Ideas for a February weekend getaway from Minnesota?

[webguy]

Hey guys! I'm planning a surprise weekend getaway for my wife and I and could use some suggestions. We have two little kids and she's a stay at home mom and could use a break, so for her birthday in late February I'm planning to take her away for a relaxing few days. I want to take her somewhere out-of-state, but ideally only 2-3 hours flight away from Minneapolis. We'd be leaving on a Thursday night/Friday morning and returning on the Sunday night. We rarely have the opportunity to have someone look after the kids and so I want to take full advantage of it!

I haven't traveled to many states and so could use some advice.  I'm not looking for an action-packed vacation, just somewhere relaxing, with above-freezing weather so we can go outside. A couple of ideas I had:

Colorado
My wife really likes mountains, and so I was thinking Colorado, although I'm not sure what that's like in late February. It's only a 2 hour flight and I thought maybe staying in a chalet in the mountains with picturesque views would be nice.

Florida
I don't know a whole lot about Florida other than it's warm and has beaches and crocodiles.  I was thinking of maybe staying in a resort on a beach would be nice.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?  We're not really big on history or the arts or anything like that, I think most of all my wife would just like a relaxing break from the kids with some nice food and drink and quality time together.

[Peachtea]

Myrtle Beach, SC, Houston, TX, and New Orleans, LA are all 3 hour direct flights from Minneapolis and you can use cheap discount airlines like Spirit to get there. Should all be very warm compared to Minnesota in February. Food and drinks are great in New Orleans.

[rubybeth]

Another idea: Seattle. Direct flights via Sun Country from MSP, and it's got mountains and no vehicle would be needed once you get there (train from airport to downtown, within a few blocks of Pike Place). Weather would be milder than Minnesota but still winter. There are quite a few fun things to do there, too. Eat sushi. Get coffee. Go to Chihuly Garden & Glass. DH and I really liked the Museum of Pop Culture (when we were there, it was still known as the Experience Music Project): https://www.mopop.org/

[newgirl]

FL is super cheap on Sun Country for February. We're going to Orlando in mid-Feb for the same deal, little 2-3 day break from the weather. I think tickets were less than $150/person round trip.

[lentil]

Most of my enjoyment actually lies in anticipation. Which is to say, about 90% of my fun/stress relief/happiness from any vacation comes from looking forward to it, so I'll offer the suggestion to let your wife know this is coming, and solicit her input (not to say you shouldn't still do the organizing legwork!).

I live in Colorado. It's awesome, and I love the mountains in winter, but weather is not predictable this far in advance...you could have a romantic weekend with beautiful views, or find yourself dealing with a serious storm. For a quick weekend getaway, it might make sense to plan for a warm destination. That being said, it's easy enough to plan to stay down in Denver, Longmont, Boulder, etc., and then take a day trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park (about an hour's drive from any of those, very scenic, tons of mountains). Salt Lake City would offer similar day trip options, for that matter.

[Maenad]

We've done a number of trips to the Florida Keys in February, it's blissful. The humidity just soaks into your skin. Your tourist dollars may be well-appreciated while recovering from Irma, too.

[Lanthiriel]

Another idea: Seattle. Direct flights via Sun Country from MSP, and it's got mountains and no vehicle would be needed once you get there (train from airport to downtown, within a few blocks of Pike Place). Weather would be milder than Minnesota but still winter. There are quite a few fun things to do there, too. Eat sushi. Get coffee. Go to Chihuly Garden & Glass. DH and I really liked the Museum of Pop Culture (when we were there, it was still known as the Experience Music Project): https://www.mopop.org/

Don't come to the PNW in February. You think it's better because there's no snow, but it's pouring rain and 45 degrees and you're colder than when it's -20.

We had a really good time in the Sanibel Island area this time of year. We stayed in Ft. Meyer because it was cheaper. We did perhaps our favorite thing we've ever done on vacation, which was wake up at 6AM and head over to manatee park and watch the manatees wake up for the day.

[Teachstache]

Myrtle Beach, SC, Houston, TX, and New Orleans, LA are all 3 hour direct flights from Minneapolis and you can use cheap discount airlines like Spirit to get there. Should all be very warm compared to Minnesota in February. Food and drinks are great in New Orleans.

If she has never been, I'd highly recommend New Orleans. It's one of my very favorite places in the US. It has great winter weather (I'm from Nebraska), spectacular food, amazing music, and a truly unique culture. Plus, we found 4 days' lodging for $88/night about 6 years ago in the French quarter. I love it. Spouse and I drove 14 hours overnight to get there, and we loved having the chance to reconnect, listen to audiobooks together & see the change in scenery (Mississippi wins for the most beautiful highways). We spent less than $600, gas costs, food costs, lodging & entertainment included, for 5 fantastic days in New Orleans. Can't recommend it enough!