Bunnies, egg hunts and family hoppenings.
By Katrina Brown Hunt
With Easter just around the corner, kid-friendly resorts are offering spring savings along with bunny-themed events and thousands upon thousands of hidden eggs. Here are eight resorts planning special fun-filled Easter celebrations:
Where: Washington, DC Why: Because in honor of this swanky hotel’s 88th birthday, a total of 88 decorative Easter Eggs will be hidden in randomly selected guest rooms during the week of March 24-31. If you find a Mayflower Easter egg, you can claim a prize at the front desk from an adult or kid-friendly Easter basket. Some of the prizes include Marriott Rewards Points, a milk-and-cookie turndown, or complimentary future two-night weekend stays.
Where: Austin, TX Why: Because this luxurious golf resort has a stellar line-up of Easter weekend activities both indoors and out. At Saturday’s Easter Carnival, there is face painting, balloon art, and a huge egg hunt. All weekend, families can play giant volleyball, race with kickboards, or go diving for golf balls in the pool. Indoors, there’s a games room with Nintendo, Wii, Ping-Pong, and foosball. Kids get their own Easter baskets, and plenty of chances to see the Bunny roaming the grounds.
Where: Hershey, PA Why: Because while the smell of chocolate wafts through the air all year in Hershey, at Easter the lawn is literally covered with cocoa. This elegant hotel right outside Hersheypark offers Easter weekend cookie decorating, egg hunts, bingo, pool games, s’mores, character appearances, a non-denominational sunrise service and a Hershey’s Kiss Hunt.
Where: Amelia Island, FL Why: Because this ultra-plush resort near Jacksonville puts on the ritz with a classy Easter celebration every year. Special festivities include a “Cotton Tail” tea party, beach bonfire, family movie night under the stars, bunny tuck-ins, and a sunrise Easter service followed by brunch and an egg hunt.
Where: Myrtle Beach, SC Why: Because the Grand Strand is notorious for family fun (see Myrtle Beyond-the-Beach), and the Marina Inn at Grand Dunes is offering a roster full of eggcellent activities. Start off the weekend on Friday with egg and cookie decorating, and a family movie night with s’more roasts under the stars. During the rest of the weekend, there’s an egg hunt, a savory Easter brunch, and visits with Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail. In between all the Easter activities, families can rent bicycles, take in a round of golf, or go for a swim in the indoor pool.
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Resort
Where: San Diego, CA Why: Because this bayside San Diego resort — featuring water sports, easy access to the beach and a big pool complex with slides — combines theme park fun with holiday festivities. Holiday weekend activities include meet-and-greets with the Easter Bunny, egg-decorating crafts and both a grass-based and underwater egg hunts.
Atlantis Resort
Where: The Bahamas Why: Because this iconic megaresort does everything in a big way, and the Easter celebration is no exception. Expect bunny tuck-ins, a Saturday eggs-travaganza with carnival-style games, arts and crafts, prizes, live entertainment, and t-shirt dying. The Sunday-morning egg hunt will feature over 3,000 eggs.
Where: Copper Mountain, CO Why: Because this family-favorite ski resort is hosting Colorado’s largest Easter-egg hunt with over 50,000 eggs scattered throughout the resort and village — including special “copper” eggs that kids can redeem for prizes such as ski lessons, gift cards, t-shirts, and perhaps even a season pass for next year. Other Easter festivities include egg decorating, egg roll races, and visits with the Easter Bunny.
Where: Pinehurst, NC Why: Because this hallowed golf resort is surprisingly kid-friendly and Easter weekend offers myriad opportunities for families to have fun together. The weekend roster includes a resort-wide scavenger hunt, bounce houses, face-painting, an egg toss, and a birdhouse-painting workshop. Aside from the usual Easter Sunday egg hunt, there’s also a flashlight egg hunt on Friday night to give bigger kids a challenge, followed by a family movie.
