5 Family-Friendly Cities for Spring Break Trips

My husband and I are avid urban travelers, and that didn’t change when we had children. We still enjoy encountering a city’s delights, though now we rely more advance planning, patience and ice cream breaks.

My family has learned to select cities with direct flight access, walkable downtowns and neighborhoods full of parks and playgrounds. We prioritize accommodations with a heated pool, and research in advance kid-friendly festivals and events.

When Katie Farrell, a London-based digital director, researches urban travel with her husband and two daughters, ages 3 and 7, she searches for “fun-for-all” activities.

“The main criteria for me is that kids and adults can enjoy the same things,” she said. “Neither feels like they are missing out and everyone enjoys what you are doing.” Recent adventures for her family included dipping pastries in horchata in Valencia, Spain, and swimming around archaeological ruins in Puglia, Italy.

Technology can be an asset: Google Maps filters for restaurants that are “Good for kids” and those that feature a “Kids’ menu,” and also shows when child-focused museums and other destinations will be open and less crowded. Our family clusters activities to reduce time spent in transit, and we create custom walking routes using Apple Maps and other apps.

Through our travels, we learned that these cities are among the best for travelers young and old, particularly for spring break:

Washington, D.C.

At the National Mall, early-rising babies and toddlers will have the most room to roam first thing in the morning, when crowds are lightest. The National Cherry Blossom Festival makes the Mall inviting every spring, especially for the make-or-bring-your-own kite festival (March 29 this year). But the city holds appeal for families in all seasons with its free access to many museums, including 21 Smithsonian institutions and the National Zoo, which welcomed two giant pandas in January.

Our family likes the lively language museum Planet Word, especially singing karaoke to our favorite music (free admission, with a recommended donation of $15). When it comes to their own writing, kids can create plays and songs at the newly renovated Folger Shakespeare Museum (reserve pay-what-you-choose timed entry tickets). For outdoor adventuring, visit the easily accessible Rock Creek Park as well as Theodore Roosevelt Island, which honors the president who inspired the invention of the teddy bear.

Favorite family-friendly food includes the Little Grand in the H Street Corridor: Sourdough pizza is served in both squares and circles (fewer family fights! Pies start at $16), and tasty cocktails are a perk for grown-ups. Options abound at the Union Market food hall, notably Mastiha Taverna (pita wraps start at $12), and the outpost of the Politics and Prose bookstore there features a cozy children’s reading room.

Families traveling during spring break will find two different seasons, depending on whether they travel in March or April. Those who arrive earlier might fill up on a traditional Quebec maple-syrup-laden brunch at an urban “sugar shack” before ice skating at one of the city’s many neighborhood ice rinks. When temperatures rise, the Place des Festivals urban space hosts free and paid outdoor concerts. And the open air Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy offers maple products and fun browsing year-round.

At nearly 700 acres, Mount Royal Park just north of downtown is a must-visit for family snowshoeing or hiking and biking in warmer weather. Afterward adults can enjoy a steam bath and water circuit at Bota Bota Nordic spa in the Old Port area, which periodically offers “pirate” packages and breathing workshops for kids ages 12 to 17 (60 Canadian dollars, or about $42 USD, is the reduced rate for children, 70 dollars for adults). For younger children, La Lune babysitters will come to hotels and rented apartments.

Lobby swings and a rooftop pool offset Hotel Bonaventure’s Brutalist architecture (rooms with double beds start at 229 dollars). For breakfast, we liked visiting local family-run restaurants, including Beautys for pancakes (brunch dishes start at 12 dollars) and St-Viateur Bagel for sesame bagels (one dozen cost 14.25 dollars).

Portland’s neighborhoods and children’s museums are easy to move between on the city’s light rails, trolleys and trams. Start in the Multnomah neighborhood with a veggie-forward meal at Laughing Planet (the midsize “tween burrito” costs $6.75 and a green dream smoothie is $8). The independent businesses Thinker Toys and Annie Bloom’s Books offer good options for souvenirs.

Make your way to nearby Forest Park, one of America’s largest urban parks, with numerous trails, including paved ones that are good for strollers. Wind down at the Portland Japanese Garden with expansive city views and programming for families. Have a tea and mochi break at Umami Café (three flavors of mochi ice cream cost $9; reservations recommended).

Stay at the Kennedy School, a renovated elementary school with an in-house movie theater and ceramic tile pool in a space formerly occupied by a teacher’s lounge (rooms start at $235, and some rooms feature original chalkboards and literary themes). The courtyard restaurant is good for groups and the dinner fare is worth a stop.

Mexico City

Don’t let the size of Mexico’s capital city overwhelm you. La Condesa and Polanco neighborhoods are good jumping-off points for families, and the metro and affordable Uber rides make the city manageable. Parque Mexico and Parque España are lush and welcoming — great for a break while getting acclimated to the city’s elevation. Parque Lincoln has a bird sanctuary open daily, as well as electric boats that children can steer plus a farmers market with fresh tacos on Saturdays.

During a sabbatical in 2024, Jenny Tolan, 42, lived in Mexico City with her husband and three boys under 7. “Mexico City is a child’s paradise,” said Ms. Tolan, an entrepreneur now based in New York. “Kids are welcome everywhere, and people on the street treat your kids like their own. I’m buying a taco on the corner, and the taco man is tousling my 3-year-old’s hair.”

Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán is well worth an afternoon with emerging artists in tow (adult admission is 320 Mexican pesos, or about $16, and students pay 30 pesos each; book in advance). The artist lived and died in the Casa Azul on the property, and spent much of her life among its trees and birds. Walk to the Mercado Coyoacán for a snack, and know that throughout the city, taco and pastry stands are plentiful.

For meals they’ll remember, Rincón Argentino’s Polanco location has a climbable pirate ship inside with complimentary babysitting. And if you have a day to spend, Arca Tierra will introduce kids to seasonal foods and local farming practices in the chinampas, small islands in the Xochimilco canals (book a tour well in advance). Depending on the adventurousness of your child, you might travel on a bright trajinera boat, or gondola, through the canals: good for both fiesta and people-watching.

Savannah, Ga.

Last spring, the Savannah College of Art and Design wowed our family of four and my mother-in-law with SCADstory, an interactive welcome center (free, reservations recommended). Our children loved a showcase of student artwork in the form of a sidewalk chalk competition in Forsyth Park (this year’s festival will take place on April 26).

Coveted tickets to Savannah Bananas baseball games were sold out, but even our youngest didn’t complain when strolling city squares. We made near daily visits to E. Shaver Booksellers with a wide title selection and resident shop cats. An early evening walking tour with Sixth Sense gave us exposure to local ghostly tales ($36 for adults, $32 for kids 4 to 15), as did a not-at-all-spooky walk through Bonaventure Cemetery.

For dinner, we got a walk-in patio table at Brochu’s Family Tradition for well-crafted but unfussy Southern food (sandwiches start at $14). Another evening we danced to a D.J. and played games at Starland Yard, which hosts rotating food trucks and the permanent restaurants Pizzeria Vittoria and Uncle June’s. I wish more cities had this type of dedicated all ages space — and spirit.

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