Virginia

This is the first, largest and most prosperous colony on the books in the USA; it’s also, as the local saying goes, “for lovers.” History and romance go hand in hand here, where rolling hills and sunny beaches give way to charming towns and boardwalks along with the polished manors of presidents and memorial sites. The Historic Triangle, for example, is home to Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the USA, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown, where the American Revolutionary War ended.

What’s more romantic than enjoying a glass of wine and noshing on some of the state’s excellent oysters from the Virginia Oyster Trail while watching the sunset on a picnic in Shenandoah National Park? Home to more than 300 wineries, Virginia’s wine heritage is well-earned: The colonists were the first to make it here. Not surprisingly, farmers markets and a vibrant farm-to-table scene also have sprung up everywhere, making for unbeatable dining and nightlife.