Spring Break Destinations 2027: 17 Places for Families

A spring break week in March 2027 lands in the Caribbean's dry season, with humpback whales off Hawaii and Baja and spring training in Arizona's ballparks. Washington marks the National Cherry Blossom Festival's centennial from March 20, and Easter falls on March 28. The picks below answer two questions for a family with one week: where to go, and what that place gives you in March that it would not in July.

Cancún, Punta Cana and San Juan have a sea near 26 °C (79 °F), and San Juan and St. Thomas reach the Caribbean with no passport. Orlando suits kids who want rides, with EPCOT's flower festival from March 10. Washington's centennial cherry festival, March 20 to April 11, is the date to plan around. Zion and Gatlinburg are the hiking weeks.

• Warmest sea: Tamarindo, Cancún, Punta Cana, San Juan and St. Thomas, all 26.3–26.7 °C (79–80 °F).
• No passport needed: Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Hawaii, for US citizens.
• College weeks: Cancún's Hotel Zone and Destin's HarborWalk draw college groups in mid-March, so families do better at the quieter ends of town.

For a trip any time in those months, see where to go in March and April.

Spring break 2027 at a glance

Highs are March averages for 2013 to 2022.

Florida

Florida is warm enough for the beach in March everywhere south of the Panhandle.

Orlando, USA

Best for theme parks and the spring flower festival

• Weather: highs 26.8 °C (80 °F), lows 13.5 °C (56 °F); 45 mm (1.8 in) of rain over about four wet days
• Dates: EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, March 10 to May 31, 2027
• Season: peak, 1.24 times an average month in Orange County's tourist-tax collections
• Daily budget: about $368 a person, mid-range

EPCOT's Flower & Garden Festival opens in Orlando on March 10, with character topiaries and garden displays across the park. Days in the theme-park capital are warm without summer's heat.

Orlando is the most expensive pick here, and March 2025 was Orange County's top month for tourist tax. Buy park tickets and book hotels early. Be at the gates at opening, when lines are shortest, and save the pool for the afternoon.

Give a day to Universal Orlando, with its three theme parks and water park. East of the city, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has historic spacecraft, two IMAX theaters and bus tours of the spaceport.

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A garden display at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival (March 2013)

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Key West, USA

Best for warm nights at the end of the road

• Weather: highs 26.4 °C (80 °F), lows 20.3 °C (69 °F); 22 mm (0.9 in) of rain over about two wet days; sea 24.4 °C (76 °F)
• Plan it: 3-day Key West itinerary

Watch the sunset from Mallory Square on a March evening in Key West, when nights stay at 20.3 °C (69 °F), the warmest of the Florida picks. At the end of the Overseas Highway, the island also has the warmest Florida sea here and little rain.

Spring is Key West's high season, when hotel rates reach about $771 a night, against $413 off-season, so book early or stay up the Keys and drive in.

Tour the Ernest Hemingway House, where the writer lived in the 1930s, and swim at Fort Zachary Taylor, a state park around a Civil War-era fort. After the sunset, order conch fritters, then Key lime pie.

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Sunset from Mallory Square, Key West

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Destin, USA

Best for a drive-to white-sand week

• Weather: highs 22.0 °C (72 °F), lows 11.6 °C (53 °F); 95 mm (3.8 in) of rain over about eight wet days; sea 18.6 °C (65 °F)
• Dates: Sandestin Wine Festival, April 9 to 11, 2027, in Miramar Beach
• Season: shoulder, 0.99 times an average month in Okaloosa County's tourist-tax collections

Destin's white quartz sand is at its quietest in early March, before college groups reach HarborWalk Village from mid-month. The old fishing village on the Emerald Coast is a day's drive from much of the Southeast, and charter boats still leave from its harbor.

The Gulf is still cool, 18.6 °C (65 °F), so plan on sand, boats and short swims. Panama City Beach, 50 miles east, bans alcohol on its beaches for all of March.

Walk the dunes at Henderson Beach State Park, and see the dolphins and sea lions at the Gulfarium on Okaloosa Island, open since 1955. Take a dolphin cruise or a fishing charter out of Destin Harbor. Order royal red shrimp, a Gulf shrimp with a taste closer to lobster.

