9 Affordable Spring Vacations

Visit these budget-friendly U.S. destinations before summer crowds hit

wildflowers grow in a meadow with mount rainier in the background

Views of Mount Rainier are one of the budget-friendly perks when visiting Seattle.

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Kitty Bean Yancey,

Updated April 30, 2026

AARP

En español

Updated April 30, 2026

Key takeaways

Spring deals span many trip styles, from city walks and museums to beaches, parks and cruises.
Several destinations highlight savings, including $200 and under rooms, low-cost food and beverage tastings and discounted attractions.
Timing matters. Spring brings blooms, festivals and off-season rates, before summer crowds arrive.

Adults deserve spring breaks, too. Luckily, they no longer need to force them into a specific week — the whole season is fair game. And they’re itching to take them: 26 percent of travelers 50-plus planned a spring trip, according to AARP’s 2026 Travel Trends survey. The survey also showed that 89 percent are looking for bargains when they travel. Whether it’s relaxing on a beach, cycling a city trail or enjoying some quality downtime, consider options that cater to a variety of interests without maxing out your credit cards.

people at a rooftop restaurant overlooking a city

Travelers can take a tram from downtown Cottonwood to the Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery and Trattoria, with city views and a 4.5-acre vineyard.

Tourism and Economic Development Department Cottonwood, Arizona

Cheers to Arizona’s wine country

Just 20 minutes southwest of popular Sedona, Arizona, laid-back Cottonwood is known as a less expensive, less crowded Verde Valley alternative. It’s also garnering attention for its wine. Historic Old Town Cottonwood is the heart of the Verde Valley Wine Trail, with eight tasting rooms — about a third of the trail’s stops. Take a tram from downtown to Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery and Trattoria for $2 (free for those with physical disabilities, anyone 65 or older and for those who purchase their house-made gelato). There’s more than just wine in Old Town, though. Check out shops, galleries, antique stores and events, including Old Town Music and the Market on Friday evenings starting May 8 through June. The Iron Horse Inn on Main Street is a former motel that makes a great base for exploring downtown and beyond, with rates starting at $109 nightly.

wildflowers in a meadow in front of the flatiron mountains in boulder colorado

Boulder offers beautiful views of the mountains.

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Rocky Mountain highs in Colorado

Boulder, a bustling college town in the shadow of the Rockies about 30 miles northwest of Denver, provides plenty of peak experiences. Get in your steps on 40 miles of hiking trails in the city’s vast Chautauqua Park. Founded in 1898, the Colorado Chautauqua grounds offer continuous learning via affordable lectures and concerts. Downtown’s centerpiece is the brick pedestrian portion of Pearl Street, lined with locally owned bars, eateries and coffee shops. Saturdays starting in April, a farmers market lures crowds with produce, fragrant flowers, free food samples, entertainers and crafts. At the eatery called Sink, University of Colorado students and alums bite into a $15.75 Sinkburger, a classic burger with house-made hickory barbecue sauce. Its most famous employee was a young Robert Redford, who worked as a janitor here while studying at the university. It can be challenging to find inexpensive lodging near Pearl Street, but you can score a comfortable room at the Boulder Guest House, which doubles as a Zen Buddhist practice center for under $200.

Margaritaville at Sea is an affordable cruise option.

Courtesy Margaritaville at Sea

Travelers can take a tram from downtown Cottonwood to the Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery and Trattoria, with city views and a 4.5-acre vineyard.

Tourism and Economic Development Department Cottonwood, Arizona

beach umbrellas and people sunbathing on delray beach in florida

Delray Beach offers miles of sandy shoreline perfect for relaxing in the sun.

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Sun and shop in Florida

Delray Beach, Florida, Fort Lauderdale’s lesser-known neighbor to the north, is blessed with long stretches of sand and locally owned boutiques, bars and restaurants on lively Atlantic Avenue. If you’re looking for something a little less hustle and bustle, you can also visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (adults, $18; 65 and older, $16) which provides a peaceful respite for lovers of culture and cultivation. It earned a 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award. Galleries in the Pineapple Grove Arts District are another worthy diversion. Stay amid the bright colors of old Florida style at the yellow stucco Colony Hotel & Cabaña Club, where rooms (some accessible) start at $180 during the spring off-season in May and June.

wildflowers grow around an old fence in texas hill country

Texas Hill Country is a great place to see wildflowers in the spring.

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Texas in bloom

Spring is a beautiful, bloom-filled time to visit Texas Hill Country, a little more than an hour’s drive northwest of San Antonio. Fredericksburg was among the towns less affected by 2025’s severe floods, and the visitors drawn here by roadside fields strewn with bluebonnets are helping to fuel a tourism rebound. Wine is a top draw, too: The area is home to more than 75 vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms. Locally owned Fischer & Wieser pours samples made from Texas grapes (choose your own four wines to taste for $20) and sells award-winning peach salsa and cooking condiments (the $7.99 roasted raspberry chipotle sauce is a bestseller). Lodging includes the intimate, pet-friendly Hotel Kitsmiller on Main, where rooms can start at $59. History buffs can tour the National Museum of the Pacific War (adults, $26; 65 and up, $20; World War II veterans and spouses, free). It focuses on maneuvers in the Pacific theater in World War II. Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Allied Pacific forces, hailed from Fredericksburg.

Margaritaville at Sea is an affordable cruise option.

