Many travelers these days aren’t slowing down after the sun sets. Nocturnal tourism—commonly known as noctourism—has been a major travel trend for 2025, with vacationers interested in everything from stargazing and chasing the Northern Lights to exploring destinations when temperatures are cooler and sunburns aren’t a concern. As a Florida resident, I definitely understand the appeal of activities that take place after the sun goes down, especially during the hot summer months.
In some locations, families don’t even have to leave their hotel or resort for some amazing after-dark experiences. Here are my picks for the best family-friendly hotels and resorts for noctourism activities.
1. Tenaya at Yosemite
Fish Camp, California
Surrounded by the natural beauty of Sierra National Forest and just two miles from the south entrance of Yosemite National Park, Tenaya at Yosemite is already a great hotel option for amateur astronomers. But it gets even better with the resort’s Night Skies Package, available through December 31, 2025.
The package includes a two-night stay, a blanket for staying warm after dark, a National Geographic star guidebook so you know what you’re seeing, a guided flashlight hike to explore the resort at night, and the chance to peer through telescopes at Jackson Road Loop Trail Meadow with the help of expert astronomers. The resort also offers the Sierra Stargazing program Wednesday to Saturday nights from April to October, which are led by an expert local astronomer.
2. Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Dorado, Puerto Rico
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve isn’t just a great place for a luxe beach vacation. The oceanfront resort is also a spot where families can enjoy the destination after dark. Its Ambassadors of the Environment program offers immersive noctourism experiences for children, adults, and families, including night snorkels using waterproof flashlights and the Wonders of the Night activity featuring storytelling, telescope viewing, and laser-guided constellation spotting. And for adults, a moonlight massage provides a memorable self-care experience.
3. Under Canvas
Multiple locations
As part of its Mindful Approach ethos, Under Canvas designed its camps to limit light pollution, maximize open spaces, and fit within the natural topography of the land where they’re located. As a result, stargazing is easy to do here, and the brand’s Zion, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell-Grand Staircase, Grand Canyon, and Moab locations were recently recognized as the world’s first official DarkSky-certified resorts. Under Canvas’s new We Own the Night campaign celebrates this achievement, offering complimentary camp programming like astronomy talks, full-moon hikes, star parties, and starbathing meditation sessions to encourage guests to look to the skies.
4. Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock
Sedona, Arizona
Located amidst a certified Dark Sky Community with clear high-desert skies and minimal light pollution, Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock offers both stunning red rock views and excellent star viewing. The resort holds stargazing sessions on Friday and Saturday nights by The Porch at ShadowRock Tap + Table, which also conveniently hosts family-style fireside s’mores for double the fun. Or you can gaze at the skies from your private patio if you book one of the resort’s Fire Bowl Suites.
5. Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
Jalisco, Mexico
Set on a private peninsula along Mexico’s “Happy Coast,” Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo occupies 2% of a protected nature reserve. Which means it’s a great spot for outdoor activities day and night. Families can take part in the Small Wonders Night Exploration, a lamplit experience led by the resort’s resident team of biologists and bug experts. There are also private starlit dinners, s’mores on the beach, and movies under the stars to go along with daytime fun like snorkeling, birdwatching, and swimming at the resort’s three-level pool and private beaches.
6. Yavapai Lodge
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Book a stay at Yavapai Lodge and you’ll have easy access to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, which is open 24 hours a day and is an ideal spot for seeing why the Grand Canyon has been recognized as an International Dark Sky Park. The hotel adds to that experience with its Stargazing Package that includes overnight accommodations, a pair of Celestron binoculars, a Petzel LED headlamp with night vision, a National Geographic night sky guidebook, and a pocket star finder.
Yavapai Lodge has also partnered with local NASA Solar System Ambassadors to host Night Sky Talks each month. The free noctourism events include a James Webb Space Telescope talk and a star-viewing party.
7. Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon
Cannonville, Utah
The first glass-dome resort in the U.S., Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon offers a stay that’s truly out of this world. Floor-to-ceiling panoramic glass allows you to sleep under the stars without having to rough it, as each climate-controlled dome features high-end mattresses and private baths. The resort makes the most of its secluded 80-acre setting with activities like campfires and s’mores and stargazing tours. It’s also just 15 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park, an International Dark Sky Park that hosts full-moon hikes and weekly stargazing programs.
8. Atlantis
Paradise Island, The Bahamas
Atlantis is known for over-the-top amenities like its massive water park. But its Marine Life Camping Adventure offers families the opportunity for some after-dark fun, too. The noctourism experience includes kayaking alongside dolphins at dusk, an exclusive twilight snorkel, a behind-the-scenes nighttime tour with Atlantis’s expert Sea Keepers, and an overnight stay under the stars in climate-controlled tents set along the shores of the resort’s Dolphin Cay. It’s definitely a unique way to experience the popular Bahamas resort.
9. Evergreen Lodge, Rush Creek Lodge & Spa, and Firefall Ranch
Groveland, California
If you’re visiting Yosemite National Park, you won’t go wrong with a stay at sister properties Evergreen Lodge, Rush Creek Lodge & Spa, and Firefall Ranch. And after a day at the park, you can turn your attention to the night sky with a stargazing session at one of the resorts. You’ll get to look through a Unistellar telescope with the help of a Star Guide, who uses a high-powered laser pointer to spotlight constellations, star clusters, and other stellar sights. And you’ll want to make sure you fuel up before the astronomical action at the resorts’ nightly s’mores-making sessions.
10. Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson serves as the headquarters of DarkSky International, so of course it’s a great place for stargazing. Stay at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and you can take part in a complimentary, family-friendly stargazing adventure in partnership with the University of Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter. Offered three times a week, the experience includes guided telescope observations and provides insight on everything that’s visible in the Sonoran Desert night sky.
11. Carneros Resort and Spa
Napa, California
A relaxing escape in the middle of California wine country, Carneros Resort and Spa offers plenty of fun for kids and grownups. Book one of the cottages here and you can add on the Camp Carneros kids set-up that includes a tent, sleeping bag, lanterns, and a kid-friendly campfire with s’mores kit. You can also rent one of the resort’s telescopes to admire the stars from your cottage backyard, reserve a private backyard movie night experience, or enjoy a complimentary movie under the stars on the resort’s lawn.
12. ADERO Scottsdale Resort
Scottsdale, Arizona
The only Autograph Collection Resort in a certified Dark Sky Zone, ADERO Scottsdale Resort offers a signature night sky program called Find Your Way. The complimentary experience includes a private star-viewing session upon request using high-definition telescopes, exclusive use of the Star Walk 2 mobile app, and Friday night sky tours with the resort’s “Star Dudes” (based on seasonality). And the area near the resort will become even more stellar with the new International Dark Sky Discovery Center opening later in 2025.