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Destin Harbor and Norriego Point from the bridge, with boats anchored off the sandbar (April 2011)

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Islands without a passport

Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Hawaii give a US family an island week without a passport.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Best for the Caribbean without a passport

• Weather: highs 29.6 °C (85 °F), lows 20.5 °C (69 °F); 56 mm (2.2 in) of rain over about eight wet days; sea 26.3 °C (79 °F)
• Season: peak, 1.17 times an average month in non-resident hotel stays across the island
• Daily budget: about $218 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 5-day Puerto Rico itinerary, Puerto Rico guide

San Juan's sea reaches 26.3 °C (79 °F) in March, as warm as any Caribbean water you can fly to without a passport (what to bring). Above the harbor, the old quarter climbs to El Morro, a Spanish fortress, along streets of houses painted in bright colors.

Base yourself near Condado for the beach, and give a full day to walking Old San Juan.

Walk out to El Morro, the fortress at the tip of the old town, and drive east to the rainforest trails of El Yunque. After dark, paddle a kayak on a bioluminescent bay, at Laguna Grande in Fajardo or Mosquito Bay on Vieques. Eat mofongo, mashed plantain with garlic.

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Castillo San Felipe del Morro and its lighthouse, Old San Juan (March 2016)

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Honolulu, USA

Best for whale season and an easy beach city

• Weather: highs 28.0 °C (82 °F), lows 19.3 °C (67 °F); 60 mm (2.4 in) of rain over about six wet days; sea 24.3 °C (76 °F)
• Dates: humpback whale season, November through April
• Season: peak, 1.11 times an average month in visitor arrivals on O'ahu
• Daily budget: about $329 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 10-day Hawaii island-hopping itinerary

Humpback whales are still off Honolulu in March, in a season that runs from November through April. The city on O'ahu's south shore puts a whole beach week in one place, from the surf schools of Waikiki to the crater of Diamond Head above it.

Out-of-state visitors need an online reservation for the Diamond Head trail. Hanauma Bay, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, also takes reservations from non-residents, so book both before you fly.

Hike up Diamond Head early, before the heat. Snorkel the reef at Hanauma Bay, and give a morning to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. Eat malasadas, the sugared doughnuts often called Hawaiian donuts.

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Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach, Honolulu

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St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Best for beaches and snorkeling without a passport

• Weather: highs 28.6 °C (83 °F), lows 21.5 °C (71 °F); 35 mm (1.4 in) of rain over about four wet days; sea 26.3 °C (79 °F)
• Season: peak, 1.31 times an average month in air arrivals on St. Thomas and St. John
• Daily budget: about $282 a person, mid-range, for the US Virgin Islands

St. Thomas needs no passport for US citizens, and its March nights, 21.5 °C (71 °F), are the warmest of the three islands. For the flight home, bring a raised-seal birth certificate and government-issued photo ID.

Swim at Magens Bay, a sheltered beach that runs for nearly three quarters of a mile. Take the ferry to St. John, where Virgin Islands National Park covers about 60% of the island and Trunk Bay has an underwater snorkel trail.

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Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

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Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica

Cancún, Cabo, Nassau, Punta Cana and Tamarindo need a passport to fly home, and give the warmest sea and some of the lowest daily costs on the page.

Cancún, Mexico

Best for a warm sea and the equinox at Chichén Itzá

• Weather: highs 30.9 °C (88 °F), lows 19.7 °C (67 °F); 31 mm (1.2 in) of rain over about four wet days; sea 26.5 °C (80 °F)
• Dates: spring equinox at Chichén Itzá, March 20, 2027
• Season: peak, 1.13 times an average month in the city's hotel occupancy
• Daily budget: about $151 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 7-day Mexico itinerary, Mexico guide

On March 20, 2027, the spring equinox casts a shadow serpent down the pyramid at Chichén Itzá, a day trip from Cancún. The resort strip faces a Caribbean of 26.5 °C (80 °F), and March brings little rain.

College groups come to the Hotel Zone in mid-March, so families do better at the quieter ends of the strip or down the coast. Go to Chichén Itzá with a tour, since the equinox light draws tens of thousands to the site.

Take the ferry to Isla Mujeres, about 13 km (8 mi) offshore, and snorkel over the 500 sculptures of the underwater museum (MUSA). Swim at Playa Delfines, the public beach on the strip. Eat cochinita pibil, the slow-roasted pork of the Yucatán.

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White sand and turquoise water along Cancún's Hotel Zone

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Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Best for the driest beach week in Mexico

• Weather: highs 28.1 °C (83 °F), lows 13.0 °C (55 °F); 3 mm (0.1 in) of rain; sea 21.8 °C (71 °F)

Choose Cabo San Lucas over Cancún for dry days and whale boats, and Cancún for warm water. At the tip of the Baja peninsula, Cabo gets almost no rain in March, 3 mm (0.1 in), and whale-watching boats still go out past the cape.

