13 AWESOME FALL BREAK DESTINATIONS FOR FAMILIES
Back in the Stone Ages before we had children, many of our favorite trips were in fall. We’d enjoy perfect weather, low crowds and more affordable prices for our shoulder season travels. Once we had kids and they were approaching school age, I was really afraid that the party would be over… but fear not! Over the last few years “fall break” has become a thing even in elementary schools and I am 100% here for it.
Most school districts and private schools that offer a mid-semester vacay close for two or even three days, giving a much-needed 4 day weekend for families to take a collective breath after the back to school sprint. It may not sound like much time, but for our family we always try to make it feel like a true getaway!
With that in mind, I’ve founded up my best fall breaks for families in this article. I’ve chosen destinations that are easy to explore in just a few days, have easy flight access and are packed with activities that kids and their parents will love. They’re divided by region so that you can pick a destination that doesn’t require too much travel or too many time zone changes.
I’ve personally visited all of these destinations with my kids (except one that I visited as a kid) and many of them on autumn vacations. I promise you’ll love them!
East coast Fall beak ideas
NYC
There’s no urban setting anywhere that can hold a candle to New York’s Central Park in fall. As the flaming red leaves fall through crisp air along Literary Walk, it really feels like pure magic.
It’s also much more pleasant than the mugginess and sewer smell of summer in the city!
But in all seriousness, the list of things to do in NYC with kids is endless and three or four days is the perfect amount of time to explore without being too overwhelmed. When the weather is perfect, enjoy Central Park and its zoo, walk the Highline and take a Circle Line tour or visit the Statue of Liberty. Be sure to schedule a family photo shoot to remember your special trip! We had a great NYC session through Flytographer and you can save $25 on your session.
A rainy day is no problem either, as it’s easy to get around by train and hop to fun indoor spots like the American Museum of Natural History, Museum of Math (it’s incredibly cool!), Rise NYC, SPYSCAPE or even Alice’s Tea Cup.
Where to stay: NYC hotel rates are notoriously expensive! Don’t expect huge rooms. This is a situation where you should definitely try to use credit card points if you can. We had a great stay as a family at Thompson NYC using points transferred to Hyatt from our Chase Sapphire credit card. Large families love TRYP by Wyndham Times Square because it offers rooms for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people! You may be able to book this hotel by transferring points from the Capital One Venture X to Wyndham.
Finger Lakes, New York
For some peace and quiet, spend your Fall break in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Fall foliage is everywhere, the waterfalls should be flowing nicely, and you can alternate farm visits with winery visits to please everyone. Be sure to spend a half day at Watkins Glen State Park hiking from waterfall to waterfall.
If you do catch a rainy day, there are plenty of things to do in the Finger Lakes with kids that don’t require being outside like the amazing Corning Museum of Glass! Be sure to book one of their studio projects in addition to touring the main museum.
Where to stay: For those flying in to either Rochester or Syracuse, I recommend basing yourself in either Geneva or Canandaigua. They’re both on the north sides of their respective lakes, so you won’t have too long to drive from the airport. If you’re driving in or don’t mind a bit of distance on your first day, consider staying in Watkins Glen – it’s an adorable town and you won’t have to battle for parking at the park, plus it’s much closer to Corning.
Washington, DC
Having grown up in the DC area, I can tell you that Fall break is a wonderful time to visit! While there are always some crowds, it pales in comparison to cherry blossom season in the Spring and has much better weather than the muggy summers or icy winters.
Spend your days museum hopping without guilt: nearly all of DC’s major museums, historic sites and government buildings are free to enter! You may need advance tickets to enter some, but if your kids tell you it doesn’t pass the vibe check after 20 minutes you can just move on. Be sure to read up on the 5 best things to do in DC with kids!
The great thing about visiting DC with kids is that you truly don’t need a car unless you want to take some day trips. You can now take Metro from either Dulles or Reagan National straight into the city and walk, train or bus wherever you want to go. If you plan to use Metro trains during rush hour, price out the flat rate passes – transit prices depend on the time of day.
