Shoulder Season Destinations That Are Better In the South
There are always reasons to travel during a destination's busy season. Peak season is peak, after all. However, during the weeks leading up to and immediately following a travel destination's busy season, you can usually find good weather, great deals, and fewer crowds. That's the appeal of a shoulder season trip. You may have to keep an eye on the weather, but if you time it right, shoulder season might just become your new favorite time to travel. Traveling in the shoulder and off seasons also give you the opportunity to experience new things. Visit in a slower season and you might get to trade leaf-peeping for snow days or a sweltering day on the beach for a breezy one. Give a shoulder season a chance, and you might just score some travel deals in the process.
Asheville, North Carolina
Shoulder Season: Winter and Spring
In Asheville, every season is a good season. Some are busier than others, however. The busiest times to visit are in the fall months, especially October, because of the travelers who visit to see the leaves turning. Winter and spring are also great times to visit. In the colder months, you'll find some opportunities for skiing and frolicking in the snow, while spring brings blooming landscapes. Another positive: Their restaurant scene is just as delicious year-round.
Blue Ridge Mountains
Shoulder Season: Early Spring
October is the busiest time along the Blue Ridge Parkway because of the influx of visitors coming to see the changing leaves. Summer is also bustling. Late winter and early spring—from January through March—are less busy times to visit, but they're no less beautiful. Cheaper costs and the beginnings of the spring blooms mean that the trip is well worth an off-season visit.
Florida Keys
Shoulder Season: Late Spring and Early Fall
Winter and early spring are the high season in the Florida Keys. During these chilly months, snowbirds fly down from all over the country to bask in the sunny-and-75-degree weather. However, the Keys's shoulder seasons, which arrive in the late spring and early fall months, are also great times to visit. The heat may deter you off of a true summer visit, but if you can catch the pre- and post-summer breezes, your Keys trip will be well worth it. (Keep an eye on the weather if you decide to visit during hurricane season, June through November!)
Miami, Florida
Shoulder Season: Late Spring and Early Fall
If you're in the mood for a city getaway, Miami's a great place to be. Its busy season falls in winter and early spring, usually January through April, but visiting between May and September can help you secure some deals if you're willing to handle the heat. If you can catch the late-spring weather before the mercury starts to rise, it will remind you why shoulder seasons are some of the best times to travel.
Outer Banks
Shoulder Season: Spring and Fall
The North Carolina coast's peak season falls in the summer months—June, July, and August—but the weeks leading up to and immediately following summer can be good shoulder-season times for travelers to visit. Think still-warm weather and far less crowds due to the kiddos being in school. If you time it just right, you'll find that many seasonal restaurants and businesses are still open during the weeks closest to the peak season, so you won't miss out on your favorite haunts.
Ozark Mountains
Shoulder Season: Late Spring and Early Fall
In the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri, shoulder season falls in late spring and early fall. Summer is its busiest season, but the rest of the year still offers prime times—and cooler temps—in which to visit the trails, lakes, and summits of the Ozarks.
Rio Grande
Shoulder Season: Late Fall and Winter
According to the National Park Service, "Spring break is the busiest two-week period" during the year on this South Texas riverway. While the summer months can be punishing, climate-wise, the NPS says, "September through January is usually a great time to be on the river. Temperatures are cooler making for many very beautiful days on the river. The river stabilizes but only somewhat; the river can always rise (and drop) and the weather can turn cold any time during these months."
Shenandoah Valley
Shoulder Season: Late Fall and Early Spring
In Virginia's lush Shenandoah Valley, November through March is considered the off-season, while leaf-peeping fall and blooming spring are the busiest times to visit the park. No matter when you visit, you'll have plenty of gorgeous hikes and beautiful scenery to take in.
Upper Gulf Coast
Shoulder Season: Spring and Fall
Summertime brings the crowds to the Alabama and Florida Panhandle Gulf Coasts, but trips during spring and fall—March through May and September through November—offer wide sandy beaches without the sunbaked swelter of summer.
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