The water is cooler than the Caribbean's, 21.8 °C (71 °F), and nights fall to 13.0 °C (55 °F), so pack a layer. College groups come to Cabo in March too, so check where they stay before you book.

Ride a water taxi to El Arco, the granite arch at Land's End, and swim at Médano Beach in town. Eat fish tacos, the battered-fish taco of Baja California.

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El Arco at Land's End, Cabo San Lucas

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Nassau, Bahamas

Best for a short hop from Florida

• Weather: highs 27.9 °C (82 °F), lows 19.0 °C (66 °F); 25 mm (1.0 in) of rain over about three wet days; sea 24.6 °C (76 °F)
• Season: peak, 1.38 times an average month in stopover visitors to Nassau and Paradise Island

Nassau is the closest of the foreign picks to Florida, and in March it gets only 25 mm (1.0 in) of rain. The Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, across the harbor, makes it a family week with its water park. March was Nassau's busiest month of 2025, so compare resort packages that bundle the water park.

Climb the Queen's Staircase, 65 steps cut from limestone by enslaved people in the 1790s, to Fort Fincastle, built in 1793 to protect Nassau. Spend a day at Atlantis, with its water park and marine habitat. Eat conch salad, raw conch with lime and peppers.

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Bay Street, downtown Nassau

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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Best for an all-inclusive beach week

• Weather: highs 29.8 °C (86 °F), lows 21.4 °C (71 °F); 53 mm (2.1 in) of rain over about seven wet days; sea 26.4 °C (80 °F)
• Dates: humpback whale season in Samaná Bay, January to March
• Season: peak, 1.20 times an average month in foreign arrivals at Punta Cana airport
• Daily budget: about $177 a person, mid-range

Punta Cana's mid-range daily cost, about $177 a person, is under half of Orlando's, and its all-inclusive hotels line the palm-backed sand at Bávaro. March is also the last month of the humpback season in Samaná Bay, on the north coast.

A whale trip to Samaná means an early start and a long day on the road, so go in the first half of March.

Order mangú, mashed green plantains, for breakfast, then take a catamaran to Isla Saona, a protected island in Cotubanamá National Park.

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Playa Bávaro, Punta Cana

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Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Best for dry-season surf and nesting turtles

• Weather: highs 34.6 °C (94 °F), lows 23.0 °C (73 °F); 3 mm (0.1 in) of rain; sea 26.7 °C (80 °F)
• Season: peak, 1.55 times an average month in international arrivals at Liberia airport
• Plan it: 7-day Costa Rica adventure itinerary

Tamarindo is the hottest and driest place on this page in March, and its sea, 26.7 °C (80 °F), is the warmest. Leatherback turtles still nest at Playa Grande across the estuary, and the beach has waves for beginners.

Surf and walk early and late in the day, since highs reach 34.6 °C (94 °F). Liberia airport, about an hour away, had its busiest month of 2025 in March.

Take a surf lesson on Playa Tamarindo. Inland, see the volcanic vents of Rincón de la Vieja National Park and the river marshes of Palo Verde, where birds gather in the dry season.

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Tamarindo Bay from the air, with the town and Playa Grande across the estuary

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Desert and canyon country

The desert Southwest is at its mildest in March, before the summer heat, and the Pacific coast still has the last of the whales.

Scottsdale, USA

Best for spring training in the desert sun

• Weather: highs 26.7 °C (80 °F), lows 9.8 °C (50 °F); 24 mm (0.9 in) of rain over about two wet days
• Dates: Cactus League spring training, February 19 to March 23, 2027
• Plan it: weekend getaways from Phoenix

Spring training plays its last Cactus League game on March 23, 2027, after a season that opens on February 19. Fifteen major league teams train in 10 ballparks across the Phoenix area, and the Giants play in Scottsdale at Scottsdale Stadium.

MLB's labor contract expires on December 1, 2026, and a lockout delayed spring training in 2022. Buy game tickets you can refund, and plan the week so it holds up without baseball. Nights drop to 9.8 °C (50 °F), so bring a jacket for evening games.

Tour Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio from 1937. Walk the 140-acre Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park, and end the day in Old Town Scottsdale.

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Giants spring training at Scottsdale Stadium (March 2018)

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Zion National Park, USA

Best for canyon hikes before the heat

• Weather: highs 16.6 °C (62 °F), lows 1.6 °C (35 °F); 44 mm (1.7 in) of rain over about five wet days
• Season: shoulder, 1.03 times an average month in park visits
• Plan it: 3-day Zion itinerary, best time to visit Zion

The park service calls March and April spring break in canyon country at Zion, when the cottonwoods leaf out under the red canyon walls. Days are mild for hiking, and visits jump to almost three times February's.

