Cheap Weekend Getaways: 15 Trips Under $500 in 2026

Jettova Travel Team·Travel Editors·May 22, 2026(Updated May 30, 2026)

Key Takeaways

Drive-in weekend trips beat fly-in trips on cost almost every time. Once flights pass $300 round trip, total trip cost blows past $500.
Asheville, Savannah, Memphis, and Santa Fe are the four cities that work for cheap weekends from the broadest geography.
Walkable downtowns matter more for weekend trips than full vacations — no time to mess with rental cars for 2-3 nights.
Midweek departure (Tuesday/Wednesday) cuts both flights and hotels 15-25% vs Friday departure.
B&Bs at $90-$140/night usually beat chain hotels for cheap weekends — included breakfast saves $25-$40 of the food budget.

Cheap weekend getaways have completely different math from cheap weeklong vacations. A weekend is 2-3 nights, lodging dominates the budget, meals are 4-5 out instead of 14-15, and the deal-or-no-deal lever is usually the flight + hotel combination — not the destination itself. The list below is 15 weekend trips that genuinely come in under $500 per person all-in (flights, lodging, food, basic activities) when booked midweek-departure and ~30-60 days out. Drive-in trips beat fly-in trips on cost almost every time when total trip length is 2-3 nights — most of these assume you can either drive in or get a sub-$200 round-trip flight.

1. Asheville, NC — $350-$480 per person for 3 nights. Drive-in for most of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Mountain town with a serious food + brewery scene; the Biltmore is a half-day; the Blue Ridge Parkway is an hour drive that fills another half-day.

2. Savannah, GA — $300-$450 per person for 3 nights. Drive-in for the Southeast or short flight from East Coast. Walkable historic district means no rental car needed once you arrive. B&Bs and boutique hotels at $90-$140/night.

3. Charleston, SC — $400-$500 per person for 3 nights. Same drive-in profile as Savannah; slightly pricier hotels but better food scene.

4. Memphis, TN — $300-$450 per person for 3 nights. Cheap mid-range hotels downtown at $90-$130/night. Beale Street nightlife, Stax Records museum, Graceland day trip, the famous BBQ. Often cheaper than Nashville for a near-identical music-and-food weekend.

5. New Orleans, LA — $400-$500 per person for 3 nights. Drive-in for the Gulf South; flight $200-$300 from Northeast. French Quarter hotel + bed and three or four solid meals fits inside $500 if you skip the most expensive restaurants.

6. Santa Fe, NM — $350-$480 per person for 3 nights. Flight to Albuquerque $260-$380 + 1-hour drive. Adobe-style hotels $80-$130/night. Walkable downtown, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the Plaza, Canyon Road galleries, day-trip to Bandelier.

7. Portland, OR — $400-$500 per person for 3 nights. Drive-in for the Pacific Northwest. Hipster food scene + food trucks + Powell's Books + breweries fill the weekend without needing big paid attractions.

8. Austin, TX — $350-$500 per person for 3 nights. Cheaper than San Francisco / LA for a near-identical weekend (live music + food + outdoor). Hotels in East Austin or South Congress at $130-$180/night.

9. Niagara Falls, NY (US side) — $250-$400 per person for 2 nights. Drive-in for the Northeast and Midwest. Hotels with the river view at $120-$180/night. Skip the Canadian side if you don't want to deal with the border + currency.

10. Catalina Island, CA — $400-$500 per person for 2 nights. Ferry from Long Beach + budget hotel + day on the beach + snorkeling. Best for couples or singles from Southern California who want "island weekend" without flying.

11. Annapolis, MD — $250-$400 per person for 2 nights. Drive-in for DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia. Historic colonial town + sailing + crab cakes. Bed-and-breakfasts at $120-$180/night.

12. Burlington, VT — $350-$500 per person for 3 nights. Drive-in for the Northeast. Lake Champlain views, brewery scene, ice cream factory (Ben & Jerry's), Church Street Marketplace.

13. Hot Springs, AR — $250-$400 per person for 2 nights. Drive-in for the Midwest and South-Central US. Historic spas, hot springs themselves (Bathhouse Row), Lake Hamilton, Garvan Woodland Gardens. Highly underrated mid-week destination.

14. Galena, IL — $300-$450 per person for 2 nights. Drive-in for Chicago / Midwest. Historic Mississippi River town. Pretty in any season, especially fall. B&Bs at $90-$140/night.

15. Lake Placid, NY — $350-$480 per person for 2 nights. Drive-in for the Northeast. Olympic history + lake + Adirondack hiking. Pretty in winter (skiing) or fall (foliage). Hotels at $130-$180/night.

The pattern: a sub-$500 weekend almost always requires either driving in (no flight cost) or a sub-$200 round-trip flight to a small regional hub. Once flights cross $300 round-trip, total trip cost blows past $500 even with cheap lodging. The unsexy reality of cheap weekends is that they're geographic — pick something within a 4-6 hour drive of where you live and the math works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do a cheap weekend getaway by flying?

Possible but uncommon under $500/person. The flight needs to be sub-$200 round-trip, which usually means a small regional hub on a budget carrier (Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant). For the broader US, drive-in weekends dominate the sub-$500 budget. Fly-in weekends typically start at $600-$800 per person.

What's the cheapest weekend getaway in the US?

Drive-in trips to walkable mid-size cities. Specifically: Asheville, Savannah, Hot Springs, Annapolis, Lake Placid, and Galena routinely come in under $400 per person for 2-3 nights including everything.

Are weekend trips cheaper if you book midweek?

Yes, dramatically. Tuesday/Wednesday departure with Sunday return saves 15-25% on flights and 10-20% on hotels vs Friday/Saturday departure. The same trip can flip from $580 to $440 on the dates alone.

What if my budget is more like $300 per person?

Stick to driving distance, B&Bs that include breakfast, and one nice meal instead of three. Annapolis, Hot Springs, Galena, and most small Midwest/South towns work at $300/person for two nights. Don't try to do a sub-$300 weekend with flights involved — the math doesn't work.