8 Best U.S. Cities for a 60+ Girls’ Trip
Girls’ trips change as we get older. At least mine have. I still want good food, a few cocktails, interesting things to see, and plenty of laughing and sharing. What I no longer want is a schedule packed from breakfast until bedtime, four women sharing one bathroom, or a hotel chosen entirely because it was $20 cheaper. At this stage, comfort counts.
A great girls’ trip after 60 should have enough going on to keep everyone interested without making anyone feel that she has to keep up. One friend may want to spend the afternoon in an art museum while another would rather browse shops, book a massage, or sit somewhere lovely with a glass of wine. That’s fine. In fact, that can make for a better trip.
The best cities also make logistics relatively simple. I look for places with interesting neighborhoods, good restaurants, cultural attractions, and plenty to do within a reasonably compact area.
What Makes a Great Girls’ Trip After 60?
There is no single formula because women over 60 are not suddenly issued an official travel personality on their birthdays. Some of you want early-morning hikes; others consider walking from the hotel to brunch efficient exercise for one vacation. Group trips usually work better when a destination offers choices.
I like cities where you can plan one main activity each day and leave space around it. Maybe you book an architectural tour in the morning, have a long lunch, and decide what to do next over dessert. Or perhaps two friends go shopping while the others visit a museum and everyone meets later for dinner.
That flexibility becomes especially important when you’re traveling with women who have different budgets, energy levels, and interests.
Read more: How to Travel Comfortably With a Friend Who Has Different Energy Levels.
8 U.S. Cities For a Girls’ Trip Over 60
These U.S. cities offer very different types of getaways, from desert spas and Southwestern art to jazz clubs, beaches, and big-city museums. There’s a little bit of everything for everybody.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe might be my favorite choice for a group of women who have traveled quite a bit and want a destination that feels genuinely distinctive.
Art plays a huge role here. Canyon Road alone has more than 100 galleries along a roughly half-mile, pedestrian-friendly stretch, with works ranging from contemporary and abstract pieces to western and Indigenous art.
Spend a morning around the historic plaza, visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, browse galleries, eat New Mexican food, and leave an afternoon open for a spa treatment or simply sitting somewhere with a view. The city definitely encourages a gentler schedule. This isn’t somewhere I would plan six attractions a day.
Altitude is another reason to take things slowly. Santa Fe is at more than 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above sea level, so some visitors need a little time to adjust. Your first day is probably not the moment to prove how fit everyone still is.
The city works especially well for three or four friends because you can rent a comfortable casita or choose a small hotel near the center and make meals part of the trip rather than something squeezed between activities.
And if one person falls in love with an enormous piece of art she cannot possibly fit in her suitcase? That’s between her and the airline.
When to go: Late spring and fall are excellent choices. Winter can also be beautiful if your group doesn’t mind colder nights.
Read more: Autumn in New Mexico: Why Santa Fe Should Be on Every Woman’s 2026 Travel List After 60.
New Orleans, Louisiana
A girls’ trip to New Orleans doesn’t have to involve Bourbon Street at 2:00 a.m….unless you want it to. The city has so much more to offer: jazz, Creole and Cajun food, beautiful architecture, neighborhood restaurants, historic homes, and some of the best people-watching in the country.
Spend time in the French Quarter, certainly, but get beyond it too. The Garden District offers oak-lined streets, historic homes, and nearby Magazine Street shopping and restaurants. The St. Charles streetcar makes it relatively easy to travel between the French Quarter area and the Garden District, and the city’s streetcar system connects several visitor-friendly neighborhoods.
For a girls’ trip in New Orleans, I would build the itinerary around food and music rather than attractions. Take a food tour. Book one special dinner. Listen to live jazz. Ride the streetcar. Wander through the Garden District. Have coffee somewhere without checking the time. And give yourself permission to take an afternoon nap.
When to go: Spring and late fall are popular for good reason. Summers can be very hot and humid, and major festivals can dramatically affect prices and crowds.
