Great U.S. Destinations for a Romantic Weekend
Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 10:52AM I recently got an email from a man who wanted ideas for the best place to take his wife for an anniversary trip during their summer holidays. He wrote:
If you were going to take your spouse somewhere in the USA (airline tickets in continental USA only) for a 25th wedding anniversary in May, where would you go?
First of all: Aawww, how sweet — and congratulations on the anniversary!
Since his criteria was a great US destination with romantic ambiance, here’s what I wrote back as suggested places for him and his wife:
URBAN PLACES
Chicago - yeah, Galavanting is headquartered here, but that’s not all that makes it awesome. It’s an easy flight itinerary since most places have direct routes. The city is vibrant and fun with gorgeous architecture. There’s so much to do, you can take a boat tour along the river through the city, have lunch at the fun Billy Goat Tavern (the basis for an hilarious Saturday Night Live skit), then take in the town all afternoon. There are any number of fantastic restaurants that are perfect for an anniversary dinner. Don’t forget to take her on a Chicago Chocolate Tour down the Magnificent Mile, and hang out at the Art Institute. Chicago a really fun place and can be very romantic, plus May is a perfect weather month here.
Boston - full of history, great food and the cleanest urban environment in the U.S. if you ask me. The city is really diverse and you can see anything from great theatre, to the Cheers bar, to Wine and Cheese Wednesdays. And don’t forget the lobster.
Among the many historic treasures (in the North American sense of the word) is the Paul Revere house along The Freedom Trail, which is a well-marked and easy to navigate a self-guided tour through the city. There’s also the Boston Ballet and Little Italy on the North End.
New York City - if you haven’t been there together, you should consider going. You can find pretty reasonable hotel rates now if you book early. Take in a Broadway show, and go to some of the best restaurants in the world. Chinatown, Tiffany’s, Jazz, Central Park, Times Square… There is so much to do…in fact, we’ll have a “Budget Weekend in NYC” Galavanting TV episode out in February! (We’ll be staying at Hotel 41).
CHARMING SMALL(ISH) CITIES
Burlington, VT - a really cute university town with lots of little B&Bs, good restaurants, coffee shops and indie bookstores along Church Street.
You could do a drive through the charming surrounding countryside of Vermont and sample local homemade fudge, maple syrups, and peruse cute antique shops. Another great excursion would be to go boating on nearby Lake Champlain (a.k.a. the ‘Adirondak Coast’).
New Orleans, LA - they’ve worked really hard to restore the town center and it’s a great place to visit, with its charming French Quarter buildings, unique culture and constantly fun stuff to do. An on another positive note, it will help their economy — which relies quite a lot on tourism.
There are lots of good deals on hotels and the food is amazing. Fun antique shops, lively jazz…and you could even take a Creole or Cajun cooking lesson together!
San Antonio, TX - I’m normally not a big Texas fan and can’t really believe it made my list, but this town is pretty cool. (Please no hate mail Texans…nothing personal!)
In San Antonio, stay in a cute local B&B on the riverfront and explore all the cute shops and restaurants along its River Walk. You can also check out The Alamo.
I hope this list sparked his anniversary-trip-planning imagination or gave the perfect suggestion. What about you Galavanting readers, what are your favorite romantic destinations in the US?
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Kim is editor-in-chief of Galavanting. She’s based in Chicago, IL and also does freelance writing for various outlets. Some of her other writing can be found in places like MarieClaire.com, The Huffington Post, and Babble. She has lived abroad, loves traveling, has three children and is always up for an adventure. She’s been to 25 countries…so far.
Kim is also founder of the Travel Blog Exchange.
Reader Comments (7)
Nice suggestions there. One of the places that I have on our list is Key West. Fly to Miami then head on through the Keys in a convertible and stay in an upscale B&B. Hopefully we'll make it one day.
Agreed re. New Orleans. And with the number of gaslight street lights it has, the romance factor is upped by at least 100!
I'd also add a handful of other Southern cities, including Savannah, GA (more romantic than that, you can't get) and Charleston, SC--or better yet, Beaufort, SC.
And don't forget islands that are part of the US. Vieques, an island that's part of Puerto Rico is SUPER romantic (not the least reason being that there are about 40 beaches which, even at peak season) are often empty. That's where I got married and there wasn't a soul on the beach that day!
I agree with keywest Florida. I had so much fun from eating keylime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick from a little bakery, to eating and buying rum cake which we loved. Staying at a nice B&B is my reccomendation. You can rent bikes and ride around, eat at many different places. It can be a lot fun.
Hey, I've been to all those places! Also, how about Toronto (almost in the U.S., really), Carmel, and the Napa Valley?
I'm planning on NYC! Woohoo!
I would definitely add Savannah to this list, too! It's such a beautiful and historical town. And only a stone's throw away from Charleston.
Also, Peterman's Eye Travel is hosting a travel photo contest and J. Peterman is judging the entries. Thought I'd share!
http://www.petermanseye.com/contest
Cheers!
Good suggestions! You might also be interested in National Geographic Traveler's romantic weekend getaways on our interactive map: http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/valentines-day/map/romantic-weekends-interactive