Yahoo Finance 4 Best Vacation Towns for Middle-Class Families on a Tight Budget
Summer is the peak travel season, which means you can expect to pay top dollar to take a vacation when demand is highest.
And with stubbornly high inflation nibbling away at their budgets for years on end, the average middle-class family has to pick a destination that’s worth every penny but requires far fewer of those pennies to enjoy the vacation of a lifetime.
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The following underrated and underpriced vacation towns offer affordable but highly rated accommodations, an abundance of activities, events that are either free or have only modest admission fees, and a range of offerings for varied tastes and family types.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Budget Travel calls Portsmouth “a true four-season destination [where] travelers can embrace nature, culture, and history.”
History buffs can travel back in time in one of America’s oldest towns with 400 years of stories to tell. Downtown Portsmouth and the adjacent South End and North End are home to 10 National Historic Landmarks, 10 buildings on the National Register of Historic Buildings and three homes maintained by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the Portsmouth Harbour Trail offers some of New England’s finest hiking, with scenic water views and pristine natural wilderness.
There are also breweries, dining, museums, music, festivals and entertainment, much of which is free or charges only nominal fees.
You can get a room at the Portsmouth Holiday Inn for slightly more than $100. The highly rated Holiday Inn Express and Suites Hampton South in neighboring Seabrook costs about the same per night.
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Hot Springs, Arkansas
According to AreaVibes, the cost of living in Hot Springs is 11% cheaper than the national average, which means the food, transportation, goods and services that are part of your vacation there will cost you less. That will leave you more of your budget to enjoy all that Hot Springs has to offer.
Located in the Ouachita Mountains, the town is known for its naturally heated springs — long thought to have healing properties — many of which are located in adjacent Hot Springs National Park. Bathhouse Row has eight bathhouses from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The sprawling Lake District has all the fishing, boating and other water activities maritime enthusiasts could ask for, and the town’s varied neighborhoods are bursting with arts and culture, affordable dining, theaters, shopping, and spas. Known as a natural paradise, there’s no shortage of camping, hiking, biking, and other free or cheap outdoor activities.
As for accommodations, at least four highly rated inns, hotels and resorts offer rooms for $120 or less per night — Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa, Best Court, Courtyard Hot Springs, and The Hotel Hot Springs.
St. George, Utah
Southern Utah boasts one of the country’s greatest concentrations of national parks and unique geological features, including Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Natural Bridges National Monument and Zion National Park. There’s also Snow Canyon State Park, Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area and more.
State and national parks and preserves are some of the most affordable destinations money can buy, but their gateway cities typically are not — particularly out West.
St. George, however, breaks the mold.
The highly-rated Holiday Inn St. George offers rooms for less than $80 a night. At Courtyard St. George, it’s just over $150. Hilton Garden Inn has rooms for under $100. Rooms at Hampton Inn & Suites St. George start at around $100.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is a quaint, historic and exciting town that’s bursting with Southern charm and things to do on the cheap. Known as one of America’s friendliest cities, it’s famous for its Spanish moss, ghost tales, Southern hospitality and eclectic neighborhoods.
The city’s calendar is packed with free or inexpensive festivals and events, from guided tours and rooftop bars to historic architecture and art exhibits.
Then there are the city’s accommodations, which, despite their stellar ratings, are among the cheapest on the East Coast.
The Hyatt Regency Savannah, Savannah Serendipity and The Grant all have ratings over four stars and prices under $100, with at least a dozen other options costing in the low $100s per night.
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