Nashville, Tennessee
You don’t need to be planning a bachelorette party or own cowboy boots to enjoy Nashville. You don’t even have to be a super fan of country music. But music history runs deep here.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is an obvious stop, and the Grand Ole Opry remains one of the city’s signature experiences. In fact, an exhibition marking the Opry’s 100-Year history runs at the Country Music Hall of Fame through March 2027.
Broadway is loud, crowded, and fun in small doses. But I wouldn’t make it the center of a 60-plus girls’ trip. Explore neighborhoods. 12South is walkable and filled with restaurants and shops, while Germantown combines historic streets with restaurants, brunch spots, and museums.
A good Nashville trip could mix one night of Honky Tonks with a quieter songwriter performance, a museum, brunch, and time exploring neighborhoods.
This is also a destination where it helps to agree on expectations before the trip. One friend’s idea of nightlife may be live music until midnight. Another friend’s may be a glass of wine at dinner followed by pajamas at 9:00 p.m.
When to go: Spring and fall are popular choices, though major events can send hotel prices soaring.
Chicago, Illinois
If your group wants a major city vibe but doesn’t automatically want New York City, consider Chicago. It delivers exceptional museums, architecture, theaters, shopping, restaurants, and waterfront scenery in one trip.
The Art Institute of Chicago could occupy several hours on its own. Millennium Park and the Riverwalk are nearby, and one of the city’s architecture river cruises is a terrific group activity because everyone gets to sit down while technically sightseeing. Chicago has 26 miles of lakefront and around 60 museums, along with its famous architecture and diverse neighborhoods.
When to go: Late spring through early fall is ideal if you want to enjoy the waterfront. Fall can also be pleasant.
Read more: 18 Best Lakes to Visit in the USA.
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston works great for friends who like learning something while they travel but don’t necessarily want to rent a car. There’s history everywhere, but the city doesn’t feel like one giant historical exhibit.
You can follow parts of the Freedom Trail, explore Beacon Hill and Back Bay, visit museums, wander the waterfront, and then spend the evening over seafood and
Boston’s official tourism organization highlights walking routes including the Freedom Trail, Black Heritage Trail, and Women’s Heritage Trail. For anyone who wants to give her feet a break, trolley, bus, and boat tours are also available.
I particularly like Boston for a group with mixed energy levels because you can adjust the day as you go. Walk part of a route rather than the whole thing. Take a harbor cruise. Stop for coffee. Use public transportation or a taxi when you’ve had enough.
Boston can be expensive, however, particularly during peak fall weekends and major events, so check hotel rates before the group becomes emotionally committed to specific dates.
When to go: Late spring and early fall are excellent. Autumn foliage season is beautiful but can also mean higher prices.
San Diego, California
San Diego is a great choice when your group can’t quite agree on what kind of vacation everyone wants. One friend wants the beach. Another wants museums and culture. Someone wants shopping and restaurants. And another would be perfectly happy sitting somewhere overlooking the Pacific with a glass of wine. You can do all of that here.
I would start with Balboa Park, where you can easily spend the better part of a day. The park is home to museums, gardens, Spanish colonial revival architecture, restaurants, performing arts venues, and the San Diego Zoo.
Then you can give yourselves a completely different kind of day in La Jolla. Walk along the waterfront, browse the galleries and shops, watch the sea lions around La Jolla Cove, and have lunch overlooking the ocean. If your group prefers restaurants and neighborhood wandering, Little Italy is another good choice, particularly for dinner.
San Diego does require a little transportation planning because the places you’ll probably want to visit aren’t all concentrated in one area. Trolleys and buses connect many major destinations, but I would still budget for the occasional taxi or rideshare rather than trying to make every outing work with public transportation.
When to go: San Diego works almost year-round. Spring and fall are particularly nice if you want comfortable temperatures for sightseeing without the busiest summer crowds.
Read more: Rideshare Safety for Women: Things to Know Before You Go.