If you opt to rent a car (even for just a day) hop out to Shenandoah National Park to drive the famous Skyline Drive. It’s one of the most incredible places to see Fall foliage on the east coast! There are plenty of things to do in Shenandoah National Park with kids for a day or even more. If you have a 4th grader, be sure to bring their free National Parks pass to get the whole family in. Try to plan this day trip from DC for a weekday, as fall weekends on Skyline Drive can be jam-packed with locals.
Where to stay: There’s no shortage of great family-friendly hotels in Washington DC, but it’s hard to beat the convenience of Holiday Inn Washington Capital – National Mall. When you step out from the Starbucks in the hotel lobby, you’ll be staring at the door of the Air & Space Museum one short block away. You can also start your day with their free breakfast and end it with a dip in the seasonal rooftop pool – complete with a view of the US Capitol building. While the standard rooms are on the smaller side, the king + sofabed rooms are generously sized.
On a tighter budget, consider staying at a Metro-convenient hotel in Northern Virginia. Hampton Inn Alexandria-Old Town/King St. Metro is right on the yellow line in family-friendly Old Town Alexandria, which is walkable and has its own charms. Old Town is also a convenient location if you’re planning to tour George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
For history lovers, you can step back in time and learn the history of Colonial Williamsburg, where costumed interpreters bring the past to life. You can also visit period homes, participate in colonial-era activities like games, crafts and carriage rides and witness fascinating reenactments that transport you to the 18th century. I still remember my own childhood visits fondly.
It’s perfect for school age kids as they start to learn about the founding of the United States – if you or your kids have ever read the American Girls Felicity series, which is where it takes place. In recent years, CW has really expanded the range per perspectives that are shared and there are many opportunities to learn about the experiences of American Indians, the enslaved Black community as well as European colonists.
If you want to dive deeper, don’t skip the historic sites at Jamestown and Yorktown – together with Colonial Williamsburg they’re referred to as America’s Historic Triangle. Jamestown was the site of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas and is also set up as a living history museum, while Yorktown is the famous battlefield where the American colonists and their French allies defeated the mighty British army to end the American Revolution. There are plenty of school fields trips to the area but they’re generally in the Spring so you shouldn’t find big crowds here.
Want to save money on your Colonial Williamsburg trip? Bundle your tickets and rental car to potentially save hundreds of dollars!
Where to stay: The Williamsburg Inn is the most iconic and luxurious place to stay in Williamsburg. It’s walking distance (or on the shuttle route) to all of Colonial Williamsburg, plus on-site you can enjoy upscale food, both indoor and outdoor pools, an amazing spa and even golf. Truly the only thing not to love here is the price tag, which can be steep.
On a moderate budget, stay at the Williamsburg Lodge. It’s actually slightly closer to Colonial Williamsburg and amenities like the pools and golf course are shared between them. The Lodge is still a pretty high-end stay, but a better fit for more families. Once you put in your dates and number of guests, be sure to look at the “Deals and Packages” tab at the top of the rate screen – they often have great deals that include Colonial Williamsburg tickets and breakfast. Get the best deals here.
A little further down Francis Street, families who value spacious rooms will be happy at the Griffin Hotel. It’s still walking distance to CW and has shuttle access while being a little quieter and simpler.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando’s theme parks are some version of crowded basically all the time, but fall break can be one of the better options. October has plenty of days that are only moderately crowded according to this reliable crowd calendar, and that was our experience when we took our own fall break trip to Orlando with tweens. There was no more magical way to celebrate our son’s 11th birthday than taking him to matriculate at Hogwarts and select his want at Ollivander’s!
In addition to more modest crowds, there are some great special events on deck at the popular theme parks: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival and Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. Note that the two Halloween events are special capacity-controlled ticketed evening parties that have limited hours but can be an awesome way to avoid the heat and long daytime lines.
Of course be sure to read up on tips for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios before you go to maximize your experience!
