February may be short on days, but it is chock full of low-season rates and sweet deals for travelers.
Play in a National Park
February 20 – Presidents’ Day – is one of the 10 days this year when the 120 national parks that normally charge admission welcome everyone for free. To honor past presidents, consider using the free entry day to visit the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana; Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts; the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri; Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota; or the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio.
Dine and Dream in Madison, Wisconsin
From February 10 to 19, you’ll find hotel and restaurant deals throughout Madison, Wisconsin, during hotel week, offering $75, $100, and $125 room rates at some of the city’s best hotels, and during Food Fight Foodie Week, when about 20 restaurants will be offering special three-course meals for $15 to $35 per person.
Big Apple Attractions
Deals abound in the Big Apple during February, but to catch some of these you’ll have to act fast.
2-for-1 tickets for NYC Off-Broadway Week, which runs from February 27 through March 12, go on sale February 13.
NYC Attractions Week, offering 2-for-1 admission to dozens of tours, museums, attractions and performances, and NYC Broadway Week, offering 2-for-1 and upgraded tickets to select shows, last through February 5.
NYC Restaurant Week, when many restaurants offer three-course meals for fixed prices (lunch: $29; dinner: $42) runs through February 10.
Triumph Hotels, a collection of seven historic hotels in New York City, is holding an anniversary sale February 9-11, offering up to 40 percent off at properties including Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side and Hotel Edison in Times Square.
Make Way for Ducklings in Boston
An exhibition celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of the beloved, set-in-Boston children’s book, Make Way for Ducklings (by Robert McCloskey) continues through June, 2017 at the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is free for everyone on February 4, 2017 and always free for youths 7 to 17 weekdays after 3 p.m., on weekends and on Boston public school holidays.
And there’s no admission charged to visit the Boston Public Garden, home of a bronze duckling sculpture paying tribute to McCloskey’s book.
If the thermometer dips very low, grab the Frosty Fridays deal at The Colonnade. The two-night weekend deal (available through March 29) lets guests pay the outside temperature for Friday night, $289 for the Saturday night, and includes admission and ice skating rentals for four at Boston Common Frog Pond (or tickets for Old Town Trolley Tour), a “Make your own” hot chocolate bar (with marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, candy canes, caramel, etc.) and overnight parking.
Half-Price Culture in Seattle
During Seattle’s Museum Month (February 1-28) downtown hotel guests get a pass good for half-off the admission fee at more than 40 museums and attractions in Seattle, Tacoma, and other nearby cities, including Chihuly Garden and Glass, The Museum of Flight, the Seattle Art Museum, the Woodland Park Zoo, and more. Better yet: the offer is good for up to four guests per hotel room.
Perks in Portland
As part of the More Portland Is Happening winter campaign in Portland, Oregon, there are 145 discounts and freebies at restaurants and attractions available for visitors who book at select Portland hotels, download the Chinook Book app, and add the redemption code provided by their hotel.
Offers from Ohio
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is offering half-price admission every day through March 10 as part of its Penguin Days promotion and the Newport Aquarium, just over the river from Cincinnati, is offering one free kid admission per adult as part of Winter Family Days through February 26.
Fun in Fort Worth
2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail, and Fort Worth has a Stockyards Adventure Pass (only available for purchase on line or on the phone ) that includes admission to more than half a dozen attractions associated with the Fort Worth Stockyards, the city and cowboys who herded millions of head of cattle along the trail.
Colorado Ski Deals
In Colorado, a variety of resorts are offering extra perks for skiers. Here’s a sampling.
There’s a 2.5-hour complimentary mountain tour (intermediate skiing ability required) offered by the Telluride Ski Resort daily at 10 a.m.
Steamboat offers free night skiing to guests on their day of arrival into Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN) to those who show a boarding pass at the ticket window. (Boarding passes for Tuesday or Wednesday arrivals are good for free night skiing on Thursday night.)
And through February 28, the Cooper ski resort in Leadville, Colorado, offers a variety of deals, including $52 two-for-one skiing on Tuesdays.