Newport, Rhode Island
If your idea of a girls’ trip involves ocean views, impressive old houses, Seafood lunches, boutique shopping, and perhaps a glass of wine overlooking the harbor, Newport is hard to beat.
This is the kind of place where I wouldn’t create much of a fixed itinerary. Choose one main activity each day and let the rest happen around it.
The Newport Mansions are an obvious starting point. The Breakers, Marble House, and other former Gilded Age summer homes give you a fascinating look at the lives of some of America’s wealthiest families. More than a dozen historic properties from this period remain preserved in the Newport area. Even if you’re not particularly interested in the Gilded Age, they’re worth seeing for the architecture and oceanfront settings alone.
Then there’s the Cliff Walk, which runs for about 3.5 miles along the shoreline beside several of the famous mansions. You certainly don’t need to walk the entire thing. In fact, the first section is the better choice for anyone who wants an easier stroll because it’s mostly paved and relatively flat.
Downtown Newport is another reason this city works for a group trip. You can browse independent shops, stop for coffee, have a leisurely lunch, wander around the wharves, and change your plans without needing to organize transportation every time someone spots something interesting.
A harbor cruise is another easy group activity, particularly if you have already done a lot of walking. Sit down, enjoy the coastal scenery, and let someone else do the navigating.
When to go: late spring through early fall. September and early October are especially appealing if you want pleasant weather and fewer peak summer crowds.
New York City, New York
No list of girls’ trip destinations would feel complete without adding infamous NYC!
And no, a girls’ trip to New York after 60 doesn’t need to involve racing from one attraction to another until everyone has sore feet and is quietly irritated with one another. The beauty of New York is that you can design almost any kind of trip you want.
If your group loves museums, you have the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, and dozens more. If shopping is the priority, spend an afternoon on 5th Avenue or in SoHo. If food is your main interest, entire days can be organized around restaurants and neighborhoods. And don’t forget to see a Broadway show!
You might spend the morning at the MET, walk through part of Central Park, have a long lunch, and then return to the hotel before dinner and a show. Another day could be Chelsea Market, the High Line, Greenwich Village, and dinner downtown.
Hotel location matters enormously here. I would pay more to stay somewhere convenient rather than save money and spend half the trip commuting. Midtown can work well for first-time visitors who want to be near Broadway and major attractions.
When to go: Spring and fall are my favorite seasons for a girls trip. December is wonderful if you love holiday decorations, but expect larger crowds and higher hotel prices. Summer can be hot and humid.
How to Choose the Right City for Your Group
The best destination isn’t necessarily the city with the longest list of attractions. It’s the one that matches the women actually going. Before anyone starts booking flights, talk about what kind of trip everyone wants.
Pay attention to the budget. There’s nothing wrong with one friend wanting a luxury hotel and another refusing to pay $500 a night, but you need to discover that before someone puts a non-refundable deposit on three rooms.
The same goes for activities. You don’t have to spend every minute together. I think that’s one of the great advantages of traveling with friends at this age. Hopefully, we are past the point of taking it personally when someone says, “You go ahead. I’m going back to the hotel for an hour.”
The Best Girls’ Trips Aren’t Really About the City
We spend a lot of time choosing destinations, hotels, and restaurants, but years later those are rarely the parts we remember most clearly. We remember the friend who packed six pairs of shoes for three days. We remember getting lost. We remember the terrible photo someone insists on keeping. We remember conversations that would never have happened during a quick lunch back home.
And as friendships get older, getting everyone into the same place at the same time becomes increasingly precious. People have work, partners, grandchildren, aging parents, pets, and lives scattered across different cities and even countries. Coordinating calendars can sometimes seem more difficult than coordinating international diplomacy. So when it finally happens, the destination certainly matters. But the real luxury may simply be having several uninterrupted days with your girlfriends.
Read more: Travel Friendships After Retirement: How Women Over 60 Are Finding Companions for Adventures Abroad.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you taken a girls’ trip after 60? Where did you go? Which U.S. city would you choose for your next getaway with friends? Tell us about it in the comments below.
