Winter is a great time to get away. Traveling to celebrate the holidays, use vacation time or just wanting to escape are all great reasons to look for a place to go during the coldest and shortest days of the year. So if you’re looking for some great vacation getaway in LGBTQ friendly winter vacation spots in the United States, here’s a list of some of our top five choices.
Our Fab 5 LGBTQ Friendly Winter Vacation Spots
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Winter feels like summer on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale.
Located just north of Miami, Fort Lauderdale is sometimes overlooked in favor of its more popular neighbor city. Don’t let that stop you from a winter visit – this place is among the most welcoming LGBTQ destinations in the U.S. With over 7 miles of beaches, Fort Lauderdale is a great place to escape cold winter weather. Plus it and a more relaxed atmosphere compared to Miami. A diverse city with museums, breweries and concerts, it’s also home to Port Everglades. This is where over 40 cruise ships dock, making it a great place to start a cruise vacation too.
When visiting Fort Lauderdale be sure to stop in Wilton Manors. A small city-within-a-city located inside Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors is home to many LGBTQ owned businesses. In addition, this neighborhood enjoys a very large percentage of its population that identifies as LGBTQ. We’ve yet to visit here as a family, but we’ve put it on our top list of winter destinations to visit this year.
Average High Temperature in December: 77° Fahrenheit
Closest Airport: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Great place to stay: W Hotel Fort Lauderdale
Aspen, CO
Skiing the champagne powder in Aspen, Colorado (photo credit: @mavrick)The original home to Gay Ski Week, there are plenty of winter activities in Aspen, CO. Guided snowshoe tours, snowmobiling, tubing and ice skating are just a few of the outdoor activities that families and couples can enjoy together. Not the outdoorsy type? There’s still plenty for you to do on your vacation like visit the Aspen Art Museum or just relax by the fire. Aspen is a foodie paradise so you’ll have your choice of all kinds of restaurants, many with amazing wine lists as well. Even though it has a small year=round gay population, Aspen is well known to roll out the red carpet for our LGBTQ community. That’s one of the many reasons we list it as one of our top LGBTQ friendly winter vacation spots.
Average High Temperature in December: 35° Fahrenheit
Closest Airport: Aspen/Pitkin County Airport
Great place to stay: Little Nell
San Diego, CA
Sunsets over La Jolla Shores beach in San Diego are just perfection, winter or summer.Called America’s Finest City, San Diego is also our hometown and we love every inch of it. Home to one of the best zoos in America, beautiful beaches, top notch surfing, whale watching and fantastic weather all year round, San Diego is a great place for anyone who loves the outdoors. Are you a foodie? San Diego has some great places to eat and even has close access to some excellent wineries. And if you have a passport and are up for a fun adventure, it takes less than 20 minutes to get from San Diego to Mexico which makes for a really easy day trip. If you are really into wines Mexico’s upstart Valle de Guadalupe wine region is gorgeous, with remarkably delicious restaurants and Mexican wineries that rival California‘s best.
Average High Temperature in December: 65° Fahrenheit
Closest Airport: San Diego International Airport
Great place to stay: Hotel Del Coronado
Even winter nights are gorgeous at the Hotel Del Coronado.
Honolulu, HI
Snorkeling off Waikiki Beach in Honolulu with Diamond Head as a backdrop.Located on the island of Oahu, Honolulu is a great LGBTQ weekend getaway any time of year, but during the winter its balmy weather and island hospitality will make those winter blues disappear. That’s what it makes this one of our favorite LGBTQ friendly winter vacations spots. The state capital of Hawaii, Honolulu has access to many activities for all ages from whale watching tours, access to the beaches and the mountains and historical tours including an important part of Honolulu’s history, Pearl Harbor and the memorial that’s located there.
Visiting with the family? We found some of the best family fun activities in Honolulu including a fantastic Hawaiian luau.
Average High Temperature in December: 81° Fahrenheit
Closest Airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport
Great place to stay: Hilton Hawaiian Village
The Hilton Hawaiian Village compound offers guests a variety of options and activities.New York City, NY
Ice skating at Rockefeller Center in New York City is an iconic winter activity (photo credit: @pedro2009)What says the holidays more than a visit to The Big Apple in December? From the store displays to the holiday lights to ice skating in Rockefeller Center, spending the holidays in New York City is a fun getaway for families of all ages. One great thing about New York City is the diversity in population so LGBTQ members won’t feel out of place. Another great thing – lots of hotels in a variety of different locations from Brooklyn to Manhattan. While the weather can get chilly in New York City during the holidays, the average snowfall in Central Park is a little less than 5”that time of year. So if you like your holidays a little cold with not a lot of snow, NYC is waiting.
Average High Temperature in December: 43° Fahrenheit
Closest Airport: John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport
Great place to stay: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
The views from the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge are epic.
Have you visited any of our favorite LGBTQ friendly winter vacation spots for couples and families? Let us know which ones you love or share if we left your favorite one off our list!
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