The South's Best Girlfriend Getaways

Southwest Louisiana is a hotbed of Cajun culture. In the Hub City of Lafayette, downtown offers food and music around Jefferson Street, including the popular Filling Station, DON'S Seafood, Pat's Downtown (lunch only), and Agave Grill & Cantina. Beyond downtown, locals and tourists flock to Prejean's for gumbo and boudin, accompanied by live music nightly. Local musicians will send you to Lakeview Park & Beach in Eunice. Mamou is home to the tiny but legendary Fred's Lounge, open only on Saturday mornings for live music, dancing, and a radio broadcast. For a side trip, visit Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island and the McIlhenny family's famous Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory, 170-acre Jungle Gardens, and Bird City egret sanctuary on Avery Island. Lafayettetravel.com

The Lake Austin Spa Resort provides a special kind of personal attention, well worth your dime. The lake setting is ideal for outdoor activities, while the LakeHouse Spa delivers 25,000 square feet of pampering. Many of the spa treatments relate to the Hill Country setting, such as Tour of Texas, which begins with a native prickly pear scrub. Pricing includes your lush accommodations as well as three gourmet meals daily, regular fitness activities, and special events. You and your friends can buy spa services individually, or choose to book Lake Austin's Spa Refresher Package. Rates from $1,720 for a three-night minimum stay.

Stay in a stately brick mansion surrounded by horse farms at Essence of the Bluegrass (rates from $149) near Lexington. Start with a visit to Keeneland, Lexington's world-renowned track, for an inside look at Thoroughbred racing with an Official Breeders' Cup Tour. At the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, you can tour the facilities on horseback or in a horse-drawn streetcar or carriage. Book a group lesson and guided trail ride at Whispering Woods Riding Stables, which has 250 acres to explore. Beyond the stables, downtown Georgetown is lined with shops, galleries, and restaurants, while Lexington's Main Street is great for antiquing. Also in the offering are tours of the bourbon distilleries that produce this area's famous spirits. Visitlex.com.

Share a once-in-a-lifetime view of the Blue Ridge foothills with the Bed, Breakfast & Balloon Package at Boar's Head (rates from $770; available April to November). The package includes accommodations for one night, breakfast for two, and a hot-air balloon ride. Boar's Head also offers golf and tennis, a spa, dining options, and tea and coffee. Visit the university, local wineries, and two of the South's most famous estates, Montpelier and Monticello. Don't miss Charlottesville's pedestrian-friendly Historic Downtown Mall with more than 30 restaurants and 120 shops, as well as art galleries and entertainment. Visitcharlottesville.org.

Chattanooga is a hiker's dream. More than 150 miles of hiking trails are readily accessible from downtown. Lace up your sneakers and explore the city's 13-mile Riverwalk; pedestrian Walnut Street Bridge over the Tennessee River; Coolidge Park; and convenient rental services for bikes, paddleboards, and kayaks. The visitors' bureau's website offers several Chattanooga vacation packages, such as Festival and Live Music Packages, Family Fun Vacation Packages, Romantic Getaway Vacation Packages, Fall Vacation Packages, and Arts & Culture Vacation Packages. Stay close to the Tennessee Aquarium and you'll be within walking distance of the best riverfront attractions. Or make the Bluff View Art District your base, and choose a room in any of three historic homes at the Bluff View Inn bed-and-breakfast (rates from $105).

Fairhope French Quarter boasts brick and ironwork, courtyards, and inviting passageways. Chef "Panini Pete" Blohme anchors the district, where his eponymous restaurant keeps diners filled with hot beignets, Pete's Muffaletta Panino, and such hot dogs as the German Sheppard (with sauerkraut) and the French Poodle (with onion confit and Dijon mustard). Stroll through a cluster of specialty shops, including The Bay Candle; Haint Blue; Page & Palette independent bookstore; and The Happy Olive. Make your base camp at the venerable Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Point Clear (rates from $339).

Adventures on the Gorge is a "social campground" that provides amenities such as restaurants, a pool, and common areas for guests. There are also diverse lodging options: three luxury houses, deluxe to basic cabins, and no-frills platform tents. Among the adventures offered are Class I to Class V white-water rafting trips; guided hiking, biking, and climbing excursions; kayaking and paddleboarding trips; zip lines that are noteworthy for their impressive length, height, and speed. The TimberTrek Adventure Park features the kind of challenging obstacles, bridges, and zip lines that encourage group camaraderie. You can buy a preset package or choose from the resort's à la carte menu. Rates from $189.

Wine Road 290 is an association of wineries along a 45-mile length of U.S. 290. In downtown Fredericksburg, The Trueheart Hotel has two suites in the main house, along with 12 cottages. For something more remote, check into the 112-acre Tres Lunas Resort (rates from $229) on Meusebach Mountain. Start your winery tour with The Reserve Wine Library at Becker Vineyards for tastings of exclusive vintages. At Hilmy Cellars, meet the "staff" of working animals—from guinea fowl to Great Pyrenees dogs. Taste award-winning wines; tour the geothermal barrel cellar at Pedernales Cellars. Winery events are free, but most charge up to $15 for tastings. (Note: Reservations are recommended and often required for groups).