For a really unique experience, head to Kennedy Space Center for one of your days to learn all about the space program, launches and more. Check the calendar to see if you can be there for a launch!
Where to stay: I can’t say enough good things about Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, just outside of Disney’s property. We stayed for free thanks to points from this credit card and there was plenty to do on-site when we needed a break from park hopping! Our kids loved the water slide, climbing wall, lobby parrot and more.
If you’re willing to pay out of pocket, staying on-site at theme park hotels can give you great perks. Disney’s Beach Club Resort is walking distance to EPCOT’s less crowded International Gateway entrance and can sleep up to 5 per room, plus it has arguably the best hotel pool among Disney’s offerings. You’ll also get early entry and extended evening hours, which can be great opportunities to squeeze more value out of your theme park tickets!
Families focused on Universal Studios should check out the Hard Rock Hotel – you’ll get early access to the parks every day, and your room rate includes Universal Express Unlimited for everyone. That benefit alone often costs more for a family than the hotel room but it makes your experience much more efficient and fun! You can avoid renting a car because the Universal parks and CityWalk are just a quick stroll away.
Central US Fall break with kids destinations
Chicago
Since moving to the midwest we’ve spent more long weekends in Chicago than I can count! There’s always something new to explore for families: countless amazing interactive museums, Navy Pier, a huge aquarium, two zoos (one of which is free), an incredible playground in the heart of the city, sports teams galore and of course the entire lakefront. With older kids you can also visit the incredible Art Institute of Chicago or take an architecture boat tour through downtown.
One of the best things about visiting Chicago with kids is that it’s easy to avoid renting a car – saving you both money and hassle. Just fly into Midway (and use your Southwest Companion Pass to bring your kid for free!) and hop on the orange line train toward The Loop. From there you can walk or take public transportation almost anywhere you’d want to go on a fall break getaway.
Where to stay: If you want to splash out a little, grab a room at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile. While the regular rooms are pricey, there’s just a small bump to get a suite – always a huge hit for kids and adults alike.
To stay for free, choose the Hyatt Regency Chicago. It’s just on the other side of the river and even more convenient to lots of attractions. It’s a relatively low-points redemption when you transfer from this credit card, or if you’re a Hyatt loyalist you can use your Category 1-4 free night certificates here for great value.
Cleveland
While Cleveland may not be on the top of your radar for fall break with kids, it has a surprising number of great offerings. Within the walkable downtown core, you can bring younger kids to the Great Lakes Science Center (free reciprocity with other ASTC museums) or take your tweens and teens to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame next door.
It’s also a fun area to walk around, whether you’re admiring the intricate architectural design or filling their socials with photos in front of the iconic script “Cleveland” signs. You can even walk over to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to take sports-lovers to a pre-season Cleveland Cavaliers game!
For some variety, get outside and take a quick day trip from Cleveland to Cuyahoga Valley National Park – it’s barely 30 minutes away! Admission is free since the park is co-managed by the local park system. Fall is the best time of year to go since you can take in the foliage and thundering waterfalls (as long as it isn’t a drought). Alternatively you can head just east of the city to the Holden Arboretum, which boasts a cool canopy walk and nature play area in addition to rotating special features.
Where to stay: One of Cleveland’s most memorable hotels is the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade – the entrance is in Cleveland’s first building to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places! This 1890 landmark was America’s first indoor shopping center and reflects the city’s wealth and power at the time. It’s also conveniently located for dining, attractions and strolling.
A midwestern family favorite is Drury, which has a beautiful outpost at the Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown. It’s located in the city’s former Board of Education building and comes complete with marble columns and original murals. But since it’s a Drury, you’ll also get free hot breakfast, free heavy appetizers (often enough to make a meal for kids) and drinks at 5:30 every day, an indoor pool and generously sized rooms and suites.
Louisville, Kentucky
Another of our family’s favorite fall break destinations is Louisville, Kentucky. While it may not strike you as the typical family-friendly spot, we found it just the right size to spend a long weekend exploring from our home base in Ohio.
