Best Mother's Day vacation spots in the South

Need a great Mother's Day gift? Try taking mom on a trip. (iStock)

Traveling is a terrific way to ensure the mom in your life is showered with love for Mother’s Day.

Even if the kids are tagging along, there are still places to explore where the whole family can enjoy while mom also finds relaxation and comfort.

And the charm of the South offers up several fantastic destinations for a weekend escape.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Moms will love the clean and quiet beaches of Hilton Head. Rent a bike to ride around the island, explore the shops at Coligny Plaza, take the kids to a movie theater that doesn’t crush your wallet with its prices ($6 for matinee show) or just soak up the sun on the beach and relax the day away.

You won’t find huge partygoers on the beach here, which is great for families looking to safely enjoy the sand and the ocean with their little ones.

Hilton Head Island offers beaches and great restaurants. (Hilton Head Island offers beaches and great restaurants.)

The seemingly endless options of tremendous restaurants throughout Hilton Head is a great bonus as well. If you’re having trouble picking, I highly recommend It’s Greek to Me, located just near the Coligny Plaza. You won’t find a better authentic taste of Greece anywhere else in the South.

Asheville, North Carolina

Perhaps your mom is a bit more outdoorsy and would prefer to hit some hiking trails and explore nature? Or maybe you want your mom to receive a luxury spa treatment? Or even a place to sample craft beer?

Well, Asheville has all that and more. The North Carolina mountains are beautiful year-round, and there are a number of romantic trails to hike. Asheville is also home to The Spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn, a luxury resort with a sensational spa facility that will leave you speechless. It has 20 water features and several ways to customize a spa day or weekend for mom.

Additionally, Asheville has the most breweries per capita, making it the brewery capital of America. Several of the breweries have outdoor areas where kids can roam while the adults can taste some of the best craft beer in the country.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Adult families need to have fun together too, and The Big Easy is an ideal spot for those old enough to enjoy the night life scene. The reputation of Bourbon Street is well known and should be on every adult’s bucket-list.

Is the whole family grown up? How about a trip to New Orleans. (Is the whole family grown up? How about a trip to New Orleans.)

That said, there are still several ways for the entire family to have fun even if you bring the children along. Take a horse and carriage ride around the French Quarter and let your tour guide amaze the kids with the history of New Orleans. Make a stop at Café Du Monde and watch their eyes light up at the sight of those amazing beignets.

The Royal Sonesta New Orleans is a beautiful hotel to stay and visit as well, especially if you love jazz. The Jazz Playhouse is a place with soothing sounds to relax the night away. What mom wouldn’t love that, right?

And if mom needs to step out for a drink while dad watches the kids, she’s got plenty of options, including one of the oldest bars in America: Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop.

Jekyll Island, Georgia

A perfect spot for a relaxing retreat, Jekyll Island is a small island with wide open beaches located off the coast Georgia. If mom is looking for a true escape from the world, you can’t do much better than this. What was once a secluded island for the elites of America (the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Pulitzers, etc.), it is now one of the largest preservation projects in the Southeast and was named a state park in 1947.

Discover the beauty of the island and take a historic tour; jump on a bike and explore it all on your own; take the whole family fishing or just chill out on the beach.

Jekyll is also home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, which educates visitors about the creatures and has several interactive exhibits to experience. On Mother’s Day weekend, Jekyll will be hosting the Turtle Crawl, a 5K run and 10K race to help benefit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Charleston, South Carolina

If mom is looking for the beach but also a bigger city, Charleston mixes both. Hit Folly Beach with the family for a day of fun in the sun and then do dinner downtown. A gorgeous city everywhere you turn, Charleston is home to cobblestone streets, historic architecture and beautiful pastel antebellum houses.

The colorful houses on “Rainbow Road” are a stunning view for the entire family to walk through. Additionally, the city has several tours to take for those interested in exploring the history of “Chucktown.” Check out the harbor boat tours, the Boone Hall Plantation or the pirate tours!

The city is full of so much southern charm, there’s a reason why Southern Living named it the best city in the South.