Girlfriend Getaways

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San Antonio's River Walk (Randy Faris/Corbis)

New Mexico
Taos
Mountain scenery, funky art, and superb restaurants: The best of New Mexico is in Taos. After poking around Ledoux Street, dine at Apple Tree (appletreerestaurant.com) and sip margaritas at Adobe Bar (taosinn.com). El Monte Sagrado has fireplaces, hot tubs, and a spa (elmontesagrado.com, from $269).

New York
Corning
The Finger Lakes region boasts more than 70 wineries, but it's also a center for arts and crafts: Create a masterpiece at the Corning Museum of Glass (cmog.org) and make candles at the Healing Spirits Herb Farm (healingspiritsherbfarm.com). Chef Debbie Meritsky and partner Marc Rotman run the five-room Black Sheep Inn in an 1859 octagonal house (stayblacksheepinn.com, from $139).

North Carolina
Wilmington
Wilmington makes it easy to go from beach wrap to wrap dress: After lessons with Surf Camp at Wrightsville Beach (wbsurfcamp.com), relax at Le Catalan, a French café and wine bar (lecatalan.com). The Hilton Wilmington Riverside is in historic downtown (wilmingtonhilton.com, from $159).

North Dakota
Grand Forks
The shops and restaurants of downtown Grand Forks spill across the Red River and into East Grand Forks, Minn. Every June, for the celebration known as Art Fest, artists set up stalls on both banks (June 14-15). The 511 Reeves B&B is on an elm-lined street just one block from the river (bbonline.com/nd/511reeves, from $99).

Ohio
Logan
The Hocking Hills region, in the foothills of the Appalachians, has nine state parks and thousands of acres of protected forest. Mimi Morrison leads women's hiking and bird-watching-by-kayak tours (hockinghills.com/earthtouch). The Logan Art Gallery and Art Center runs pottery classes (740/385-9455). The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls offers guests fresh scones and pastries every morning and creates fun overnight packages with cooking classes (innatcedarfalls.com, from $119).

Oklahoma
Guthrie
Once the state capital, Guthrie retains its Victorian vibe with galleries and shops in buildings dating to 1889. Catch a flick at the '50s-era Beacon Drive-In (beacondrive-in.com). The Round Barn, 25 miles south, makes a nice photo op. Built for railroad workers in the 1900s, the Railroad House has four suites (railroadhousebb.com, from $99).

Oregon
Salem
There are dozens of wineries all around Salem—a local favorite is Carlton Winemakers Studio, which produces organic wine (winemakersstudio.com). In town, don't pass up the fresh pasta at Old Europe Inn (oldeuropeinn.com). A Creekside Garden Inn is six blocks from downtown and on Mill Creek. The veranda is a pleasant place to hang out (salembandb.com, from $85).

Pennsylvania
Hawley
Hawley makes a great base for exploring the flea markets and antiques shops in the Poconos. Torte Knox bistro, located right in town, offers cooking classes for dishes ranging from Asian dumplings to panko shrimp in chili-lime sauce (torteknox.com). The all-inclusive Lodge at Woodloch is on 75 acres of woodland gardens, but the real draw is its spa; the resort's signature treatment is the Lodge Massage (thelodgeatwoodloch.com, from $350, treatments extra).

Rhode Island
Bristol
On Narragansett Bay, Bristol is home to gorgeous Georgian, Federal, and Victorian mansions. Rent a bike and cruise along the East Bay's path through parks, bird sanctuaries, and New England villages. Bristol Harbor Inn's DeWolf Tavern is one of the city's best restaurants (bristolharborinn.com, from $115).

South Carolina
Kiawah Island
The plush resort island of Kiawah feels secluded even though it's only a 30-minute drive from Charleston; it has some of the nation's best golf courses as well as shopping at Straw Market and Freshfields Village (freshfieldsvillage.com). The Sanctuary Hotel is modeled on a seaside mansion, with grand staircases and chandeliers (kiawahresort.com, from $299).