Costa Rica. My favorite place. If you can book a flight into Liberia Airport, there are many towns that are close by. Northern Costa Rica is dry, not humid, cactus plants grow there.

If you are interested in exploring this idea, I will give you further info. If you are thinking about President's week, I don't think you will have much luck.

LOL - that's our typical "long weekend" in Europe. Yeah, it's a long-ish flight, but... Southern California is beautiful - San Diego, especially. :) Should be nice and warm. Mexico isn't much farther than San Diego, so check for all-inclusive deals. Have fun!

I was actually thinking of SD, Chloe. I've never been there and have wanted to go. Costa Rica sounds lovely also.

Four nights in February...somewhere warm...from MSP... Scotsdale? Palm Springs? Vegas? Disneyland? Costa Rica sounds good; never been.

Do you want 'warm' or 'hot'? What about Arizona or New Orleans? New Mexico?

I'm hearing that, with a number of tropical destinations out of the running due to hurricane damage, this will be a pricey year to travel, so book soon...

Somewhere warm? Well, my niece is in Bangkok, Thailand right now with a group of fellow nurses doing some hiking. She says it is beautiful and quite warm...but a bit farther than you want to travel I'm sure. :)

San Diego is beautiful! It's not guaranteed to be warm in February but certainly much warmer than Wisconsin.

San Diego is in the mid 60s in February, so I am not sure that will be warm enough weather for you. But if it is, we love going to the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla. (that is where we will be for Thanksgiving.) While the hotel is not on the beach, it is a beautiful property with lovely grounds and excellent food. The beach and State Park (easy hiking) are a five minute drive away.

If the weather were warmer, The Del Coronado is an amazing hotel. It was built over 100 years ago in and extravagant holiday palace style. It is located right on the beach, you can rent bicycles, take surfing classes, have s'mores and build sand castles til your heart is content.

Make sure to check Trip Advisor for this hotel to know which rooms are best- they often are renovating a section, so the newer the better there.

Del Mar has beautiful beaches as well- just a minute from LaJolla.

Palm Springs is probably a better choice for weather, but we don't go there, so I have no suggestions. As I am sure you know, if you like mid-century architecture it is a Mecca for such.

ETA Pictures are Lodge at Torrey Pines, Torrey Pines State Beach and The Hotel Del Coronado.

How about a short cruise? Some of the ports might be 'in recovery', but I could be happy just staying on a ship and being pampered. I bet there are some 'deals', too, due to storm damage. (Paging Jim...)

Desert Hot Springs. You can be pampered there too. Stay at a Hotel Spa.

It's the perfect number of days to go to NY city. See several Broadway shows or other things going on, museums, go wandering to other sights, have lots of fun.

NYC can be frigid in February.

Scottsdale.

My husband and I like going to NY in February. Not too crowded. And yes it's cold but we don't get much of a winter in south Texas so it's a fun experience. Except when it's been snowing and you land knee deep in a puddle. lol

If you are considering Costa Rica you may want to double check what area you want to go to. They just had a 6.5 magnitude earthquake 2 days ago. So make sure the area is ok. I know it's a few months from now but just to be sure.

The OP does get a harsh winter, hence the desire for a warm climate vacation. :)

Southern California is in its rainy season in February, though they are saying this will be a dry La Nina winter. Palm Springs is warm and touristy, but unless you golf, there is not much to do in this basically retirement community. San Diego can be cool and cloudy in February, but there is lots to do there. And if you get some sunny days, it is quite beautiful.

I'll give another vote for Arizona. Tucson, the greater Phoenix area, Sedona. But check for local events, there is a lot of activity in February, and get your reservations early.

Santa Fe is likely to be chilly, too - although it's a LOVELY little city.

Several people on other forums have been talking about short trips to Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannah lately.

Sleeper, it's so ironic....one of my brothers and SIL traveled recently to California (Danville) to visit his son and family and made a point of making a two day detour to Minneapolis in order to spend time with our nephew and his family. They both loved it! Heck, they're planning on going back soon.

I just checked the weather for Santa Fe too. There is something very special about that town. It's a very nice change of pace.

I hadn't considered that February would be unpleasant in SD.

Maybe a nice resort in the desert. Spend time at the pool, go hiking. Sedona has some very nice resorts- from l'Auberge to Marriott properties.

I love NYC, but not in February, brrr. I need warmth. Thanks for all the great suggestions. San Diego still in the running, but the possibility for rain and 60's doesn't sound great. Maybe Arizona, that should be hot. Not in the mountains of course.

Rhizo, yes Minneapolis is a hidden gem. Many would never consider visiting there but there is so much to do.

brushworks, from my weather spoiled perspective, there isn't a time of year when NYC (or anywhere broadly thereabouts) has predictably good weather.

You don't go there for the weather. You go despite the weather and sometimes get surprised.

I've been to Santa Fe a couple of times and I struggle to understand what its attraction is to some. I'm not a boutique/gallery browser so maybe that's the problem. The best part of my last visit there was a drive to and visit of Los Alamos.

