Spring Break will be here before we know it, so now’s the time to be thinking about where you want to go. There’s the obvious destinations like Disney World or Disneyland or a beach in Florida or Mexico, but trips like those can get pricey.

So how about some spring break ideas that are a bit more wallet-friendly?

14 Inexpensive Spring Break Ideas

1. If you live in the area, go to the Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival, held March 20 to April 13, 2019. Expect crowds, but also expect to see a sea of cherry blossoms from more than 3,000 cherry trees.

2. Stay home and go hiking on new-to-you trails in your area. A staycation can be much less stressful and expensive than a traditional vacation.

3.Take the kids on a nature walk in several local parks that have different terrain and animal habits. Do a look but don’t touch, pictures-only scavenger hunt, and see who can find the most flower buds, nests, and other signs of spring.

4. Visit a local national park or monument before the summer crowds arrive. Use your National Parks pass to keep costs down.

5. Visit that state park you’ve been meaning to explore. Bonus points if there’s a lake and it’s warm enough for you to swim in it 🙂

6.Take a day trip to that kind-of-local destination you keep wanting to visit, but have been putting off.

7. Stay at a Thousand Trails (use that link for $100 off your annual membership fee) or Passport America (mention my ID number [R- 0313853] when you register and I’ll receive a small commission) campground. Many have family friendly activities for everyone to enjoy.

8. Stay at a Harvest Hosts (use that link for 15% off your annual membership fee) location and explore a local winery, brewery, farm, or museum.

read more about Thousand Trails, Passport America, and Harvest Hosts in this post

9. Find an RV park on a nearby beach that’s not normally over-run during spring break season.

10. Camp near some caves and explore them. Some parts of the country have more caves than others, but do some research and you might be surprised to find some near you. Some examples include Florida Caverns State Park, Mammoth Cave NP in Kentucky, Luray Caverns in Virginia, Carlsbad Caverns NP in California, Glenwood Caverns in Colorado (ok, that last one is also an amusement park, but we’ve been there and had a good time).

11. Camp or stay near a rail trail and do some bike riding while the weather is still cool. Converted railroad bed trails can be found in many places across the country. Check out the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy site and its companion site TrailLink for more info and how to find a rail trail near you.

12. If you prefer cold weather activities, and have mountains nearby, some ski resorts are open through spring break, or you could do some winter camping.

13. Map out the locations and visit as many waterfalls as you can in your state.

14. If you live in an area with a lot of hot springs, spend your spring break finding as many of them as you can. Remember to leave no trace.