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For many, the days after Christmas feel like a justifiable breather. It’s almost a timeout, breaking up the marathon that starts with Turkey Day, continues with candy canes and plenty of yuletide, and culminates with counting down the ball drop. But why not recharge your batteries while taking advantage of a slower time to travel? If you pick the right location, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve can be sparsely populated, making it an ideal three-day getaway. Pop into a new town, enjoy new scenery that might otherwise be crowded in warmer months, and be home in time to chill the bubbly.
We’ve rounded up a few destinations, all of which are reachable by car from major cities — so no airport headaches. Typically, rooms in these towns tend to be more affordable during the holiday break, especially in cities where the rates creep up the closer things get to New Year’s Eve.
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Washington, D.C.
If memories of school trips with long lines keep you away from Washington, D.C., you’ll breathe easier after Christmas. With Congress on break, and many of the elected officials and their staff out of town, you can drop in and enjoy some sightseeing before hotels start charging more. Washington is about 2½ hours from Philadelphia and a little more than 4 hours from Raleigh, North Carolina. The city is “quiet, rooms are available … and rates also dip that week and hike up a little” toward New Year’s Eve, confirms Michelle Neal, senior manager of PR for IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Americas, which has Kimpton and InterContinental hotels in its portfolio. Expect temperatures in the low 40s, which is comfortable walking weather for those who want to get around on foot or with the Metro transit system.
Nearly a dozen of the 23 Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries are within walking distance of the National Mall. A room at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, about five blocks away, means you can fill a few days of museums, famous sights and dinner without a car. With the hotel’s proximity to Capital One Arena, you can nearly hear fans of the Washington Wizards and Capitals cheering. Both teams have home games the week after Christmas. For some nostalgia, the Watergate Hotel — a part of that infamous complex — is a luxurious middle ground between downtown and the quieter neighborhood of Georgetown.
While all the museums within the Smithsonian Institution in D.C. are free, some, like the National Museum of African American History and Culture, along with the Washington Monument, require timed-entry passes ordered in advance online. (There is a minimal service charge for the Washington Monument.) About a 30-minute drive west of the city, the Winter Lantern Festival fills a lot in nearby Virginia with more than 1,000 handmade Chinese lanterns that light up the sky. You also should see fewer crowds at George Washington’s Mount Vernon about 40 minutes south.