Memorial Day weekend is when American summer travel really starts. The roads fill up Friday afternoon, the campsites that were open Tuesday are gone by Wednesday, and the theme parks go from pleasant to packed somewhere between Friday lunch and Saturday morning. Here are the three trips we'd take this weekend, and the one we'd skip.
What we'd consider this Memorial Day
A national park before June
This is the last weekend you can walk into Acadia, Shenandoah, or Olympic without fighting for a trailhead parking spot. If you'll visit a couple of parks this summer, the $80 America the Beautiful pass pays for itself fast.
A theme park, just the morning
Park in the lot by nine, ride for three hours while it's still calm, and head out around lunch while everyone else is still circling for a parking spot. A half-day on a busy weekend beats a full day fighting the crowd.
A late-season ski weekend
The snow usually holds through Memorial Day at Mt Bachelor in Oregon or Killington in Vermont, and the lift tickets and lodging cost less than they did in February. Fewer people think to do it, which is the whole point.
What we'd avoid
The parks Friday night through Sunday
This is the most crowded the major parks get all spring, and the waits run about double what they'd be on a normal weekend. The trip itself is still worth it; just shift your arrival to Monday, or wait for the Tuesday after, and you'll practically have the place to yourself.
Practical
What's still bookable
Anything that needed a reservation is already booked or marked up. Whatever's left this late is what nobody grabbed back in February, so point the weekend at places that don't need a reservation in the first place.
Gas and traffic
Gas prices tick up Friday afternoon, so fill the tank Thursday evening. The highways out of the city jam up Friday from about three to seven, and again Monday afternoon when everyone drives home. Plan your departure around those two windows.
Worth booking this Memorial Day
Undercover Tourist — discount theme-park tickets (catchall)
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Undercover Tourist — Walt Disney World base tickets
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Undercover Tourist — Universal Orlando discount tickets
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Undercover Tourist — LEGOLAND Florida discount tickets
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Undercover Tourist — Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets
Discounted Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets via Undercover Tourist — Disneyland + Disney California Adventure on the same day. The standard recommendation for any Disneyland trip 2+ days since the parks are walking-distance apart.
More holiday guides
Father's Day
Three trips dads we know actually want — and the one well-meant booking we now refuse to make for him.
Disney's 4th of July Fireworks
The 3rd is the night that matters at Magic Kingdom. One small window we book, one snack we always pack, and the queue position we wish we'd known about our first few visits.
Independence Day
Happy Fourth of July. The night the sky lights up and the parks change shape. Best seats for the show aren't always where the locals point you — three formats we keep returning to, and the one we tried once and never again.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party — opening night
The cookie route alone justifies the ticket. The two stations we sprint to first, the one parade slot we now refuse to skip, and what we wear when the temperature drops after sundown.
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival — opening week
A festival built for adults that we keep bringing the kids to anyway. The booths that earn the walk, the two we now skip on principle, and how we pace the loop without a stroller mutiny.
Back to Hogwarts Day
September 1st. Where we go when the kids ask if they can ride a certain train, the small ritual that has survived every trip since, and the one snack we now always pack for the ride.