Looking for honeymoon ideas

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m getting married in April (yay!) and we’re starting to think of honeymoon spots. But there’s a catch. We need to stay within the US. I’m Canadian and will be applying for a green card once we’re married, and while all that paperwork is pending, I’m essentially stuck in the country. Which is ok, really, because I’m sure there are a million great places to honeymoon in this country without needing to fly off someplace exotic. We’ll be going to Italy when all the papers clear, but we definitely want to do a little something right after the wedding, to relax and de-stress and have a whole lot of sex. :slight_smile:

We’re in Maryland, near Baltimore. The wedding is in late April. We’d like it to be affordable because we have the Italy trip in the works for later. I’m not really the wilderness type, so a camping or cabin vacation wouldn’t be great since I’d likely be watching for bugs and spraying Raid in every corner during the whole stay. We like to explore new cities and try local food and visit museums and historical things, but we don’t want to be anywhere too hectic, like NYC or Vegas, where we’ll feel like we need to be out doing things all day. Then again, we don’t want to be completely bored, and need to have some options for stuff to do. It would be nice to have something within a reasonable driving distance, but if we can get very cheap flights, then further destinations are ok.

Key words that pop up when I’m thinking about the honeymoon: relaxing, affordable, interesting, pretty.

Thoughts?

2

It sounds like New Orleans would fit the bill nicely. It isn’t super-expensive especially for what you get, it is very historical, romantic and fun. It makes a good honeymoon destination. It can be hot as soon as April but not unbearably so. You might like Charleston, SC if you want something a little closer and within driving distance.

3

What about Puerto Rico? I understand San Juan has a lovely old town, and you could beach it up as much or as little as you like.

Closer to home, Shenandoah National Park has several actual hotel/resorts (not just buggy rustic cabins.) Perhaps Skyland Resort would work for you, it opens for the season April 2nd. If you feel like exploring there’s plenty of historical tourism in the area (Monticello, etc), and lots of restaurants in and around Charlottesville.

4

The problem with Puerto Rico (and the US Virgin Islands) is that the fine print says “No passport required for US citizens”. And, while I am here legally, I am not a citizen. I’d be scared to get in trouble and I’m not willing to take any risks in case they decide to deport my ass.

That Skyland resort sure is pretty, I’ll look in to that for sure, thanks!

5

New Orleans as was suggested is a nice idea. There is nothing like sitting at a table at the Cafe du Monde sipping cafe au lait and nomming beignets [and you can get orange juice there if you must be healthy…] as the sun comes up after a leisurely evening out listening to jazz and some quality time together - now and then I get a can of the coffee with chicory and revisit some memories =) though I have not been there since Katrina, so I am not sure what has been reconstructed and what hasnt.

Virginia Beach can be very nice - you can laze on a beach in the day catching sun, and there are a number of good places to eat, and if you feel ambitious you can rent a car and drive up to WIlliamsburg and do the colonial thing. There used to be a nifty place to eat near Military Circle in Va Beach called Grate Steak, where you pick and cook your own steak, not sure if it is still there, and an all you can eat seafood place called Captain Georges.

Monterey, California. How about going to a food festival, I have always wanted to go to the Castroville Artichoke festival as I absolutely love artichokes. Gilroy has a garlic festival if you like the stinking rose, and Indio has a date festival, try the date shakes if you have a serious sweet tooth. Well, Indio is actually in southern California, but you get the idea.

I believe I read online that there was still a riverboat cruise down the Mississippi that ends in New Orleans, how about a cruise? It is still in the US, and you can relax and watch the scenery roll by on old man river =)

6

A few pointers if you go that route.

  1. Check out Luray Caverns. It’s really very cool, and for a roadside attraction they’ve kept it pretty classy.
  2. The Inn at Little Washington is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in the world. It costs, oh yes it does (prix fixe is around $150 per person), but it might be worth the splurge if you are into destination eating.
  3. MUCH cheaper, but still a good, upscale restaurant, and near the park entrance is the Thornton River Grille.
  4. Resist the urge to stay in Front Royal at the north end of the park. It’s boring and charmless. If the Skyland isn’t working out for whatever reason, I’d take a look at Sharp Rock B&B. I’ve never stayed there but I’ve been for wine tastings and the people are really sweet. Its very close to the Shenandoah Nat’l Park. They have big goofy farm dogs, which is either a plus or a minus. :slight_smile:
7

Asheville, North Carolina. A Times review reveals how cool it sounds. As the article points out, it’s called the Paris of the South - and not sarcastically. It has all the flavor and amenities of a huge city, without the people and prices. I love that they have small coffeeshops that serve chocolate and pastries - but are open late at night! It’s like a bar, but for the older, health-conscious folks. But it suits me at 22 just fine - I certainly feel a young vibe there. It’s fairly affordable - you could stay in a nice hostel, or an econobox chain hotel. The public transit is very good, and things are generally in walking or biking distance from West Asheville.

8

I have been to New Orleans post-Katrina. The French Quarter wasn’t hit that terribly to begin with (all things considered) and was the first thing to be restored because tourism is the major industry. It looks pretty good and is even cleaner now than it was pre-Katrina. The same is true for other popular areas of the city. There is still true devastation in some (former) residential areas but you won’t see those unless you want to. New Orleans is mostly back in service for tourism.