The Narrows often closes in spring, when snowmelt raises the Virgin River, so plan a week of trails instead of a river hike. Nights fall near freezing, so pack warm layers.

Hike the paved Riverside Walk to the mouth of the Narrows, an easy trail for kids. With a permit, climb Angels Landing, the 1,488-foot rock fin above the canyon. For a short hike with a view, take the Canyon Overlook Trail on the east side.

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A two-car Zion Canyon shuttle at the Zion Lodge stop, cottonwoods just leafing out

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San Diego, USA

Best for mild days, sea lions and the zoo

• Weather: highs 21.4 °C (71 °F), lows 11.1 °C (52 °F); 60 mm (2.4 in) of rain over about six wet days; sea 15.7 °C (60 °F)
• Dates: gray whale season at Cabrillo, late December to mid-March
• Plan it: weekend getaways from San Diego

San Diego's mild March, with highs of 21.4 °C (71 °F), suits days at the zoo and the coves. Until mid-month, gray whales pass Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma, where you can watch for them from shore.

The Pacific is cold, 15.7 °C (60 °F), so plan on tide pools and sea lions over swims. Come in the first half of March if the whales matter.

Spend a day at the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, and walk the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum, an aircraft carrier on the bay. At La Jolla Cove, a marine reserve, sea lions sleep on the rocks.

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California sea lions at La Jolla

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Cities and mountains

Washington, Savannah and Gatlinburg are the picks for blossom, a parade and a mountain week.

Washington, D.C., USA

Best for the cherry blossom centennial

• Weather: highs 14.0 °C (57 °F), lows 2.0 °C (36 °F); 92 mm (3.6 in) of rain over about eight wet days
• Dates: National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 20 to April 11, 2027; Night in Bloom procession, April 2
• Season: peak, hotel occupancy 1.13 times the year's average
• Daily budget: about $226 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 3-day Washington itinerary

Washington's National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates its centennial in 2027, marking "100 years of tradition, community and friendship with a Century of Celebration, March 20–April 11, 2027". The cherries ring the Tidal Basin below the Jefferson Memorial, and the Smithsonian museums are free.

Peak bloom usually comes between the last week of March and the first week of April, but it is almost impossible to forecast more than 10 days ahead, so leave spare days. Washington has the coolest days here, with highs of 14.0 °C (57 °F), so pack a warm layer.

Walk the National Mall to the Tidal Basin at sunrise, before the crowds. See the Apollo 11 command module at the National Air and Space Museum, book a free Capitol tour online, and find the old Capitol columns at the National Arboretum.

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Cherry blossoms across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial (31 March 2026)

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Savannah, USA

Best for St. Patrick's Day and shady squares

• Weather: highs 22.8 °C (73 °F), lows 9.6 °C (49 °F); 77 mm (3.0 in) of rain over about seven wet days
• Dates: St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2027
• Season: shoulder, 1.04 times an average month in passengers at Savannah's airport
• Daily budget: about $202 a person, mid-range

Savannah's St. Patrick's Day falls on March 17, and the city's celebration is one of the largest in the country. The old city is laid out around shady squares hung with Spanish moss, and in March the summer humidity is still to come.

Parade week packs the historic district, so book rooms months ahead or come the week after, when the squares are quiet.

Walk to the fountain in Forsyth Park, 30 acres of the historic district, and under the oaks of Bonaventure Cemetery on the Wilmington River. Drive 18 miles to the beach at Tybee Island. Order shrimp and grits, the Lowcountry dish of coastal Georgia.

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The fountain in Forsyth Park, Savannah

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Gatlinburg, USA

Best for a mountain cabin week with kids

• Weather: highs 17.2 °C (63 °F), lows 2.6 °C (37 °F); 119 mm (4.7 in) of rain over about 11 wet days
• Season: low, 0.88 times an average month in visits to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In March the first wildflowers come out in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and park visits still run below an average month. Gatlinburg, at the park's main entrance, has cabins in the hills and attractions along the Parkway.

Gatlinburg is the wettest pick here, with about 11 wet days in March. Plan an indoor stop for every outdoor one, and pack for cold mornings.

Walk the bridges and treetop paths at Anakeesta, above town, and spend a wet afternoon at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. Drive into Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a waterfall hike.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Public domain)

Spring wildflowers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (April 2018)

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Where can you go for spring break without a passport?

