Our Favorite U.S. Destinations to Visit for a Honeymoon Road Trip

You've exchanged vows, toasts, and forkfuls of cake. Now it's time for a trip that keeps the fun and romance flowing. Maybe you're staying closer to home than you imagined, or postponing your two-week getaway and setting out on a mini-moon right now. Travel advisory: Your smaller getaway can still be magical, especially when you turn your honeymoon into a road trip. Picture this: Just you, your husband, and the open road. What could be more romantic than that? We've scouted standout destinations between our country's two coasts that just about anyone could drive to—all that's left to do is plan your dreamy escape.

With so many incredible travel options right here in the United States, there's no excuse not to pack up and go after the nuptials. To start planning, determine what your ideal road trip honeymoon looks like. Do you want to visit just one destination, making the journey there and back the bulk of the adventure, or are you looking to hop between different cities on the same? Do you want to post up at one luxe retreat, or are you open to staying in one area but spending a couple nights at different hotels? Are you in the mood to embark on a cross-country journey, or do you only have time for a quick getaway? Whichever you route you choose to take, these locales are worth putting on your short list and will guarantee a newlywed trip that's as memorable as the start of your marriage. 

So, whether you're looking to escape to the mountains, want to relax in the dessert, or are hoping for a sun-soaked honeymoon on the beach, you're bound to find your perfect destination here. All that's left do is pack your bags, load the car, and hit the road.

If Wes Anderson ran a summer camp, it would look like Captain Whidbey Inn, a 1907 log-cabin lodge on Whidbey Island, one and a half hours northwest of Seattle. The bed's a crisp king instead of a bunk, but the carefree activities are the same: canoeing, swimming, hiking, and s'mores. Or leave the world behind and book an Airstream or Scandi-style cabin at Bay Point Landing, pictured here, in Coos Bay, Oregon. Play shuffle-board, take a dip, and watch the sun set while you grill your own catch of the day.

Newport, Rhode Island, is a storybook Atlantic-seaboard town, with a bustling harbor and clam-bake-ready coves. Reside right on the wharf at Hammetts Hotel, which has 84 industrial-meets-nautical rooms and an Italian restaurant with killer views. Pictured here is The Wayfinder Hotel, and the property's cozy lounge spaces, local artwork, and vintage finds give it a retro beach-town feel. The rooms feature antique-trunk night-stands and local Shore Soap Co. toiletries. For outdoor antics, there's a pool, firepit, and raw bar.

You'll feel like you've jetted to the Mediterranean when you arrive at White Elephant, in Palm Beach, seen here, where black-and-white-striped umbrellas surround the turquoise pool. Stroll or bike over to hit the waves, and don't miss the ice-cream trolley. To experience an art-deco icon, book Palihouse Miami Beach. Splash in the palm-ringed pool, then pick up a picnic lunch and hitch a ride in the beach butler's open-top Moke to a pristine stretch of sand.

Get hygge in one of the knotty-wood cabins with freestanding tubs, fireplaces, and custom-made furniture at Wylder Hope Valley, in the Sierra Nevadas, two hours east of Sacramento. There's also a refurbished 1951 Spartan trailer, and rustic (no plumbing or electricity) or deluxe yurts, all with lofty ceilings and mountain views for miles. Grab provisions at the on-site general store and whip up dinner in your kitchen, or leave the dishes to Sorensen's all-day café, which serves up home-cooked stews and cobblers.

 The low-key seasonal glampsite Under Canvas lies in the craggy granite Black Hills, just 15 minutes from Mount Rushmore. Its deluxe tents are undeniably posh—set on platforms, with plush king beds, private baths stocked with organic EO products, and wood-burning stoves. After a day of hiking or rock-climbing, head to the kitchen for pan-roasted walleye or bison burgers, then grab a s'mores kit (jumbo homemade marshmallows, of course) and a seat around the firepit.

Luxury resort Amangiri's idea of roughing it is Camp Sarika: 10 tented pavilions with private plunge pools and 360-degree views set a few miles farther into the desert. A four-hour drive from Las Vegas or Phoenix, it has its own spa and restaurant, but guests can pop over to the main facilities anytime. You can explore the many neighboring national parks, go boating on Lake Powell, dine on southwestern Native American cuisine, and do some serious stargazing—every suite has a telescope.

Sleep high among the pines in one of 12 glass-and-steel houses (four of them actual tree houses) at The Green O, 35 minutes east of Missoula. You'll fill days horseback riding, biking, hiking, or snowshoeing on the ranch's 37,000 acres, and evenings savoring locavore feasts (imagine flaky whole-roasted rainbow trout, tender bison steaks, and a medley of seasonal vegetables). Slide into your private hot tub, and you'll see why this region is called Big Sky Country.

A modernist dream six miles from Big Bend National Park, Willow House has 12 concrete casitas, all in a desert-rock-inspired palette with southwestern flair (alpaca throws, leather sling chairs). It's remote—a four-and- a-half-hour drive east from El Paso, or a seven-to-nine-hour trip west from Austin, San Antonio, or Dallas—but in a good way, with easy access to unforgettable hiking. For company, head to the main house’s communal kitchen and dining table, or day-trip to the art enclave of Marfa, a two-hour drive northwest.

Rising amid the Great Smoky Mountains (yet a 25-minute drive from the Knoxville airport) is Blackberry Mountain, the outdoorsy sister of legendary farm-to-table resort Blackberry Farm. Wake up in one of the beautifully appointed lodgings, then combine creative pursuits—from mountain biking and hiking to pottery and gardening workshops—with infinity-pool dips, yoga, gourmet dinners, and beer and wine tastings.

The hotly anticipated Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, in Calistoga, California, pictured here, sits amid a VIP tour's worth of top vineyards—including its own of Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest grapes, sip a few varietals, and indulge in a sugar-and-grapeseed spa scrub. For an I-can't-believe-it's-not- Tuscany setting, head to Kenwood Inn & Spa. The 29 rooms have fireplaces and featherbeds, many with a patio or balcony, and all include a wine-and-cheese picnic.

Seen here is the one of the 28 rooms at Catskills lodge Urban Cowboy, which evoke the old West—Pendleton blankets, rustic furniture, antlers—but feature pampering amenities like copper tubs. Have a predinner soak, then get cozy by your woodstove. For heart-stirring views, book Lake House on Canandaigua, a Finger Lakes lodge with luxe touches, like sculptural four-poster beds and Waterworks rain showers.

This haute hippie village is the gateway to skiers' (and hikers', and mountain bikers') heaven in Sun Valley. Wander museums and galleries, indie bookstores, and breweries, and stay in the thick of it at Hotel Ketchum, pictured here, where you can hit the outdoor pool and hot tub, then lounge around the lobby fireplace and raid the complementary cookies. Or unwind at Limelight Hotel, where the terrace suites offer panoramic views of Bald Mountain.