With less than a month until spring, we have to channel our inner travel agent and book an unforgettable getaway quick! But while a tropical beach sounds like the picturesque vacation spot you dream of, it can get a little redundant if you go there every year. Don’t fret, we found totally underrated, out of the ordinary vacation spots you’ll be dying to visit.
1. Colorado Springs, Colorado
While there’s “spring” in the title, Colorado Springs, Colorado is not the very warm spot you’d usually think of for the typical spring break vacay. However, Colorado Springs can give you all the breathtaking views and invigorating experiences you’re looking for!
“Some of my friends and I went to Colorado last year for spring break. I know it’s not particularly warm, but it was so much fun,” says Micki Wagner, a senior at the University of Missouri-Columbia. “We stayed in Colorado Springs and went to Pikes Peak, then we took a day trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park, which was crazy and so cool.”
Pikes Peak is one of Colorado’s most beautiful mountains, perfect for hiking or cycling to get a taste of fresh air and majestic views. This spot is perfect for the Cali or Florida girl who wants a real change of scenery, or any hiking aficionado who wants the premier hiking experience! You can visit the rest of Colorado Springs’ huge state parks or, get this, stay at a real castle there! That’s right; Colorado Springs has a castle called Glen Eyrie, where you can explore, enjoy a classy high tea lunch and even stay the night.
“It’s not necessarily the most obvious, but Colorado was a really fun spring break destination,” Micki says.
2. Picnics by your local lake
Maybe you dream for the crystal blue water of sparkling lakes and rivers in the Midwest, but don’t necessarily have the budget for a lodge retreat. Well, why go somewhere else when you probably have a radiant lake to dip into right near you?
Visiting your local lakes or river destinations makes for a truly revitalizing vacation experience. Not to mention, you’ll have a wonderful bonding experience with friends when you can swim in the lake together, exercise teamwork through kayaking, or just chill by the shore and vent your semester woes.
“My friends and I are road-tripping to a nearby lake this year. We’ll bring snacks and drinks and lounge by the lake all week and it’ll be really rejuvenating. It’s low-key, inexpensive and really recharges you for going back after the break,” says Marisa Pieper, a sophomore at Arizona State. Load up your car full of food and supplies and head for the lake to have a calming yet memorable spring vacation with your girls!
3. Explore a small town
Small towns are vacation treasures waiting to be discovered. They have their own intimate culture that only residents would know, which makes exploring them more adventurous. You get to know the town yourself, instead of being shoved toward typical tourist attractions. Locally owned businesses, boutiques, and cafes are lovely places to visit for unique products and atmospheres that only a small town can offer!
Kent, Connecticut is one small town that you can explore for its colorful art scene, pretty waterfall-filled state park, and the town’s similarity to Stars Hollow, for all you Gilmore Girls fangirls. Or, check out Rockland, Maine for a bright small town next to the sea, known for its awesome food scene from fresh seafood to warm delicious pies.
Looking for the best places to visit in a town is also entertaining as you usually have to ask the locals for their recommendations, so you get to know the townspeople as well. Town fairs and festivals are also fun attractions to attend. Try visiting a small town this year for a new yet homey spring vacation experience.
4. Montreal, Canada
If you thought Colorado was still on the warmer side of spring break vacation spots, then we recommend a trip to Canada! Montreal, Canada is perfect for a long road-trip destination with friends or family. When you arrive, you’ll have a whole new country to explore!
Montreal is notorious for its beautiful European architecture that makes you feel like you’re across the pond instead of across the border. If historic French architecture isn’t enough to astound you, Montreal is also a shopper’s fever dream, with a five-floor mall and museum known as the Eaton Centre. To top it all off, the nightlife is always vibing no matter what day of the week it is.
Bar hop (yes, it’s allowed!) across the many nightclubs and enjoy the many music festivals they host in the city. There’s even a three-level building that’s a bistro, nightclub and bar that tourists can’t get enough of. Montreal seems like the perfect spring break spot for any city-dweller who wants to travel on a budget!
With spring break comes the chance to make lasting memories for your new year, so skip the run-of-the-mill places you’ve been to before and try these new spots to enjoy your week-long breather. These places are definitely underrated but they will make you see your spring vacation experience in a whole new way.