5 Perfect Winter Vacations

It's your choice: Bask in tropical warmth, schuss over 20 feet of new-fallen snow or catch a popular spot at a time when crowds are thinner and prices lower.

Consider one of these unique winter getaways when planning your next trip this season. — Don Klumpp/Getty Images

Squaw Valley, Calif.
More than half a century after it dazzled the world during the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw Valley remains the touchstone for American ski resorts. After its second-snowiest December ever, the western Lake Tahoe resort sits under more than 250 inches of snow. Nonskiers can savor the winter wonderland on a snowshoe trek through the forest, a ride on the Aerial Tram to High Camp for a whirl in the Olympic Ice Pavilion, or a glide through meadows of fresh powder in a sled pulled by Alaskan huskies. Après-snow, the pedestrian village's lively restaurants, shops and watering holes await.

St. Augustine, Fla.
Established by the Spanish in 1565 and anchored by the seaside 17th-century fort known as Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine is the country's oldest city. The cobblestoned historic district further attests to its longevity with garden courtyards, museums, stately residences and other landmark buildings, and intriguing side streets that today are home to cafes, shops and funky bars. The history continues well beyond colonial days, too. In the late 1880s, Standard Oil cofounder Henry Flagler built three palatial hotels here: One is now a college, another is a museum and the third was restored in 1999 as the Casa Monica Hotel.

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