The lodge-style Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee has 30 acres of picturesque shoreline. The Ritz offers five championship golf courses, water recreation, Segway tours, and s'mores served nightly by the lake. Splurge at Chiminea Dining, a three-course dinner for two that includes a Champagne toast, a bottle of wine, and dessert—all served at your own personal lakeside bonfire. Rates from $259.

In Greenwood, stay at The Alluvian (rates from $195). This elegant boutique hotel has 45 rooms and 5 suites, a courtyard, a spa, an impressive art collection, and a sleek lobby/lounge. Nearby, the Viking Cooking School and Retail Store offers occasional Girls' Night Out workshops throughout the year. Check out specialty shops like Russell's Warehouse Antiques & Jewelry, TurnRow Book Company, and The Mississippi Gift Company. Don't miss dinner at Giardina's, where you can enjoy fresh seafood, steaks, and Italian fare. Road-trip to Merigold for renowned McCartys Pottery. Shop, take a tour of the gardens, and have lunch at the McCartys Gallery Restaurant. End with a night at Ground Zero Blues Club.

Old Edwards Inn and Spa (rates from $199) features a historic inn, several guest estates, a boutique motel, and three different styles of cottages ideal for group trips. The Falls Cottages are clustered around a heated mineral pool, whirlpool, and outdoor fireplace. Downtown Highlands has preserved its small-town character with mostly local shops and galleries. Enjoy the spectacular mountain views with a hike to area waterfalls, a scenic drive, or a group fly-fishing lesson on the Nantahala or other rivers in the area. Visitnc.com.

Book the Wind & Wine Sunset Sail with Danger Charters and spend two blissful hours aboard a 65-foot schooner, tasting up to eight different wines from across the world. Along with wine, the crew serves hors d'oeuvres and a selection of domestic and imported beers. Stay at the Ocean Key Resort & Spa (rates from $529), or opt for a quiet inn such as the Cypress House Hotel (rates from $339), a short walk from Duval's shops, restaurants, and people-watching bonanza. Keywesttravelguide.com.

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, about 26 miles from Charleston, is the perfect place for relaxing on a luxe escape. The resort's special packages include things like garden-view accommodations with two queen beds; daily breakfast for two; dinner for two at Jasmine Porch or Tomasso at Turtle Point; and four 60-minute spa treatments. You'll also enjoy an on-site fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, a salon, bike rentals, and a nature program. Rates from $330.

On Lake Ouachita, Wake Zone Luxury Houseboat Rentals offers five boats—each with two baths, a fully outfitted kitchen, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, satellite television, and a hot tub—ideal for groups of 10 to 16. Sundecks and pool slides make it easy to take a dip, and rentable add-ons include everything from kayaks to margarita machines. Quapaw Baths & Spa offers a full menu of services, thermal pools, a Steam Cave, and a thermal bath called MicroSilk Hydrotherapy.

Ghost tours are one of Savannah's most affordable and popular nighttime diversions (usually $17 to $30). The Ghost City Savannah Haunted Pub Crawl and the  Creepy Crawl Haunted Pub Tour serve spooky tales with adult beverages at local watering holes. Blue Orb Tours offers a two-hour Uncensored Zombie Tour featuring colonial ghost stories as well as voodoo- and hoodoo-based tales and a shuttle tour of Bonaventure Cemetery. The Hearse Ghost Tours can carry up to nine guests in—you guessed it—a hearse modified for sightseeing. You can also board the Trolley of the Doomed with the Ghosts & Gravestones Savannah Frightseeing Tour. Stay in an 1873 mansion at the Hamilton-Turner Inn downtown (rates from $229). Visitsavannah.com.

The Tampa Riverwalk winds from Water Works Park in Tampa Heights to the South Plaza near The Florida Aquarium and Channel District. (Save on select activities with a Tampa Bay CityPASS). Pilot your own electric eBoat, or take a Stand Up Paddleboarding lesson with Urban Kai outfitters. Book a room at the plush Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach (rates from $249) or the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay downtown (rates from $229).

In The Tulsa Arts District, you'll find the landmark Cain's Ballroom; there's Guthrie Green, an outdoor recreational and performance space with free fitness classes; events to attend at Tulsa Glassblowing School; an educational and performance center honoring native Oklahoman Woody Guthrie; and the Philbrook Downtown, a satellite of Tulsa's famed Philbrook Museum of Art. In the Deco District, you'll see mind-boggling architecture from the 1920s, along with eateries and shopping. Prime sipping spots include Valkyrie or Hodges Bend. Stay at the Ambassador Hotel Tulsa (rates from $199), the historic Mayo Hotel (rates from $242), or the modern Aloft Tulsa (rates from $98).