There’s a great mix of entertaining and educational options. In the same day you can watch thoroughbreds workout at Churchill Downs and learn about the inspiring life of Mohammad Ali, or you can see iconic baseball bats made at Louisville Slugger before you enjoy a ride on a century-old steamboat.
If you have a little longer in the Bluegrass State, head to nearby Lexington to visit the Kentucky Horse Park, pop up to the wonderful Newport Aquarium or even take a day trip to Mammoth Cave National Park!
Where to stay: We had a fantastic stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton in Downtown Louisville! It’s walking distance to lots of great activities and eateries and the generously sized rooms are perfect for families. The lobby has video games and a pool table to keep the kids busy while you take a breather, and everyone gets a full hot breakfast buffet at no additional charge.
St. Louis
St. Louis has been a bit of a “sleeper hit” with my kids – many families don’t think to plan a trip, but it’s one that they’ll remember for sure.
The most notable thing to do in St. Louis with kids is, of course, go up inside the Arch. You’ll want to be sure you get tickets for your preferred time in advance. But plan to spend a few hours there thanks to the redone visitors center – it’s very engaging and overall we spent over three hours at Gateway Arch National Park even though it’s the smallest National Park in the US.
Another favorite is the City Museum, which is more of an industrial-chic immersive full-body experience than a traditional children’s museum. There’s climbing, there’s crawling, there’s sliding, swinging, old school arcade games and much more. I recommend it for kids who are at least school age, as it’s really easy for them to disappear through tiny crevasses that an adult can’t get through. Even with older kids I recommend bringing these since cell phone reception can be spotty in some hard-to-reach areas – there were a few times my 11 year old and I kept missing each other despite trying to call.
One of the best free things to do in St. Louis with kids is head to the zoo in Forest Park. It’s totally free and on weekdays there’s abundant free parking on the roads near the entrance! You can spend a few fun hours checking everything from penguins and sea lions to elephants and zebras.
There are a few local eats worth putting on your radar. Grab some traditional St. Louis barbeque at Pappy’s Smokehouse for lunch. You can also make a visit to Fitz’s for massive ice cream floats using one of their unique house-made flavors (and if you visit on a weekday you can also see the factory at work). For dessert, don’t miss Ted Drewes and their famous concretes.
Where to stay: My kids loved having an Arch view room at Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch! I loved the convenience of walking across the street to visit the city’s most prominent attraction. St. Louis is pretty spread out, so no matter where you stay I recommend that you rent a car to get around.
Where to go for Fall break with kids in the Western US
Arizona
Want to savor the last bit of summer even when it’s already fall? You can’t beat a trip to Arizona with kids! It was our home away from home when we lived in LA, and fall was one of our favorite times to visit. You can still enjoy pool time in Phoenix (along with all of its great kid-friendly things to do) or hop up to northern Arizona for cooler temperatures and plenty of outdoor activities.
Fall is also the ideal time to visit Arizona’s three National Parks – though you’ll probably want to pick just one if it’s a long weekend. The weather is great and the crowds are smaller at Grand Canyon, Saguaro and Petrified Forest!
Honestly your biggest challenge will be choosing what to do!
Where to stay: Where you choose to stay will depend on what area of the state you’ll be exploring. The simplest option due to flight schedules is to base yourselves in greater Phoenix, even if you intend to take a day trip to Sedona or elsewhere. Check out my roundup of great Scottsdale resorts for families if you want a fun, central location.
If you want the cooler weather of the Flagstaff area and a chance to visit the Grand Canyon, we had a great stay at Little America Flagstaff. It’s a large property with plenty of room to roam, scoot and play – plus the rooms were renovated just a few years ago so it’s nicely updated.
For an unforgettable experience, plan a visit to White Stallion Ranch. You can combine the traditional dude ranch experience with visiting all of the kid-friendly things to do in Tucson!