Add for last sleeper comment:

Neither San Diego nor Phoenix can be counted upon to be "warm" if that desire trumps other considerations. Certainly warmer than your area but perhaps not more than 60s and possibly rainy. If you want reliably warm weather, you'll need to go farther south - Mexico, Caribbean, etc.

If your niece is over 21, Las Vegas could be fun. The average temp there in February is in the 60's. Besides gambling, there are things to see and do like walking along the strip, great restaurants, all kinds of shows (Cirdque du Soleil is supposed to be fabulous), the High Roller Observation Wheel, The Neon Museum, The Mob Museum and the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at Bellagio. Outside of Vegas, there is the Hoover Dam and the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. If you won't have a car, I would imagine a person could sign up for a tour of these areas.

Plus, there are usually cheap flights available to Las Vegas because they are trying to lure the tourists there.

Whatever you decide to do, hope you have a great time!

San Antonio? Not sure what the temps would be like in February, though. It's in the 80s right now, while we in KY are dropping below freezing at night.

The thing with San Antonio is the weather can be so unpredictable. February can get pretty cold, but at the beginning of this year there was hardly a winter. January and February are usually "winter" for SA. lol

Eld, we too visited Costa Rica and flew into Liberia! It was a very interesting experience.

It dipped down into the 20's back in January or February. It does get cold in the lower part of Texas. It could just as easily be an 80 degree day. You just don't know. I wouldn't worry about what is called snow here, but we get get the cold wind from the North type of days which can bite a bit.

I'm not familiar with California weather. Santa Fe and even the lower parts of New Mexico can get snow and ice. I-40 sometimes gets shut down with blizzards.

I think Vegas could be a good option because there is so much to do there that is inside. My other choice would be to find a log cabin in a cold state with a big fireplace and good restaurants.

Littlebug, don't really know why, but I am smitten with the place! This year we will be visiting two new towns and repeating three.

Where did you go?

We went to Sedona in June. I loved it there. Of course, it was very hot. It's in the 60's though in February.

I don't want to be a downer, but I think anyplace really warm will probably be booked by now, especially with what has happened in the Carribean.

Sleeperblues, I just looked at a place that I enjoyed called Rio Perdio, 40 minutes from Liberia Airport. Since you only have a few days, this place would perfect for that. Not near a beach, but you walk to natural hot springs on the property. They have their own zip line on the property and whitewater rafting trip is available. They a walking trail through the mountains, again on the property.

Of course, you can get whatever spa treatment suits your fancy.

Guest stay in private bungalow with a porch and hammock chair. Beds can be pulled apart for two singles or left together for couples. Your bed is turned down each night and a cookie in a cut box is left on your bed each night.

Fun fact: since this property is north, it is very arid rather than humid. Cactus plants grow here. I always like being able to style my hair for dinner and not always have to ponytail it.

We spent a week in Costa Rica some years back, at a nice place near Jaco. We though it was okay, not more. The locals were very nice, food at the resort and in town wasn't more than so-so. We had a rental car and drove up and down the coast to a few National parks and other attractions. The jungle setting made it a bit too creature-infested for our taste, we encountered snakes and a scorpion in and near our room that we could have done without. Monkeys too, they were fun and benign.

We decided that the added hassle factor to get there (two flights and a wait in between made for a long trip in both directions) wasn't worth it. We like Hawaii a lot, it's an easier and shorter trip and what's available when we get there, we like better.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I think we narrowed it down to San Diego/Coronado. I've never been and have always wanted to go. We are fine with 60 degrees, better than the probably zero we will be leaving behind for a few days. We want to do active things, like hiking and bike riding. I found a darling new Airbnb on the island that comes with bikes. Thanks for all the help.

Also New Orleans.

sleeperblues, when you are on the island, there is a ferry that runs over to the San Diego waterfront every half hour. If you want to visit the waterfront, USS Midway, Gaslamp Quarter or Sea Village it's a very convenient way to get back and forth. Have fun on your trip!

One cannot count on ANY place in the US to be warm in February - even in March/April. Going somewhere warm will have to turn into "somewhere warmer" unless a long flight is involved.

I love to do the Old Town Trolley Tour in San Diego. It visits Coronado and all of the major areas like Balboa Park.

Closer to LA than San Diego but Dana Point, San Clemente, Laguna Beach...San Juan Capistrano...it's all lovely. Every beach is stunning. And I haven't been on it, but there's a train that goes up and down the coast that you can check out.

San Diego Zoo and/or Safari Park

https://www.smartdestinations.com/blog/san-diego-zoo-vs-safari-park/

I have always enjoyed Dana Point and Laguna Beach. The Ritz there is great we have some great memories from there. The beach is beautiful.

For Texas beaches I would go as far south as possible, Corpus Cristi, would probably be warm. Mustang Beach is a beautiful area.

Penny and Raven, that's where I live. They call it The California Riviera. So I feel I should add that Disneyland is close too. Lots of nice hotels (Ritz, Montage, St. Regis) some chains and some lovely local places such as The Blue Lantern Inn.