If you're the type of traveler who warms up at the thought of plunging temperatures, it's time to compose your seasonal to-do list. Spark your imagination with these five vacation destinations and their wintery bucket-list ideas.
1. Holiday Markets And Seasonal Shopping In New York City
New York is a dream destination any time of year, but the city glows in the winter. Major avenues get the holiday treatment, while extravagantly decorated neighborhoods like Dyker Heights in Brooklyn become destinations unto themselves.
NYC’s lively avenues especially shine as old-school department stores showing off extravagant dioramas. Expect animatronics, playful homages to ballets like "The Nutcracker" and themed windows that pay tribute to New York's greatest landmarks.
Bryant Park and Union Square also get into the holiday spirit, transforming into open-air markets where food vendors, independent artists and local fashion designers gather to showcase and sell their wares. Buy something unique for your gallery wall or snap up a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry directly from the artist, all while sipping hot cider or mulled wine.
If you miss the Christmas rush, you can still score major deals in January, when many stores put on epic sales to clear out unsold holiday merchandise.
Make The Quin, a Hilton Club your Big Apple home base, and you'll stay mere steps from Manhattan's famed shopping districts.
2. Downhill Skiing And Snowboarding In Park City
If you're looking for a quintessential winter getaway, book a stay at Sunrise Lodge, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club in Park City, Utah. This stunning property — tucked into the mountains just east of Salt Lake City — is an ideal launchpad for crossing all the items off your winter bucket list.
When you're not hitting the slopes, you can learn more about the town's history at the Park City Museum or explore 20 historic mining structures still standing, many of which are accessible via ski trail.
Incorporated as a town in 1884, Park City once enjoyed its heyday as a silver mining destination. Even today, it comes across as an updated Old Western village, with many Main Street buildings listed on the National Register and more than 1,000 miles of mining tunnels within the mountains.
Park City has also grown into quite the culinary capital, with beloved mainstays joined by new, award-winning restaurants, breweries and distilleries. Warm up after a morning on the slopes with Australian fare at Five5eeds or sample small-batch whiskeys at High West Distillery. If you want to fill up after an entire day outdoors, the Mexican fare at El Chubasco should satisfy you.
3. Eat Across Charleston’s Restaurants And Food Festivals
Charleston, South Carolina, is often considered a summer destination. But you can avoid the crowds — and nab normally hard-to-come-by reservations — by visiting in winter when temperatures linger at a pleasant 60 degrees.
Visit Charleston in January during restaurant week, which means you can chow down on well-priced seasonal Southern fare at 82 Queen or sample elegantly plated fish dishes at Tempest. Both are a quick jaunt — about a mile — from Liberty Place Charleston, a Hilton Club.
The city is also home to a wealth of down-home barbecue and seafood shacks and has upped its game for Asian cuisine. Xiao Bao Biscuit draws influences from many regions and offers a truly unique take on Asian soul food. There's also Jackrabbit Filly, which serves creative, upmarket versions of classic Chinese-American dishes.
The Lowcountry Oyster Festival is another culinary experience worth booking. It takes place in February, drawing crowds with 60,000 pounds of beloved bivalves, live music and a food court for local restaurants to show off their shucking (and other culinary) skills.
4. Visit Las Vegas For Outdoor Activities And Holiday Splendor
It may seem counterintuitive to head to the desert in winter, but Las Vegas is the ultimate year-round destination, with comfortable winter temperatures ranging from the high 30s to the high 50s.
Mild weather means you can explore some of the natural wonders surrounding Vegas, which are usually scorching in the summer. The otherworldly Red Rock Canyon is a beloved destination for rock climbing just outside the city. Lake Mead, created as a result of the breathtaking Hoover Dam, offers kayaking and rafting, plus camping under magnificent starry skies that rival the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Or take a detour to see the Grand Canyon’s majesty.
What's more, the biggest hotels and casinos try to one-up each other during the winter holidays, from Christmas to the Chinese Lunar New Year. Stroll the streets of the Las Vegas Strip to soak in the eye-popping decor. Stay at Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club to situate yourself in the heart of the action.
5. Cross-Country Skiing And Snowshoeing Across Breckenridge
Skiing tops many people's list of fun things to do during winter. But if the idea of whooshing downhill at top speed gives you pause, there's no need to fret. Try Nordic or cross-country skiing and slide along leisurely on level ground.
Near Valdoro Mountain Lodge, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club in Breckenridge, Colorado, you can get your bearings on 30 miles of trails that connect two Nordic ski centers.
In Breck, you'll find snowshoe rentals and extensive trails for all levels. Beginners can take a guided tour, while more adventurous travelers can venture farther afield on an extensive backcountry system, including hundreds of miles of rugged trails with spectacular views of snow-capped mountains. You may even spot some abandoned mines dating back to the mid-1800s.
Whether you're into city staycations or weekends in the wilderness, make the most of the season when you stay at a Hilton Grand Vacations property — an unbeatable home away from home, no matter what kind of winter wonderland calls to you.
Read "10 Winter Vacation Gems: Use Your Hilton Honors Points And Beat The Winter Blues" for more fun seasonal bucket-list ideas.