Courtesy Margaritaville at Sea

Escape to Margaritaville

Crave a change in latitude with booze in the blender? Jimmy Buffett fans and thrifty cruisers now can board the Margaritaville at Sea line for cheap sailings from Palm Beach, Florida, to the Bahamas and back. Four-night outings on the newly renovated 1,316-passenger Paradise start at about $166 per person, not including fees, taxes, tips and alcohol. Active service members, veterans, doctors, nurses, first responders, teachers and a guest get discounts and even sail free on select cruise dates. Highlights include island-inspired musical shows, the indoor-outdoor 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill and cabins with whimsical tropical decor. In Freeport, Bahamas, guests can laze on the beach or splash out on a swim-with-pigs excursion for $120.

ground zero blues club in clarksdale mississippi

Actor Morgan Freeman was one of the founders of the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale.

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Music lovers’ mecca in Mississippi

Drive the U.S. 61 “Blues Highway” south of Memphis, Tennessee, past acres of cotton fields to hear live music and trace the roots of this quintessentially American music genre. Dine and dance at the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, cofounded by actor Morgan Freeman; the fried-green tomato BLT is $12. Visit the nearby Delta Blues Museum ($15; 65 and older, $13) and stay at one of the most offbeat lodgings in the nation. The funky Shack Up Inn (“The Ritz We Ain’t,” its website proclaims) includes restored tin-roofed sharecropper cabins updated with indoor bathrooms and kitchenettes. Cabins, some named for blues greats, can be $100 a night and have hosted everyone from international road trippers to Nashville songwriters looking for an inspirational place to pen a hit. Famous musicians such as Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Robert Plant have stayed there.

forested mountains in the distance in olympic national park washington

Olympic National Park is one of the budget-friendly options around Seattle.

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Peace out in the Pacific Northwest

Start about 12 miles north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where you can opt for a retro experience at Peace Vans. Laid-back staffers will put you in a restored VW pop-up camper that can sleep four and is easier to drive than an RV. If you prefer a more modern camper, a Mercedes with AC costs the same. For $305 a night, you can visit Mount Rainier National Park in the off-season, when waterfalls are gushing and crowds have slowed to a trickle. Roll onto a ferry to visit the San Juan Islands or drive to Olympic National Park, a bucket list destination covering nearly 1 million acres, including rainforests, 73 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline and glaciers (entrance, $30 a vehicle). You’ll have a mini kitchen, heater and 24-hour roadside assistance from a third-party insurance system. Peace Vans also has discounted campsites, including one just south of Olympic National Park, on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, that runs $45 a night.

the rose crystal tower in greenville south carolina

The “Rose Crystal Tower” by Dale Chihuly is 22 feet tall.

Courtesy VisitGreenvilleSC

Retiree retreat in South Carolina

Greenville, a congenial river city of about 76,000, has become a go-to for empty nesters and older travelers. It’s easy to navigate foodie-friendly Main Street on free, wheelchair-accessible trolleys that run Friday through Sunday. Meals on or near Main that run under $15 include Menkoi Ramen House, with noodles and other Japanese specialties, and Windy City Burgers, with loaded-down half-pound burgers and vegetarian options, too. May 8 through 10 brings the 22nd annual Artisphere on Main Street, where more than 140 artists display and sell their works. The free Greenville County Museum of Art houses the largest public exhibit of Andrew Wyeth watercolors. Scope out public art installations, including Dale Chihuly’s translucent Rose Crystal Tower, in downtown Falls Park. Active visitors explore some of the 28-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail, which traces the Reedy River through an old railroad corridor, on foot or rented bicycle. There are plenty of places to eat, drink or take in a great view along the route. The Swamp Rabbit Inn is a modern bed and breakfast two blocks from the trail, offering comfortable rooms with en suite bathrooms starting at $109 a night.

couple walking on the beach at sunset in encinitas california

Swami’s Beach is a gorgeous spot to watch the sunset in Encinitas.

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Savoring the surf in Southern California

Swami’s Beach in Encinitas gets a shout-out in the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA,” so you know that the waves in this classic California seaside community north of San Diego are epic. Watch daredevils hang 10 or wipe out. Stroll, bike and enjoy the walkable downtown. Take in a quirky sight: a large mosaic depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe riding a board, known as Surfing Madonna. Days on the sand don’t get much sunnier than at Moonlight State Beach, with umbrella and beach chair rentals and a snack bar for comfort. Stay at the nearby Brisa Pacific Hotel, where May rates are as low as $108 a night, before rising higher in June. Shoot the breeze with locals at the unpretentious Fish Shop restaurant. They’ll likely steer you to the $7 mahi mahi tacos.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 7, 2016. It has been updated to reflect new information.

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The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Contributing: Berit Thorkelson, AARP

Kitty Bean Yancey, a former USA Today deputy managing editor, is the winner of multiple Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers.

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9 Affordable Spring Vacations

Visit these budget-friendly U.S. destinations before summer crowds hit

Key takeaways

Cheers to Arizona’s ﻿wine ﻿country

Rocky Mountain highs in Colorado

Sun and shop in Florida​

Texas in bloom​

Escape to Margaritaville﻿

​Music lovers’ mecca in Mississippi​

Peace out in the Pacific Northwest﻿

﻿Retiree retreat in South Carolina﻿

Savoring the surf in Southern California

Cheers to Arizona’s wine country

Sun and shop in Florida

Texas in bloom

Escape to Margaritaville

Music lovers’ mecca in Mississippi

Peace out in the Pacific Northwest

Retiree retreat in South Carolina