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April’s when we start itching to put on our Cudas, pull out the kayak or paddleboard and get out on the water. But when we dip our toes in, we get a reality check: it’s cold!
We don’t let cold weather stop us! Here are 10 of our favorite spring vacation destinations for water lovers, from Assateague to the Florida Keys.
If a trip to the Caribbean is not in your future, get your tropical fix at the National Aquarium at Baltimore instead. On chilly spring days, we love to head up to the top-floor rainforest exhibit, where the weather’s always steamy. If you look carefully, you’ll see the animals most people miss: the tiny golden lion tamarins and the two-toed sloths.
Assateague Island is famous for its July pony swim, when tens of thousands of people watch wild ponies swim from Assateague to Chincoteague. If crowds aren’t your thing, plan a spring vacation to Assateague. Bring your Cudas sandals for walking on beach trails and watch the free-roaming ponies in solitude.
Every spring, tropical birds visit the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, on the northern end of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. You might also see wild horses, ducks, egrets and our favorite water bird, the osprey. Just getting to the refuge is an adventure: from Corolla, you’ll need a FWD vehicle to drive along the beach. No vehicle traffic is allowed in the refuge, however, so pack your best comfortable outdoor shoes.
You’ll find some of the best kayaking in North Carolina on the Brunswick Islands, close to the South Carolina border. Local kayak companies offer guided trips through the salt marshes, black water rivers and cypress swamps.
Spring weather in South Carolina can be surprisingly warm, but the water is usually chilly (around 68 degrees in April). No worries — plenty of boating adventures await! Skip touristy Myrtle Beach and visit historic Georgetown, S.C. instead. There, Rover Tours offers an amazing lighthouse and shelling tour. A pontoon boat brings you to a remote barrier island where the Winyah Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, and there you can see an 1811 lighthouse and gather seashells. Bring a bucket and comfortable sandals for walking on the beach.
Spring’s a great time to fish for cobia — delicious fish that can weigh 25 to 45 pounds. Hilton Head is known for its cobia run, when the big fish migrate to their spawning grounds beginning in April. For the best action, local guides recommend sight fishing with a fly rod.
Rainy spring day? Visit the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. With more than 10 million gallons of fresh and salt water, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the western hemisphere. If you visit after 4 p.m., you can get a discount and avoid some of the crowds.
Once the sun comes out, explore some of Georgia’s many lakes. Some, like Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier, are beautiful but heavily used by anglers and boaters. We prefer less-visited lakes like Carters Lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with abundant camping, and Lake Rabun, which Southern Living calls one of the South’s greatest lakes.
If you need an adrenaline fix, go alligator watching at Shark Valley, the entrance to Everglades National Park west of Miami. April marks the end of the dry season, which is the best time to see gators basking and ambling around. You can bike or hike the paved 15-mile loop; just remember to wear your best comfortable outdoor shoes, and don’t harass the alligators! They’re wild and not exactly friendly.
And last of all, here’s a place on our travel bucket list: Dry Tortugas National Park. Seventy miles west of Key West (you have to travel by seaplane or boat) are seven remote islands where you can camp, snorkel reefs, dive shipwrecks and explore a 19th century fort. In the spring, kayak to see nesting birds on Bush and Long Keys. Experienced paddlers can venture to Loggerhead Key to enjoy the deserted beaches.
What’s your favorite spring vacation destination? Tell us on Facebook!