9

Hawaii deals can be found for very cheap these days. You also get the feeling of being out of the country. Otherwise I’d suggest the Florida Keys or New Orleans, as has been previously mentioned.

10

In the Shenandoah area, we enjoyed visiting Blue Ridge Pottery, which offers guided tours of the pottery studio. They also have a B&B, but I haven’t stayed there. We also enjoyed touring and wine tasting at Cross Keys vineyard, and visiting nearby Harrisonburg, VA.

I also wanted to suggest Savannah, GA. It’s romantic, historic and close enough to Hilton Head or Tybee Island if you want to spend some time walking at the beach.

IMO Asheville is quaint but tiny. My visit was brief but my impression was that there wasn’t lots of stuff to do. The hiking in the area is beautiful, though.

11

If you like casinos, there’s Tunica, MS. Gambling, great food, bands/shows, close to Memphis–Beale Street, Graceland, Zoo; also close to Clarksdale, which I think has a Blues museum and a restaurant owned by Morgan Freeman. Day trippable stuff from there includes two National Battlefields–Vicksburg and Shiloh. The Casinos are hurting in this economy, so they might have some deals/promos for honeymooners.

12

Well, first you both get nekkid. . .

13

It’s usually super cheap to get to most anywhere in Florida from Baltimore. I’m going to suggest - don’t laugh too hard - Fort Myers, Florida. At least for a first stop. Go and explore Sanibel/Captiva Island - shelling on beautiful beaches, shell museum, Ding Darling Preserve, etc. Pretty, relaxing, and not too expensive (unless your hotel is on the island). That should be good for a couple of days, at least. For historical sites, go and see the Ford/Edison Winter Estates in Fort Myers. The Everglades are just a day trip away. If you need a change of location after a few days, you could drive down to the Keys (about 5.5 hours to Key West) or over to Miami (about 2.5 hours).

Whereever you wind up going, have a great time!

14

I would suggest Key West. If you’re looking for interesting, this place definitely has that.

15

The places I was going to suggest (some of which have already been named) all fit the same description:

they’re in the southern USA, going there in the summer can lead to visits to the ER, but the weather is nice in April.

So, from the Keys to San Francisco, via New Orleans or Phoenix, take your pick!

16

We honeymooned in Williamsburg, VA, and loved it. We stayed at Kingsmill Resort and Spa and have been back since then - great service, including free shuttle service to all the local attractions. We were able to drive from MD each time, and aside from normal traffic in Northern VA, it wasn’t a bad drive.

My dad has had wonderful things to say about Savannah, GA for years, and it’s on my list of places to go.

17

When the hubby and I lived in the Baltimore area (didn’t I meet you at a Dope The Halls??), Williamsburg was one of our fave places to visit. The very first time we went there as a couple, our oldest was only three months old. We left her with my mother so we could have a getaway. To say we were on a ‘shoestring’ budget would be overly generous. We were on a ‘broken shoestring’ budget! If you stay in Colonial Williamsburg, and get Patriot’s Passes, and all that, it can really add up fast! But we found a hole-in-the-wall motel just outside the Colonial district for $35.00/night (remember this was 22 years ago), didn’t get passes to the Colonial District, which meant some sites were off-limits to us (but many were not) and we couldn’t ride the shuttle bus. That meant we had to park at the Visitor’s Center and walk our way around town. It’s all pretty closely huddled together, anyway.

We had an excellent time, and years later, we re-visited for a Colonial Williamsburg Christmas (with all three kids in tow, plus a friend of our middle daughter; but this time, we could afford stuff).

They have a lot of package deals, especially during the Fall season. If you’re willing (and that’s a big ‘if’) to take a couple hours out of a day to tour a timeshare facility, you can probably get free tickets to either Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, or a coupon for a really nice seafood dinner.

Some years later, when I was pregnant with our final child (now 9), we toyed with the idea of moving to the Raleigh, NC area, so we spent a long weekend there. It was really nice, too, and we found good deals. They even had a theater (Raleighwood; don’t know if it still exists) that showed a second-run movie (October Sky, as I recall) and served a full dinner, complete with waitress. It was really nice.

Right now, especially, it’s easy to find good travel deals. Go to priceline.com and try the “name your own price” feature to find a decent hotel at rock-bottom prices (they are not paying me to say this!). Also, call visitor’s centers or get email addy’s for places you’d like to visit and phone or email to see what kind of “package deal” you can arrange.

Above all, best of luck, and congratulations! I’ve been married for over 20 years now, and recommend it highly, as long as you find the right spouse! :wink:

18

My brother and SIL went there on their honeymoon - only to the Biltmore…which is not the same as going to Asheville, but it’s in Asheville :slight_smile: You could go stay at the Biltmore and go out and visit “the real Asheville” or conversely, stay in “real Asheville” and visit the Biltmore.

They chose The Biltmore because it was reasonably close (not too bad of a drive from Cleveland), reasonably priced and yet very fancy-dancy and relaxing.

19

Also, if you go to Williamsburg, in the last week of April (22-25th) there is School for Wives by Moliere on the William & Mary mainstage, very fun play, tickets ~$10. April is a nice time of year, just watch out for allergies! Everything will be in bloom!

(I went to William & Mary)

20

The Napa area is really nice. Great food and wine, charming bed and breakfasts, and spas.