US citizens can take a spring break in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands or Hawaii without a passport, as well as at every mainland pick on this page. Puerto Rico and the USVI are US territories, and the USVI asks for proof of citizenship when you leave. Cancún, Cabo, Nassau, Punta Cana and Tamarindo all need a passport to fly back into the US.

Spring break over Easter 2027

Easter Sunday 2027 is March 28, so school breaks tied to Easter fall on March 22 to 26 or March 29 to April 2. Both weeks fall inside Washington's cherry festival, and the first catches the last games of spring training on March 23. Holy Week, March 21 to 28, is the same first week.

Where to go for spring break with kids?

For young kids, Orlando is the easy week, with rides, pools and the flower festival, and Honolulu and San Diego mix beaches with sea life. Older kids and teens get more from Zion's canyon hikes, Washington's museums in the festival's centennial year, or a snorkel day on St. John. Avoid Cancún's Hotel Zone and Destin's HarborWalk in mid-March, when college groups arrive.

Plan your spring break trip

A MonkeyEatingMango trip plan shows the measured weather for its month in each city on the route. For the bag, the packing list generator, free for now, matches gear to the place and the month, from rain layers for Gatlinburg to a warm layer for Washington's blossom mornings.

Tell the planner where and which week, and it lays out each day with times and costs: plan a spring break trip.

Last updated November 2026.

Common questions

Where is warm for spring break?

Of the 17 places here, Tamarindo in Costa Rica is the hottest in March, with highs of 34.6 °C (94 °F), followed by Cancún at 30.9 °C (88 °F), Punta Cana at 29.8 °C (86 °F) and San Juan at 29.6 °C (85 °F). The warmest sea is at Tamarindo, Cancún, Punta Cana, San Juan and St. Thomas, all 26.3–26.7 °C (79–80 °F), in monthly averages for 2013 to 2022.

Where can I go for spring break without a passport?

US citizens can fly to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands without a passport, as well as to Hawaii and every mainland pick here. The USVI asks for proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate with photo ID, when you fly home. Cancún, Cabo, Nassau, Punta Cana and Tamarindo all need a passport to fly back.

When is spring break 2027?

Each school and college sets its own week, mostly between early March and mid-April. Easter Sunday 2027 falls on March 28, so school breaks tied to Easter land on March 22 to 26 or March 29 to April 2.

What are the best spring break destinations for families?

For young kids, Orlando's theme parks, Honolulu's beaches and San Diego's zoo and sea lions are the easiest weeks here. For older kids, Zion's canyon hikes, Washington's free museums and the National Cherry Blossom Festival's centennial, which runs from March 20 to April 11, 2027, give a trip with more to talk about.

What are the cheapest spring break destinations?

Of the places here with a reliable figure, Cancún ($151), Punta Cana ($177) and Savannah ($202) have the lowest mid-range daily costs per person, in traveler-reported averages updated September 2026. Orlando ($368) and Honolulu ($329) cost the most.

When is spring training 2027?

The Cactus League in the Phoenix area opens on February 19, 2027 and plays its last game on March 23, with 15 teams in 10 ballparks. MLB's labor contract expires on December 1, 2026, and a lockout delayed spring training in 2022, so check the schedule before you book.

Is March a good time to visit Cancún?

March is Cancún's peak season, with highs of 30.9 °C (88 °F), only 31 mm (1.2 in) of rain and a sea of 26.5 °C (80 °F). On March 20, 2027, the spring equinox brings the shadow serpent to the pyramid at Chichén Itzá. College groups come to the Hotel Zone in mid-March.

Is March a good time to visit Puerto Rico?

March is one of Puerto Rico's busiest months, with highs of 29.6 °C (85 °F) in San Juan and a sea of 26.3 °C (79 °F). US citizens fly in without a passport. Book rooms early, since non-resident hotel stays run about 1.17 times an average month.

Is March a good time to visit Hawaii?

March falls in Hawaii's humpback whale season, which runs from November through April. Honolulu averages highs of 28.0 °C (82 °F) and a sea of 24.3 °C (76 °F) in March, and arrivals on O'ahu run about 1.11 times an average month.

Is the Gulf warm enough to swim in Florida in March?

The Gulf is still cool on the Panhandle in March: Destin's sea averages 18.6 °C (65 °F). Key West, at the end of the Keys, has the warmest Florida sea here, 24.4 °C (76 °F).

Is March a good time to visit Zion National Park?

March is spring break season at Zion, with highs of 16.6 °C (62 °F) and nights near 1.6 °C (35 °F) in Springdale. Visits jump to almost three times February's, and the Narrows often closes during snowmelt, so plan on Angels Landing (permit required) or the Riverside Walk instead.