Suddenly it's the end of January and you realize the children will be off for Presidents' Day next month -- an ideal opportunity to squeeze in a short family vacation. Here are 10 family-friendly winter escapes you can run off to for a weekend or longer at a range of prices.

BANFF, ALBERTA

For the kids: Spotting wolf tracks on snowshoe tours, yelling "mush!" from a dogsled and trying out gentle slopes for beginner skiers and boarders. For ages 8 and up, there are also walks through frozen gorges. Banff Adventures Unlimited offers four-hour ice walks through Grotto Canyon, past unusual rock formations, native rock art and icefalls ($40 Canadian for children 8 to 12; $62 for adults).

For the grown-ups: Three ski areas (Mount Norquay, the Lake Louise Ski Area and Sunshine Village) in a UNESCO World Heritage site, Banff National Park. After a day on the mountain, adults can enjoy some farm-to-table dining or soak their sore muscles in hot springs. Family rates for two adults and two children (17 and younger) at Banff Upper Hot Springs are $22.50.

Where to stay: The Douglas Fir Resort & Chalets, about four minutes from downtown Banff, has two indoor water slides and offers rooms with full kitchens and fireplaces, from $109 a night. The Fairmont Chateau in Lake Louise, just outside Banff, offers supervised activities in its playroom during ski season for ages 3 and up. Rates start at $279 a night; children 5 and under eat free.

GRAND CAYMAN

For the kids: Swimming with stingrays (Stingray City), stroking the chin of a sea turtle (Cayman Turtle Farm) or snorkeling just off shore. Or visit the Blue Iguana Recovery Program, which offers "safari tours" for spotting the rare creatures ($10; free for children 12 and under) at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.

For the grown-ups: Lounging in hammocks under great pine trees (Rum Point) and spectacular diving. The newest dive site is the USS Kittiwake, a submarine rescue ship, which the Cayman Islands government submerged off the coast of Seven Mile Beach last year for tourists to explore and for wildlife to inhabit.

Where to stay: Sunshine Suites Resort, a short walk from the beach, has suites with two queen beds, a full kitchen and dining area from $220 a night including Internet. The Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa on Seven Mile Beach has a Kids' Club and offers water sports through its Red Sail Sports program. Rates start at $349 a night.

MIAMI

For the kids: Feeding parrots at Jungle Island, spotting manatees from glass-bottom boats (Biscayne National Park), and easy biking along shoreline trails. Miami Beach has a bike sharing program with rental stations all over the city.

For the grown-ups: Beach yoga, Art Deco gems and loads of shopping, dining and night-life options. There are also free outdoor evening "Wallcast" concerts and movies projected onto a 7,000-square-foot wall of the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center.

Where to stay: Fontainebleau Miami Beach has 10 pools, a 40,000-square-foot spa, two nightclubs and Kids Night Out programs on weekend evenings. Rooms start at $489 a night. Hotel Urbano at Brickell is a 65-room art-inspired hotel in downtown Miami with a pool. The hotel offers discounts for Miami Seaquarium. Room rates start at $209.

MONT TREMBLANT SKI RESORT, QUEBEC

For the kids: Three beginners' ski areas and lessons (from $95 Canadian for ages 3 and up), plus ice-skating, snowshoeing and sleigh-riding. Ages 3 and up can go dog sledding for between $83 and $142 a person for a two-hour excursion.

For the grown-ups: Ninety-five trails and a casino that is a short gondola ride away. Just off-site, you can spend the day soaking in thermal waters at the Nordic-themed Scandinave Spa from $48 a person. French cafes and a village-style atmosphere will make you feel like you're "in the Alps," said Kyle McCarthy, editor at FamilyTravelForum.com.

Where to stay: Hotel rooms within the pedestrian village start at about $170 a night from Feb. 20 to March 16, including free ice-skate rentals, tube sledding evenings and early mountain access through the resort's first tracks program. Book before Feb. 14 for $99 five-day lift tickets for ages 6 to 17.

NEW ORLEANS

For the kids: Streetcar rides, cemetery tours, beignets and king cake. There are also pre-Mardi Gras parades with glittering floats and G-rated bead throwing, including one specifically for kids, the all-female Krewe of Brid, on Friday in the Lakeview neighborhood.

For the grown-ups: Creole cuisine, zydeco-blaring bars, live jazz and plantation tours. For smaller crowds, better bargains and less bacchanalia, avoid Mardi Gras, which falls on Feb. 21.

Where to stay: The Hyatt Regency New Orleans, which reopened in October after a $275 million renovation, has rooms from $189 a night. The stylish International House is near the city's Children's Museum and has rooms from $159 a night.

