Sure, you can throw yourself a big birthday bash. But instead, why not gather friends or steal away your special someone to celebrate your 30th on vacation?
Portland’s bottomless well of distilleries, breweries, and bars makes it the ideal city for a choose-your-own-adventure bar crawl. Dive bar graduates will love using Portland’s stylish Sentinel hotel as a celebratory base camp. The design bridges cheeky youthful sentiments like plaster taxidermy with sophisticated quality. Start your big night with creative cocktails at the hotel’s posh bar, Jackknife, before moving on to other options like Multnomah Whiskey Library and Doug Fir Lounge.
This eternally sunny mid-century enclave is the ideal bucket list girlfriend getaway for a social group that’s not too heavy on the partying. Thanks to a recent revival spurred by the Coachella crowd, the town is rife with hotel options that offer cool pool parties (Ace Hotel & Swim Club and Arrive), a throwback to Hollywood’s Golden Age (Riviera Palm Springs), and laid-back private courtyards (The Monkey Tree Hotel).
Round up a troop of your besties and take to the Colorado wilderness for a hut-to-hut hiking weekend, venturing across a network of basic but comfortable backcountry cabins in the Rockies. Connected by 350 miles of hiking routes, it’s one of the best ways for experienced hikers to see Colorado’s spectacular nature with a group. The Aspen-based 10th Mountain Division Hut Association maintains the 34 huts and provides essential trip planning information. The cabins are spacious, accommodating up to 16 people. Our pick? The angular midcentury Markley Hut, just south of Aspen.
Don’t let the throngs of kids fool you—the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is still a great place to spend your 30th birthday, especially with friends. Swap the traditional birthday cake for funnel cake and indulge in nostalgia on the seaside Ferris wheel. Keep the play theme going with a surf lesson on the beach, and book a suite overlooking the Pacific at the remodeled Dream Inn Santa Cruz (pictured), the city’s only hotel on the beach.
Surrounded by Sawtooth Mountains, this beautiful and active mountain town in Montana, just outside Glacier National Park, is a hotspot for Western-minded adventure—from fly-fishing to rodeos, skiing to hiking. Friends looking to celebrate while trying something new may want to get in touch with their inner cowboy at Bar W Guest Ranch, where trail rides, cookouts, and glamping are all part of the experience.