Tag Archives: weekend travel

7 Romantic Weekend Getaways

Ain’t love grand—from the all-consuming, heart-skips-a-beat, embracing in the rain kind of love to the deep-rooted, life-long love affair? Yes, cloud nine will put a spring in your step, and, as it turns out, it’s good for you too. Kissing lowers stress, prevents tooth decay, and reduces allergies, according to a 2006 study. Spooning can keep your heart ticking.  Hand holding can squash pain and stress. And writing an old-fashioned love letter can cut your cholesterol. So, whether you’re planning your honeymoon, anniversary celebration, here are seven romantic weekend getaways in the U.S., dreamscapes that’ll send your love into the stratosphere.

 

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Whether you’re sunning on sandy beaches, tucking into a stack of Blue Seafood & Spirits’ lump crab cakes, or strolling hand-in-hand under the star-studded sky, Virginia Beach is for lovers. Dive deep and explore the graveyard of the Atlantic, where the 19th century steam schooner, Eureka, sunk, leaving behind china dolls, miniature tea sets, and snuff bottles.

neptune virginia beach

Take a ride on the Rudee Rocket, a banana yellow boat with 2,000 horsepower, and watch bottlenose dolphins jump, flip, and surf. Or, tip the romance needle—downtown-style. Book a couples’ massage at the Green Leaf and Pebble Spa.  Then sip mai tais at Lunasea while listening to Reggae-bands like SoPoz.  Don’t forget to immortalize your romance. Snap an usie in front of Neptune, the 34-foot, trident-toting Roman sea-god, or one of the nearby LOVEworks.

 

Napa Valley, California

Raise a glass to love. Napa Valley reigns as the land of vine-laden, villa-style estates, quaint cottages, and candlelit courtyards. Roughly an hour’s drive north of the City by the Bay, this wine connoisseur’s paradise boasts over 36 different grape varieties. So, Cupid, arm your bow with a personalized wine blend from Judd’s Hill Bottle Blending Day Camp.  And if it creates romantic sparks, purchase four finished bottles for life-changing events, from vow renewals to your golden anniversary.

napa valley vineyard

Pamper each other at Spa Solage. Roll in its specialty mud, a mixture of spring water and volcanic ash, or relax in its lavender-infused sauna. Then watch the sun burst over the horizon together on a private hot-air balloon ride, complete with coffee, pastries, and—you guessed it—champagne.

 

Savannah, Georgia

With Spanish moss casting romantic shadows on cobblestone streets, Savannah, Georgia’s oldest city, is the place to hit your relationship’s refresh button. Book a room at the Planter’s Inn. Then spoon in your plush, terrycloth bathrobes, and watch Amelie on Netflix. Or, slip into a little black dress, and get your social on at its complimentary wine and cheese tasting. Stretch your legs on a Historic Walking Tour, where radio-personality T.C. Michael unravels Savannah’s secrets, from influential historic figures to ghost stomping grounds. Is your relationship in need of a little green therapy? Head out to Tybee Island and steal a kiss in the shadows before the first sunbeams awaken a fiery sky.

savannah georgia

Then get your heart pumping in a kayak for two. Paddle downriver for a chance to spot endangered wood storks, white ibises, or bald eagles. And don’t forget to pack your significant other a romantic, seaside picnic.  Earn brownie points: slip in a bag of River Sweet’s Salt Water Taffy.

 

Seattle, Washington

Sleepless in Seattle, Singles, 10 Things I Hate About You: Seattle goes to the hopeless romantics, according to Amazon’s annual list of the 20 most romantic cities in the U.S. Seattleites scrambled to buy Harlequin Romances— First Comes Love, Me Before You, and The Rosie Project —using Prime Same-Day Delivery, climbing to 14th place. Is it a Valentine’s Day coincidence? We don’t think so. The rainy city has plenty of places to plant one on the love of your life.

couple seattle skyline

The Space Needle is a hunka hunka burning love.  After all, it’s the place where Elvis Presley stole the heart of Joan Blackman in Kid Galahad. And it’s easy to see why.  At 520 feet, you can’t help but ‘ooh and ah’ over its panoramic view of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, as well as downtown’s indigo skyline and neon signs. At the Pink Door, wrap your fork around some Pappardelle Bolognese and enjoy off-the-beaten-path entertainment, from trapeze artists to tarot card readers. Then pick up a box of assorted truffles from Fran’s Chocolates and marinate in a rose-petal bath at Edgewater.

 

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson isn’t just for cactus wrens— it’s for lovebirds, too. Golfers, grab your drivers and conquer the The Sonoran Course: a championship-caliber green featuring nine-holes that trudge up and down the desert hillside. Foodies, let Gourmet Aire sweep you off your feet with a 45-minute aerial tour of the Tucson Vistas. Once you land, a limousine will whisk you away to Kingfisher, where you can savor a plate of fish and chips.

tuscan arizona couple hike

Have a single lady in your life?  Put a ring on it: ride horseback. That’s right. Saddle up and take your lady love on an evening trek through Saguaro National Park.  You can also add a little inner-city magic to your relationship at Sarlot and Eye’s Carnival of Illusion.  This Old-World magic show has a 35-member audience.  The result? Everyone gets a front-row seat.  That means these magicians and illusionists have got to be good. Bonus: the show will give you and your partner something to chat about long after your date has disappeared!

