visitor centers to rest and grab a bite to eat.

This string of barrier islands is considered one of the best Spring break destinations on the East Coast. The kids can enjoy flying kites, hunting for crabs, and playing on the beach. You won’t want to miss the Butterfly Festival in April. This enchanting event provides a colorful array of activities for kids and families to enjoy together. However, the water is pretty cold during the Spring, so pack wet suits if you want to go swimming.

Santa Cruz is a quaint beach town with a historic Santa Crus boardwalk full of rides and other kids’ activities. This year, the boardwalk has special Spring break events planned, including a magic show by the “Surfing Musician” and the family friendly Boardwalk Fun Run. Spend a few great afternoons at the beach and boardwalk and the rest of your trip surfing or walking through the redwoods at nearby Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

The Grand Canyon is one of the most gorgeous and fascinating sights in the world. Get the full effect of its vastness if you’re brave enough to step onto the Skywalk: a glass platform suspended 70 feet out over the canyon. This experience will stick in your kids memories, and it will likely be the story they tell when they return to school. This year only, see the “Amazing Kolb Brothers” exhibit, a Victorian home where the Kolb family lived and captured photographs of their adventures in the canyon.

This island group in the West Indies could possibly be Heaven on Earth. This tropical paradise is the ideal spot for a family to relax and enjoy. Stay at Atlantis Paradise Island, an ocean-themed resort that features a variety of amenities, including fresh and saltwater lagoons, pools, marine habitats, water slides, and river rides. Starting this year, you can fly nonstop from Denver to the Bahamas, making the long travel time so much more doable for families.