Looking for Some Off-Season Fun? 8 U.S. Cities that Will Fill Your Cup
I love to travel, but traveling to a city during peak season can be overwhelming with the higher costs for accommodations and ticket prices, waiting in lines, crowds, and sometimes extreme weather conditions (either super hot or freezing cold). Off-season doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on the fun. Rather, you’re about to have the time of your life with fewer crowds and an overall more affordable trip.
Here are 8 U.S. cities that are better to visit off-season for all the fun.
1. Columbus, Ohio
Rated as one of the top 10 best big U.S. cities in the country, with restaurants, airlines, and hotel accommodations at their lowest costs, it only makes sense to visit Columbus, Ohio during the fall season.
Do you love a good pumpkin patch or enjoy apple picking? Columbus offers some of the loveliest pumpkin patches and apple orchards to partake in with those you love to share experiences with. Both kids and adults alike will want to stop by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium featuring over 10,000 animals.
Take a segway tour of the city and learn all about the big city or visit The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for views of exotic plants.
Do you love walking tours? Columbus offers visitors a variety of walking tours from brewery to food to German Village tours. It doesn’t end there – find your way to the Columbus Outdoor Trails, Columbus-Style Pizza Trail, or the Columbus Live Music Trail.
These all sound so fun! Which trail will you do first?
2. Nashville, Tennessee
Welcome to Music City! The winter months are considered the off-season period for visiting Nashville with temps around the mid-50s and rates lower than peak season. This makes it the perfect time to visit Music City.
The city offers so much for visitors from museums, a palate of restaurants to select for your next meal, and shopping.
Are you ready to learn about Nashville, explore historical attractions, and ensure you do not miss any popular sightings? Then grab your ticket and ride the Old Town Trolley.
If you’re visiting the Music City, you must stop by the Country Music Hall of Fame. Do you like barbecue? Then you’re in the right city to taste some of the best BBQs!
If visiting Nashville during the holiday months, you can experience the Holiday LIGHTS or Nashville’s Nutcracker. This can be a great family experience!
3. Louisville, Kentucky
Another great U.S. city to visit during the off-season is Louisville, Kentucky. It has magical holiday fun and activities galore.
Bundle up because the average temperatures range from low-40s to mid-50s. These temperatures give you the advantage of experiencing activities with fewer crowds and much lower hotel costs.
Louisville offers a kid-friendly experience of ice skating at the Fête De Noël Winter Holiday Festival, holiday shopping, and Santa visits with train rides.
Are you looking for a new experience, unlike anything you’ve ever done? You can go underground and experience the Louisville Mega Cavern including zip-lining fun, an aerial ropes obstacle course challenging your limits, and a tram ride. This sounds exhilarating!
You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy the Kentucky Science Museum. There is something for everyone at this museum. If you’re interested in science like me, you will be fascinated by what you can learn here.
Do you enjoy sipping bourbon? Grab your tickets for the Urban Bourbon Trail experience where it’s not just about the bourbon, but the infusion of bourbon on the culinary side of the table!
4. Houston, Texas
Houston is one of the best U.S. cities to visit during winter for fun, less crowds, holiday experiences, and activities!
Do you love shopping? The Nutcracker Market, held in November, is where you will want to be! This is the largest shopping market I’ve ever witnessed, from home decor to toys to accessories. You’re bound to find something you love here!
Let’s take it outside for a holiday classic by the fire and watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with Houston’s skyline as the backdrop.
Join in at Discovery Green’s ice rink where others will be testing their ice skating skills as live music plays in the distance.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience being in Space? Now you can in The Infinite Experience in Houston. Bring your friends or family for a virtual reality experience from space without ever leaving Earth!
5. Las Vegas, Nevada
If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas during the tourist season, you know there is an abundance of activities and sightseeing along with endless lines of people in every direction.
I visited Las Vegas in April, and it reminded me so much of “The city that never sleeps,” New York City. It was too much for my outdoorsy soul. But visiting the Las Vegas strip is not where the fun ends.
There are so many other activities you can partake in during the winter season and with fewer crowds. You can visit ghost towns, soak in a hot spring, rock climb at Red Rock, visit Death Valley, or if you’re brave – go skydiving! I have yet to find anything that can top that free-falling feeling of skydiving.
Visit Las Vegas in the winter and check off some bucket list items while the crowds are away!
6. Mesa, Arizona
Mesa temperatures reach above 97 degrees in the summer, and spring and fall are the most popular tourist months. Visit Mesa during the winter season where temperatures average in the mid-60s.
Make your way to Main Street and give yourself the gift of a wine-and-dine experience at one of the many restaurants you will find here. You can visit the Superstition Mountain Museum and gather historical facts about the Old West, or take a scenic nature cruise along Canyon Lake with The Dolly Steamboat. Test your luck on spotting one or more bald eagles among other wildlife.
Stop into Tortilla Flat for a beverage and some food. Visit the museum while you’re there. You’ll learn about the history behind the Native Americans and the Apache Trail from over 120 years back.
How does a hot air balloon ride sound? Find your way to Rainbow Ryders, a local company that offers hot air balloon rides for adventurous and daring souls. This sounds so fun! Count me in!
7. Long Beach, California
I’m sure you’re thinking about what Long Beach, California could offer you in the winter. Hang tight because you’ll see why you need to add Long Beach to your list of off-season fun.
The best time to visit Long Beach is during the winter season. Sounds crazy, right? Not at all! Long Beach’s average temperatures in the winter months range from the mid-50s to the high-60s. Perfect weather for the winter season if you ask me!
Have you ever been on cruises in Italy exploring the canals? Imagine that same experience here in Long Beach! You can grab yourself a gondola cruise through the canals of Naples Island with The Gondola Getaway.
The perfect day experience with some friends or a couple of close loved ones. I’m adding this to my bucket list now!
Head to Downtown Long Beach for an abundance of activities. Visit the Aquarium on the Pacific where you can experience real-life animal encounters with seals and sea lions, penguins, or sharks and sting rays. Take your pick or experience all of them!
Are you a foodie like me? Head to Pine Avenue where the streets are lined with live entertainment, music, and restaurants to feed a variety of palates and budgets.
8. Denver, Colorado
Do you love snow and colder weather? Then Denver, Colorado is where you want to be. The city’s off-season is in the winter because there are not a lot of people who prefer the cold over the warmer months in Denver.
This is the perfect time to get lower rates, enjoy activities without crowds, and capture panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains without a fuss.
Some activities in Denver during the off-season include holiday-specific fun such as shopping, illuminated holiday light shows, light parades, and ice skating. If you love fresh powder on the slopes, head to The Rocky Mountain National Park for some cross-country skiing or snowshoeing adventures.
If skiing or snowshoeing is not your cup of tea, visit Colorado Adventure Park and have some snow-tubing fun!
Which U.S. City Will You Visit for Some Off-Season Fun?
Is there a U.S. city not on this list that you recommend visiting during the off-season? Feel free to share in the comments and what activity you recommend! We’d love to add to our list of off-season fun.