San Diego
There’s absolutely no better time to visit San Diego with kids than during October. Why? It’s time for the annual “Kids Free San Diego” promotion! Every year for the entire month of October, more than 50 local institutions give kids free admission when they bring their adult with them. The promotion includes iconic places like the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, USS Midway, New Children’s Museum, Comic-Con Museum and many more.
After spending your days exploring the city’s fun and cultural attractions, there are plenty of nice areas to walk around in the evenings and get dinner – the historic Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, the waterfront and more.
How to get there: San Diego has a well-run airport that’s right in the middle of the city! It’s a quick 15 minute drive to Mission Bay, Gaslamp and more. I do recommend renting a car to get around efficiently – there’s a trolley system but it doesn’t go everywhere you’d want to go quickly.
Where to stay: Check out our detailed article on where to stay in San Diego with kids for lots of great choices.
Where are we going to stay on our next family trip to San Diego? Definitely at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay! It has an amazing location right near south Mission Beach (though you’ll have to drive there) and plenty of rooms and suites to accommodate families of all sizes. It also has three heated swimming pools and water slides, kayaks, bikes, beach chairs and more to make your trip amazing.
Pssst… did you know that you can stay at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay for free when you transfer points from this credit card to Hyatt? That’s our family’s secret to traveling so much! It’s a Category 4 hotel so rooms start at just 12,000 points per night – a screaming value.
International Fall break ideas
Iceland
While we just wrapped up our family’s summer trip to Iceland, our writer Lana took her kids last year for fall break and said it was the perfect short trip from their East Coast hub! The flight is just 6 hours from plenty of major cities and can be cheaper than domestic travel, especially in the “off season”.
Why visit Iceland in October? One of our guides clued me in to the secret: it’s the earliest time of the season when Northern Lights are visible, but storms are far less frequent than in late winter and early spring. In addition, temperatures and conditions are mild enough that you can still get out and explore.
No matter how you do it, 4 days in Iceland will just give you a taste of the country rather than a full meal. Thankfully there are several great options for how you can make the most of your fall break trip to Iceland:
- If you don’t want to plan a ton (which I attest can be hard) and drive yourself around, you can follow our writer Lana’s lead and book an all-inclusive Iceland tour for 3 days and then spend the final day in Reykjavik on your own (that part is easy). They booked it with another family from their area so it was a great private tour!
- We loved our brief stay at down-to-earth Migard Base Camp on the south coast. It would be a great location to root yourself for exploring, as sister company Migard Adventures runs tours right from the lodge. You can easily visit the Golden Circle, Vik and more. Be sure to snag one of the family rooms!
- When I take my son back for a fall trip to Iceland, we’ll spend the first two nights in the Snaefellsness Peninsula at Adventure Hotel Hellissandur. It has a good location for exploring the area, rooms for 2, 3 or 4 and includes an excellent breakfast. There are also several restaurants within walking distance to make for easy meals. We’ll likely wrap up our time back at the Sem Apartments, which we really enjoyed on our first family trip to Iceland – perfect location, comfortable apartment and even laundry and parking on-site!
Panama
If you’re eager for a warm weather fall break getaway without the risk of hurricanes, Panama is the answer! This small Central American nation lies south of the “hurricane belt” and has a great mix of history, culture, nature and of course the engineering wonder of the Panama Canal. Panama was our family’s first international stop on our gap year in October 2017 and we found tons of great things to do in Panama with kids!
For those with a short break, you can stick to Panama City and do a day trip to the Monkey Islands and Panama Canal or to the Pearl or San Blas Islands for stunning beaches in a remote setting. If you have a few extra days, consider exploring the cloud forest in Boquete.
Where to stay: La Isabela is a beautiful historic aparthotel in Casco Viejo giving you access to Panama City’s most beloved walking area. They offer two bedroom apartments that can sleep up to 5 people!
Planning your trip
Want to make the most of your vacation time without busting your budget? Read these helpful articles to maximize your travel and minimize your expenses!
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