Decide right now to try something new on New Year’s Eve. Instead of staying home in your pajamas and watching Andy and Anderson laugh and exchange shots of champagne in Times Square, shake off the old year somewhere else. Plus, since New Year’s Day falls on a Wednesday in 2025, you can break up your couch and take an extra long weekend by taking just two days of vacation. Head to one of these popular vacation spots to ring in 2025 like you’re HOTTOGO.
New Orleans
Hosting wild Christmas celebrations is standard operating procedure in New Orleans, so New Year’s Eve here is a guaranteed good time. Get in the mood with those in the afternoon. Sugar Bowl Paradea noisy annual tradition that runs throughout the French Quarter. Then you can book a late dinner at glamorous places like holy grass either Bar Metier or dive and mingle with the crowds in Jackson Square as they watch a giant fleur-de-lis slide down a pole atop Jax Brewery at midnight. Then, join the locals and head to the live music clubs along Frenchmen Street to dance until dawn. Prefer an early show? One of the most historic music venues in the city, Preservation RoomIt will reopen its doors in December after almost six months of renovations and will have four performances on New Year’s Eve between 5:00 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
TPG Tip: Move quickly because rooms are scarce. a room in The Barnett — formerly Ace Hotel New Orleans and now part of the JdV by Hyatt collection — can be booked from $385 or 23,000 Hyatt World points for New Year’s Eve.
Washington, D.C.
Even with the area’s only fireworks across the Potomac River in Virginia, Washington is pretty lit up on New Year’s Eve. Since the Metro is free all night, you can easily get from one place to another. Book dinner at The Bazaar of José Andrésthen go to the original Busboys and poets bookstore bar on 14th Street NW for their popular open mic event (with all-night happy hour). Alternatively, take the Metro Orange Line to Foggy Bottom after dinner and catch comedian John Oliver’s late show at the Kennedy Centerthe last laugh of the year. All Smithsonian museums are open on New Year’s Day, so start 2025 with some culture.
TPG Tip: Its unbeatable location in the great Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue makes the Waldorf Astoria An impressive and sensible place to stay on a weekend that will be packed. The hotel has rooms from $864 or 110,000 Hilton Honors points on New Year’s Eve.
seattle
Throughout the month of December, Seattle Center’s winter festival The celebration makes it the destination for all things holiday-related: its events calendar is packed with a Christmas market running daily through Dec. 24, a holiday train show open through Dec. 31, and performances of “The Nutcracker” through Dec. 28. New Year’s Eve marks the final night of Winterfest, and it’s guaranteed to go off with a bang, not a whimper: the night’s festivities begin indoors with a free 8 p.m. concert and dance party featuring the upbeat Blue Wave Band, then move on outside to the International Fountain Mall for a light show and dance party that begins at 10 pm and culminates at midnight with the Space Needle drone show and fireworks overhead. Bring your dancing shoes.
TPG Tip: from the center Hyatt in Oliva 8 — worth a stay if only for the divine glass-walled pool and sustainability-oriented spa — has rooms available from $193 or 23,000 World of Hyatt points on New Year’s Eve.
Related: A Hyatt Hop Around Seattle: Which Hyatt Should You Choose on Your Next Trip to the Emerald City?
Philadelphia
You can choose a couple of different ways to spend New Year’s Eve in Philadelphia: late dinner at Caribou Coffee (not to be missed with the steak and fries) followed by midnight fireworks at Penns Landing or, you know, just stay home that night. Staying at home is a great option if you are staying in the West Philadelphia in Rittenhouse Square. Two ticketed parties, one at Wet, the pool bar, and another at the Living Room, a cool space in the lobby, attract locals. Our reviewer says the cocktails will be remarkable and, a big plus, you won’t have to bring your coat. In the morning, City Hall, where Philadelphia is famous for its strange and colorful colors. parade of mimes originates, it is a three-minute walk away.
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TPG Tip: The advanced design West Philadelphia It is centrally located in this historic city, but feels very modern. Between the pool bar and the lively lobby, you may never leave. On New Year’s Eve, stays are available from $422 or 76,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
And now something completely different. How do you like peace and quiet on New Year’s Eve? Santa Fe and its surrounding areas offer both in spades. Opt to spend a few days an hour southwest of Santa Fe at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, where the cinematic desert landscape around Bernalillo provides quiet serenity at the end of a tumultuous year. You can start the afternoon with a walk along a winter trail in the Stables in Tamayafollowed by a spa treatment (lavender dry brush therapy, perhaps?) and then spend a peaceful evening thanks to room service and a view of the starry sky over the mountains. If you need a party, drive into town for the annual party. celebration in Plaza Santa Fe. Join locals under the flickering light of piñon bonfires and luminaries to listen to live music, grab a bite to eat from a food truck, count down to the midnight fireworks, and then raise your voices singing “Auld Lang Syne “and the traditional Mexican birthday. song “Las Mañanitas”.
TPG Tip: With stunning views of the snow-capped Sandia Mountains and activities like winter horseback riding, guided nature hikes, and spa treatments, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa They have rooms to book for New Year’s Eve starting at $273 or 18,000 World of Hyatt points.
nashville
Music City rings in the new year with a free, star-studded concert, the annual Nashville’s big party at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. This year’s country lineup includes Keith Urban, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll. Is that not enough? As midnight approaches, a 16-foot LED-lit musical note descends from a tower above the stage. When it hits the bottom, the fireworks rise over the park. Don’t miss Nashville’s great dining scene – offering high and low cuisine, including dozens of James Beard Award Winners and Semifinalists as city house and Prince’s Hot Chicken. Furthermore, the tremendously entertaining Country Music Hall of Fame It is open on New Year’s Eve and January 1st.
TPG Tip: Although it is a convention hotel, the Grand Hyatt Nashville surprised the TPG reviewer with its upscale rooms and elevated dining options. On New Year’s Eve, rooms are available from $317 or 29,000 World of Hyatt points.
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