Make Time for a Mini Vacation
Girls weekend getaways are the perfect way to relax and unwind from the stresses of everyday life with some of your favorite people. Even if you struggle to round up your girlfriends for a weekly or monthly meetup, at the prospect of a mini-vacay, everyone will miraculously have an opening in their schedules at the same time.
Visions of poolside pampering and late-night laughter sessions will fill your heads as you brainstorm destination ideas together. Organizing a trip for a group is made easy when your common goal is to simply get away for a good time with your friends.
Short weekend getaways ensure less of a hassle if you stick to a U.S. destination; and why shouldn’t you? There are plenty of amazing vacation spots right under your noses.
We’ve rounded up some of the top girlfriend getaway ideas that are guaranteed to please. Whether you’re looking to indulge with wine and spa treatments, lounge by the pool, party all night, or just explore a new city and see where it takes you, you’ll make plenty of memories by the end of your trip.
Miami Beach, FL
Reminiscent of a Mediterranean beach town, the central part of Miami Beach lies in the famous South Beach neighborhood where tiny streets and outdoor eateries are the norm. For a quintessential Miami experience, renting Vespas is a must.
Your girl gang can zip along Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive admiring the beach on one side and countless art deco hotels, steamy nightclubs and bikini-friendly restaurants on the other.
South Beach has been the go-to hot spot among party-goers and celebrities for decades. At night, party at Mangos for Latin music and dancing, or head over to Story where the hottest DJs and musical acts keep the party going all night long.
In the mornings, you can enjoy one of the many hotel beach clubs and lounge by the pool for brunch, or take a stroll along the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall for some much needed retail therapy with your girls.
Palm Springs, CA
If you’re looking for a more relaxed resort vibe that’s less about partying and more about pampering, you’ll find the perfect girls getaway in Palm Springs. Lounging poolside with a cold drink in hand is a way of life here so rest assured that no matter where you stay, there’s a pool nearby.
Chic, mid-century hotels are everywhere — the largest concentration in the United States as a matter of fact — which gives the city a permanent retro aesthetic. You can marvel at the architecture and former celebrity homes on one of the many guided tours or search for vintage and antique treasures off Palm Canyon Drive.
No visit to Palm Springs would be complete without a trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway either — the largest rotating tramway in the world. At the top you can can indulge in cocktails and fine dining with one of the most spectacular views of the Coachella Valley around.
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Charleston, SC
Charleston, SC has an enchanting array of architecture and historic landmarks, which you can view via a horse-drawn carriage sightseeing tour. For 30 blocks, you’ll get pulled around town enjoying views of beautiful churches, colonial-era houses and incredible Southern-style mansions.
Many of these mansions have been converted into hotels and inns, like the Wentworth Mansion, which houses a gorgeous stable turned rustic spa where you can enjoy full service treatments.
Just outside the city, you can visit Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, or Middleton Place Gardens, former plantations with some of the oldest and most spectacular gardens in the United States. Both host guided and self-guided tours of the properties where you can also kayak, ride horses and explore by foot.
A coastal city, Charleston also has ferry and schooner tours of the harbor, which are best enjoyed in combination with Fleet Landing, the only restaurant on the actual harbor.
New York City, NY
With world-class shopping, dining and culture, New York City is the perfect destination for a girls weekend. A ride on board the Staten Island Ferry provides free views of the New York City skyline from the harbor — stopping at all five boroughs — but stick to Manhattan for the best variety of things to do.
You can explore Central Park, which is perfect for picnics and outdoor activities, or have a meal at one of the city’s terraced cafes and restaurants — many of which are attached to hotels. Plenty of shopping is to be had in both Soho (Lower Manhattan) and along Fifth Avenue (Mid-Town), and the latter is especially magical during the holidays.
Of course, you have to visit the famous Times Square, where you’ll find many Broadway theaters with nightly productions. New York City also has some of the best museums in the United States, offering special guided tours through the museums and outside companies.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has some particularly fun ones available through MuseumHack, like the “Badass B****es of the Met” tour, which points out female artists and discusses pieces with a feminist perspective.
Dallas, Texas
You could easily spend your whole trip getting cultured at the Dallas Arts District. Home to a theater, opera house, symphony center, museums and galleries, this is where you can sneak a peek at the Dallas elite and get all gussied up for evening events.
Just north, in the Uptown neighborhood, are a dozen or so wine bars where you can sample wine flights with food pairings (including chocolate in some instances). The Dallas Farmers’ Market is also a great place to find artisan goods, produce and flowers during your stay.
Keeping with the upscale theme, there are also plenty of Sunday brunch spots offering bottomless mimosas, which are the perfect follow up to a morning spent at the King Spa & Sauna. Enjoy a massage, one of their various salt and steam facilities, or even a ride down the water slide inside their onsite water park.
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Las Vegas, NV
Probably one of the most debaucherous cities in the world, there’s a reason why people say “whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Las Vegas has everything you need for a fun-filled vacay with the girls, where you can let loose as much as you want — free from judgement.
Most of the major hotels offer Girls Night Out packages, that include things like a limo, tickets to a male revue show like Chippendales or Thunder Down Under, and VIP nightclub entry. Of course, there are plenty of shows where skin isn’t the main attraction, including a variety of Cirque du Soleil performances and major musical acts.
Even if you’re not a regular gambler, every hotel in the area has slot machines and gambling tables to tempt you to spend. However, if you’re not one for taking risks, all over the Strip there are plenty of indulgent shopping areas, spas and upscale buffets to spend your money on.
If you don’t have the cash to spend, know that there are plenty of free things to do in Vegas. Spending time with good friends in a city that inspires fun means you don’t have to blow your savings to have a memorable weekend.
Napa Valley, CA
Wine lovers won’t want to miss a weekend getaway to Napa Valley with your closest gal pals. Over 400 wineries dot the verdant California countryside, each one more spectacular than the last. Many of the wineries offer tours and tastings that can be packaged with The Napa Valley Wine Train, which provides a luxury, vintage rail experience, on-board gourmet meals and transportation.
You can easily spend the day at one winery, never mind multiple, as they all boast gorgeous grounds, picnic areas and oftentimes entertainment on the weekends.
For those unafraid of heights, you can drink wine and view the vineyards from above on a hot air balloon ride. There’s even a yearly hot air balloon festival in nearby Sonoma during the summer.
After long, lazy days of indulgent opulence, you can always unwind at one of the local hot spring hotels, with what else? A glass of your favorite wine.