NORTH GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

For the kids: Surfing lessons, zip-lining through tropical forests and spotting monkeys in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Guanacaste Tours offers a range of family-friendly adventures from adrenaline-pumping canopy tours ($40 for teens; $50 for adults) that involve rappelling, rock climbing, hanging bridges and zip lines in a forest canyon carved out by the Blanco River to beginner trail rides on easygoing horses ($15 for children 4-10; $20 for adults).

For the grown-ups: Hikes to waterfalls, volcano-heated thermal pools and mud baths. Try the thermal volcanic mud water pools and clear water hot springs at the Simbiosis Spa, at the Hacienda Guachipelin Hotel (entrance fee is $15). Spa treatments are reasonable, starting at $65 for an hour massage.

Where to stay: The Westin Playa Conchal Resort & Spa, an all-inclusive, all-suite beachfront resort. Rates start at $420 a night, plus $135 a night per child. Hotel Riu Guanacaste, a 701-room all-inclusive resort on Mata Palo Beach with daily activities for ages 4 to 12, has rates from $178 per person a night and $89 per child (ages 2 to 12) a night.

PARK CITY, UTAH

For the kids: Hot air balloon rides, horse-drawn sleigh rides and skiing and snowboarding galore. Or head to Gargoza Park, where children 3 and up can enjoy lift-served tubing hills. Children 5 to 12 can zip around in miniature snowmobiles.

For the grown-ups: Three mountain resorts (Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and Canyons Resort) to choose from and more than 100 restaurants and bars, boutiques and galleries. In search of adrenaline-inducing activities? At Utah Olympic Park, it costs $200 to race down the bobsled track with a pilot.

Where to stay: Chateau Apres in downtown Park City, a short walk to Park City Mountain Resort and less than 5 miles from Deer Valley Resort or Canyons Resort by free public transportation. Rates start at $110 a night for two people, $135 for three and $160 for four, including daily breakfast. The Jupiter Inn, a free shuttle ride away from the slopes, has upscale one-bedroom condominiums from $310 a night.

RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

For the kids: Miles of white sand beaches, freshwater caves called cenotes -- complete with stalagmites and stalactites -- where you can snorkel or dive, and ancient Mayan temples. Tour the Tulum ruins, on a bluff facing the sea.

For the grown-ups: Ditto. Adults will also appreciate some high-end pampering for less. Mexico's drug war has cast a pall over the entire country and scared tourists away from popular resort areas like the Riviera Maya, which has remained safe for visitors. As a result, "they are practically giving it away," said Marrilee Foukal McLean of Alabama World Travel, a Virtuoso travel agency in Montgomery, Ala.

Where to stay: Ana y Josee Charming Hotel & Spa in Tulum has family-friendly suites from $342 a night. Grand Velas Riviera Maya offers butler service, a 75,000-square-foot spa, a spacious infinity pool and a Kids Club. Rates start at $332 a person per night, based on double occupancy. Children up to age 12 are 2 for 1 at $105 per night.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

For the kids: Kite-flying in front of an old Spanish fortress (El Morro), feeding pigeons that inhabit the Old City (Parque de las Palomas), hiking to waterfalls in El Yunque rain forest, less than an hour's drive away. Admission to El Yunque National Forest, open daily, is free. El Portal Rain Forest Center, near the entrance, has interactive displays. Admission is $4; free for ages 15 and under.

For the grown-ups: Wandering the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, exploring the arts scene in Santurce and sunbathing on soft sand beaches.

Where to stay: The Caribe Hilton, where children under 18 stay free and children under 5 eat free, offers weekly activities situated around two swimming pools, a 17-acre tropical park and a private beach. Rates start at $249 a night for rooms with two double beds if booked in January for travel in early February. Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort, east of San Juan near Luquillo Beach, is offering a Winter Super Sale with savings up to 40 percent off for stays of four nights or more booked by Feb. 2. Rates begin at $148 a night.

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.

For the kids: Cactus-dotted nature trails in the Sonoran Desert, Indian artifacts, a railroad park with real steam locomotives, and Western-flavored activities, from cowboy-style horseback riding to visits to ghost towns like Goldfield Ghost Town, less than an hour away, which stages gunfights (free admission) on weekends. Also, for a fee, Goldfield has train rides, mine tours and gold-panning demonstrations.

For the grown-ups: Gallery hopping, sunning by the pool and a high-energy night-life scene in a manageable downtown. For architecture buffs, there are also guided tours of Taliesin West, which Frank Lloyd Wright began building in 1937 as his winter home, from $24 a person.

Where to stay: The Saguaro, a new Joie de Vivre hotel with two heated outdoor pools in the heart of Old Town, is offering 100 rooms each week at $100 a night through February with promo code PROPEN. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has a kids' clubhouse ($30 half-day; $60 full-day) for ages 5 to 12 so parents can escape to the spa or golf course. Rates from $349 to $369 a night with the Sip, Savor and Swing package, which comes with a $100 daily credit that can be applied to dining, spa or tennis.