 

New York, New York

Here’s another reason to heart New York: Gothamites streamed the most love songs last year.  In this city that never sleeps, romance is just like Jane’s Carousel, a carnival ride from the 20s located in  : it keeps on spinning.  Luckily, you can relive that ‘butterflies in your stomach, first-love feeling’ at the Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory, where temperatures flirt with the 80s. You can surround yourself with blue morphos, zebra longwings, and monarchs. Or, you can walk into a real-life fairytale: The Cranford Rose Garden. It’s a perfumed landscape where tens of thousands of roses peek over the pavilions, cascade down arches, and pose in beds.

brooklyn nyc

After you’ve been nurtured through nature, grab some fresh oysters with lemon pepper granita and a cup of sparkling namesake at The River Cafe. Then wrap up your romantic rendezvous with a trip to the Empire State Building’s Top Deck, where you can see up to 80 miles away. As Frank Sinatra, “the Patron Saint of New Jersey”, croons you and your sweetheart can “make a brand new start of it, in old New York, [as] king [and Queen] of the hill, top of the heap.”

 

Knoxville, Tennessee

Surrounded by the swoon-worthy Smoky Mountains, Knoxville is a steamy Southern jewel.  Ignite a spark in your love life at Wine & Canvas’ “Paint Who You Love”. It’s like the sexy and iconic scene from Ghost—except there’s acrylics, a paint by numbers canvas, and a glass of pink champagne. You can also get cheek-to-cheek with your flame at one of Absolute Ballroom’s Group Classes. Exciting, flirtatious, and downright erotic, Absolute Ballroom’s weekend social dance parties will transport you back to Jane Austen’s 18th century, where balls were the ultimate occasion for an electrifying kind of courtship.

tennessee mountains couple

Competitive? Participate in The Cutting Edge’s Cake Wars. Flour, frosting, aprons: need we say more? And don’t forget to visit the Sunsphere. Built for the 1982 World’s Fair, its 24-carat gold panels are an iconic part of K-Town’s skyline. Good eats alert: its Primo Ristorante Italiano serves a filet and lobster entree with garlic mashed potatoes and fagiolini verdi that’ll send your heart aflutter.

Tips For Planning The Perfect Girls’ Getaway

Planning a girls’ trip can be a lot of hard work and effort, which can deter many from taking trips in the first place. In the spirit of having more vacations and more fun, we’ve put together a list of trip-planning essentials to use the next time you’re desperately needing a little getaway with the girls.

 

Pinterest it


Every great trip begins with Pinterest- heck, every great day begins with Pinterest if you’re a real addict (guilty). The app is an abundant resource for just about everything you need to know about anything, be it crafts, fashion, food, and – yes –  travel. I like to reference Pinterest before a trip for travel guides, packing tips, organizational hacks, and outfit ideas.

 

Do some Instagram research

WynWood Walls 😍 #miami #wynwood #tutuewellviajam

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Instagram is full of Influencers with stunning feeds, perfect outfits, delicious meals, and some seriously enviable lives. Influencers utilize geotags to attract more followers from their area, but geotags can be used the opposite way, to research the best places to eat, shop, stay, and take pictures! Simply search your location (ex. Miami Beach) and tap ‘Places’ and all sorts of pictures will come up that have been taken in that location. If you do some scrolling you’ll come across beautiful photos in all of the best places around your destination. Another thing I like to do on Instagram for trip-planning is look up specific restaurants to see pictures from real people of the food and atmosphere.

 

Use Travefy

The first time I used Travefy it took me a few minutes to navigate the site and play around with the features, but I could immediately tell it’s probably one of the most useful and comprehensive travel-planning sites on the internet! On Travefy you can culminate info for your flights, bookings, excursions, and travel documents. You can invite members to view and edit your plans, manage RSVP’s, and have group discussions and polls. There’s also a feature to discover places to stay, things to eat, and activities to do; all you have to do is enter a location and voila! Travefy also works to document expenses (which you can list and itemize so everyone knows where their share of the costs are going) and it can even split and collect money from trip-goers via PayPal.

 

Book an AirBnB

can u tell I’m excited 🙃☺️ #savannah #airbnb

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While some people like the idea of staying in hotels, I enjoy living like a local in the places I travel to, and that starts with staying in an Airbnb. Airbnb’s are perfect for girl’s getaways because everyone can stay in one place, rather than potentially having to split up in separate hotel rooms across separate floors. Airbnb’s are also generally less expensive than staying in hotels! I also like that there’s the option to cook in an Airbnb, which can save money and actually be a fun thing to do as a group!

