Girlfriend Getaways

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

South Dakota
Sioux Falls
In addition to its tiered namesake waterfalls, Sioux Falls has a cute downtown area with boutiques and flea markets; check out the Turkish carpets at Warp & Weft (605/331-5546). At Country Inn & Suites, the restaurant has an outdoor deck overlooking Big Sioux River (countryinns.com, from $89).

Tennessee
Gatlinburg
The gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to tons of shops, restaurants, and galleries along a five-block stretch known as the Parkway, as well as the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community, an eight-mile loop of studios and cafés (artsandcraftscommunity.com). For something more adventurous, go Zorbing—rolling downhill while strapped inside a plastic ball (zorb.com). Hickory Mist's cabins offer mountain views (hickorymist.com, from $140).

Texas
San Antonio
Alamo City's big draw is the River Walk: Restaurants and shops line the San Antonio River. Scope out the scene on a Rio San Antonio Cruise (riosanantonio.com). Nearby is La Villita, where boutiques have taken root in 18th-century buildings. And the Blue Star Arts Complex is the site of many galleries and bars. In an 1883 warehouse, Riverwalk Vista Inn has pine floors, high ceilings, and huge windows (riverwalkvista.com, from $120).

Utah
St. George
As if Zion National Park weren't enough, St. George also has 10 golf courses in the vicinity. Painted Pony restaurant, serving local organic produce, is a must (painted-pony.com). The 55-acre Red Mountain Spa offers exercise and relaxation; follow a hike in Snow Canyon with a massage (redmountainspa.com, from $349, includes all meals).

Vermont
Montgomery Center
When you're not admiring waterfalls and covered bridges, do some shopping: Mountain Fiber Folk Cooperative sells hand-knit shawls (mtfiberfolk.com); Godfrey's Sugarhouse produces maple syrup (802/326-4775); and Degre's holds antiques auctions on Sundays (degreauction.com). The Phineas Swann Country Inn is furnished with antiques (phineasswann.com, from $89).

Virginia
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is actually three waterfront destinations in one: the resort-area beach and bustling boardwalk, the natural shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay, and the peaceful dunes of Sandbridge on the southern coast—with shopping in Town Center, to boot. The Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront hotel has the city's first rooftop bar and infinity pool (hiltonvb.com, from $159).

Washington
Leavenworth
Drive from Seattle to Germany in about two hours: Leavenworth is modeled after a typical Bavarian village and hosts German cultural festivals all year long. During Maifest, the town band plays polkas and residents dance around a 95-foot-tall maypole (May 9-11). The Bavarian Lodge has outdoor hot tubs and free Starbucks coffee in the lobby (bavarianlodge.com, from $109).

West Virginia
Berkeley Springs
The town encircles a state park where the namesake warm mineral springs are available for a soak (berkeleyspringssp.com). Tari's, which serves crab cakes and cedar-planked salmon, also sells local art and crafts in an adjoining boutique (tariscafe.com). The Country Inn charms with its four-poster beds and grandfather clocks (thecountryinnatberkeleysprings.com, from $99).

Wisconsin
Fish Creek
Spend summer afternoons cherry picking in orchards and lounging on the beach at Whitefish Dunes State Park. Decorate cocktail glasses and ceramic vases at Hands On Art Studio (handsonartstudio.com) or sample small-batch olive oils at Curt's Spice Co. & Oilerie (spiceguy.com). In summer, White Gull Inn hosts fish boils four times a week (whitegullinn.com, from $152).

Wyoming
Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole is a blend of sophistication and Wild West revelry. At the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, the chandeliers are wagon wheels, and bar stools are topped with saddles (milliondollarcowboybar.com). The Wort Hotel has 2,032 silver dollars inlaid on its hotel bar (worthotel.com, from $169).