These ideas for winter staycations at home include themed movie nights and holiday crafting and cooking.

It’s the snowy, cozy, hot-cocoa time of year, and we’ve got the best winter staycation ideas to help you plan the ultimate vacation at home this season.

Whether you’re looking for cheap staycation ideas for winter that you can do at home, or mini getaways to a nearby hotel and spa, these fun and festive suggestions take advantage of the best the season has to offer.

This list has everything from active, outdoor activities like snow biking and sledding to ways to stay busy and entertained when you’re stuck indoors. And since we all love to travel, these winter staycations will make you feel like you’re on a holiday, even if you’re just checking into a cabin the next town over or setting up a tent and firepit in the backyard.

Keep reading for 10 of the best winter staycations!

Recreate a Christmas Movie

You know those classic holiday flicks where a couple checks off pretty much every Christmas cliche as they fall in love — ice skating, snowman building, tree decorating, cookie baking, caroling, etc. Well, it may be cheesy, but it sure makes for a fun winter staycation, especially when you’re stuck at home for the holidays.

To recreate a Hallmark movie, you’ll want to start with a holiday bucket list full of every yuletide activity you can possibly think of. Then, don your most festive Christmas sweaters (or make some with bells and bows) and start spreading the cheer. Document it along the way with a polaroid and you can string up photos of your wintry adventures as holiday decor. 

Practice for the Winter Olympics

The snowy season doesn’t mean you have to huddle indoors avoiding the cold. For some fresh air, plan a staycation full of adventurous winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, sledding and snow biking.

If you’re stuck close to home, get creative with whatever is around you — grab a pair of snowshoes for some winter hiking, go ice skating at the local rink, find a nearby hill for sled races, or throw a street hockey tournament if you don’t have any ice to play on. 

Book a Hotel Staycation

Camp Under Dark Skies

If you live somewhere that doesn’t drop below freezing very often, a camping trip makes the perfect staycation for winter. Pack up the tent and head to a nearby park or set up a campsite in your own backyard.

You can make a bonfire (or fire pit) for cooking hot dogs and roasting marshmallows and read Christmas books by flashlight. The long nights in winter are perfect for stargazing when it gets dark.

If it’s too cold to camp outdoors where you live, you could set up a tent in the living room and watch holiday movies tucked into cozy sleeping bags.

Road Trip to a Holiday Town

For a holiday staycation full of twinkly lights, festive tunes, tree farms and wintry displays, plan a day trip or mini road trip to the most Christmassy town near you. Even if your local community doesn’t go all out for Christmas, there’s probably a spot within a couple of hours where you can find dazzling lights and heaps of holiday decor.

ChristmasLightFinder.com is a great place to start — it’ll pull up any nearby light displays and decorated homes. You can also check the visitor bureaus for your city and any nearby for a list of holiday events and displays.

Host a Winter Craftathon

The extra time indoors in winter is perfect for attempting all those holiday crafts you’ve never tried. You could make Christmas goodies like hand-poured candles, make cards for the neighbors or make gingerbread men from scratch to decorate. 

Even when the holidays pass, you can use your hibernation staycation to learn a new crafty skill like knitting or tackle a DIY project around the house you’ve been wanting to try.

Learn Holiday Traditions From Around the World

If you can’t travel to the Christmas markets of Germany or the ski slopes of Switzerland this winter, why not bring the world into your home by learning and incorporating the holiday traditions of your favorite vacation destinations.

Whether it’s baking an English figgy pudding, leaving shoes on the windowsill for the Icelandic Yule Lads, or doing a midnight Christmas gift exchange a la Brazil, there are so many fun traditions around the world. Spend each weekend leading up to Christmas learning about a different one or focus on a few for a winter staycation international festival.   

Head to the Spa

This winter staycation idea is the perfect way to warm up and rejuvenate in the middle of the dreary season. Check out your local spa for a day of treatments — think steam rooms, body wraps, warm hydrotherapies and body polishes for that dry skin.

To turn it into a longer staycation, see if any nearby hotels have on-site spas where you can combine room service and some TLC into a mini getaway.

You can also recreate this idea at home and plan a spa staycation using your soaker tub and some aromatherapy.

Getaway to a Cabin

Test International Recipes

Something about the cold just makes us want to hibernate indoors eating and growing a layer of winter warmth. If that’s your cup of tea, turn it into a staycation by trying different winter recipes from around the world.

You can either pick one country and theme a whole weekend around making and tasting that cuisine, or sample dishes from around the world in a winter bake off at home.