 

Opt for a Staycation

wherever you go, whatever you do, i’ll always meet you there for a drink (or a vanilla iced coffee) 👯

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Cost can be a major roadblock in frequently having amazing times with your girlfriends, so keeping the budget manageable for all is key. The best way to keep expenses down is by having a staycation instead of going out of town. If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t explore your hometown or the places surrounding it often enough. It can be super fun to try restaurants and experiences around where you live that you might pass by daily but never step into. Choose to stay at one of your girls’ houses or spring for a hotel or Airbnb! A staycation will instantly save money since you won’t need flights, currency exchange, and so much more.

 

Swipe with Friends on Tinder

Tinder isn’t just for hookups or reconnecting with a hometown fling anymore; there’s now an option to swipe with friends and connect with other groups! You can create a group on Tinder, post what you’d like to do (whether that be drinks, coffee, skydiving) and connect with other groups that would like to do the same. A giant group-chat and adventure ensues, making this the perfect app to use on a girls’ trip if you’re looking to get some fun recommendations from locals or connect with other travelers!

 

Download the OurCam App

Keep calm and have a shoefie! #OurCam #NightOut

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OurCam is a collaborative app where the pictures you take are instantly uploaded to a group. Say goodbye to texting your friend a million times for that super cute photo of you on the beach and say hello to instant memories all in one place. People in your group also have the option to comment on individual photos – so everyone in the group is clear on what’s OK to post or not when you leave comments like ‘If anyone uploads this picture I’ll murder you.’ 🙂

 

A Coastal Paradise in Southern Maine

Maine. Simply, the word conjures feelings of tranquility and images of charming fishing villages, deep blue waters, and plates of fresh seafood. But while the northeastern-most U.S. state is the ultimate summer hotspot, you can still find a coastal paradise in Maine during the off season with less crowds and plenty to do.

Make York in Southern Maine your destination and prepare to spend a weekend falling in love with the town’s tiny villages, hiking through forests, and, of course, eating seafood.

 

Cliff House

Nestled atop Bald Head Cliff, Cliff House is the epitome of New England cool.

Fireplace Seating cliff house maine
Fireplace Seating at Cliff House in Maine

The captivating hotel is an ideal base for exploring the area in any month. During the cooler months, you can sit by the hotel’s many fireplaces, while during the warmer months the 70 acres that surround the hotel beckon, as does Cliff House’s lobster shack with, yes, lobster rolls. Between the spa, the spacious yet cozy rooms, and activities, that include tennis, hiking, kayaking, and more, it can be hard to actually leave the hotel and its grounds to explore the rest of the area.

*Featured image courtesy of Cliff House

 

Mount Agamenticus

Trail bridge [at] Mount Agamenticus
Trail bridge [at] Mount Agamenticus | Photo: nwriggs on Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Rejoice, outdoor lovers – Maine was made for you. Head to Mount Agamenticus, a 30,000 acre region, home to the largest remaining area of underdeveloped forests in coastal New England. Trails of various distances and difficulty levels allow visitors to explore Maine’s plants and animals and simply escape from busy lives for a few hours.

 

Nubble Lighthouse

nubble lighthouse maine
Nubble Lighthouse, Maine

No trip to Maine is complete without at least one lighthouse sighting. Spend a few hours exploring  Nubble Light.  Built in 1879, you can visit the historic lighthouse year-round, although the visitors center and gift shop is open April through October. For a view of the lighthouse by sea sign up for one of the tours of Maine’s coast offered out of Perkins Cove and sit back and take in the breaktaking scenery.

 

Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School

If you can’t make it through a homemade brunch without reaching for one of Stonewall Kitchen’s delicious jams, syrups, or baking mixes, a trip to this part of Maine should include learning from the masters themselves at the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School. You can reserve a class online up to 90 days in advance and there are seasonal classes, such as spring brunch or wintertime soups, as well as classes for different skill sets.

 

Shop, Shop, Shop throughout Southern Maine

Perkins Cove, Maine
Perkins Cove, Maine

York County is a shopper’s paradise and even those that would always rather be hiking should plan at least an afternoon window shopping. Bargain hunters should head to the Kittery Outlets where more than 120 stores offer deals of up to 60 percent off on designer goods, while lovers of quaint main-streets should go to Ogunquit’s Perkins Cove. The historic little village was once home to much of the county’s shipping and fishing industries but today is a destination unto itself for its historic streets, boutiques of local, handcrafted goods, and access to charter ships for whale watching and deep-sea and lobster fishing.

 

Museums

Dig into the history of Maine with a visit to some of the nearby museums. The Ogunquit Museum of American Art has a permanent collection of nearly 1,600 works including paintings, sculptures, and more from the Ogunquit arts colony whose artists include Edward Betters, Charles Woodbury, and Robert Laurent. If art isn’t your thing, the world’s oldest and largest museum of public transportation vehicles happens to be in Kennebunkport, Maine. The Seashore Trolley Museum holds more than 250 vehicles including 10 trolley and railroad cars.