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10 Meet-Cute Destinations to Live Out Your Rom Com Fantasies

This is a guide for tender-hearted readers craving an itinerary that's romantic without being overly romanticized, from books bound to win your heart.

We love a good meet cute, a.k.a. a story about how a romantic pair meet, usually in the first chapter of romance novels. But let’s get practical. These days, the traveling singleton must plot things out ahead of time to stumble upon a romance for the ages. These locations are bound to help you fall in love, pun intended. Already been there, or live there now? Why not check out the books in each slide? Seeing two people fall in love in your favorite tourist trap is worth skimming some pages. Bonus: Travelers who already have companions can visit these to rekindle their current relationships! Results not guaranteed, but hey, if it worked for two imaginary characters, maybe it’ll work for you. And if you are off the market, consider taking a page out of one of these stories and planning something romantic for the bookworm in your life.

Related: This Is the Cutest Place in the World to Have a Date Night

1 OF 10

Cabazon Dinosaurs

WHERE: Palm Springs, California

Nothing screams romance like holding hands under a giant pink brontosaurus* and her T-Rex husband, emblazoned with “Be Mine.” If you read 2021’s biggest romance hit, People We Meet on Vacation, you’ll know there are dozens of places where the main characters travel, but the Cabazon Dinosaurs near Palm Springs are the most swoon-worthy. Dinny and Mr. Rex, the two steel-and-concrete lizard royals, will set the tone for the evening. Although their creator originally intended for them to spit fire and terrorize motorists, the new owners have a different message of love. They host a creationist museum inside and claim dinos came to life the same day as Adam and Eve. What a romantic coincidence!

*If you’ve come to yell at us about the name brontosaurus, save it for your first date. Nothing woos someone more than getting corrected about paleontology.

INSIDER TIPWhile you’re in Palm Springs, you and your date can check out Casa Larrea Inn, home of the iconic room where Alex and Poppy find themselves *ahem* lacking a bed. There’s even a dreamy saltwater pool.

2 OF 10

Elevators at the Fairmont Hotel

WHERE: San Francisco, California

If the thought of getting stuck in an elevator at the Fairmont Hotel a la The Wedding Date makes your heart go pitter-patter, consider yourself a romantic. Most of us would flip our lids at being stuck in an enclosed box. But for some reason when the power goes out and Alexa shares her purse cheese with Drew, the sparks fly. If you risk it, better pack some brie and Veuve Clicquot in case you’re about to meet your soulmate. The Fairmont is also full of charming stories, like a honeybee hotel and a certain Tony Bennett song. Since it’s the hotel of choice for diplomats and charity events, it’s totally plausible that some eligible bach is there on a business trip. If you’re already linked up, order some room service.

INSIDER TIPEvery winter, the lobby is transformed into the most breathtaking Victorian gingerbread house. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to waltz in for the lighting ceremony.

 

3 OF 10

White House Gardens

WHERE: Washington, D.C.

Cue up My Date With The President’s Daughter and slap on some chapstick if you want to meet Prince Charming on U.S. soil like Alex and Henry in the popular LGBTQ romance Red, White, and Royal Blue. To get the timing right on this potential soulmate-meeting spot, you’re going to have to plan ahead. There are tours of the White House Gardens exactly once in the spring and once in the fall. The great news is, you have a few choices of gardens. The Rose Garden is classic, romantic, and infamous. But the current Kitchen Garden, a project championed by Former First Lady Michelle Obama, is full of lush black kale and honey fit for Medal of Honor recipients’ ale. So pick your poison and pray you meet someone with a green thumb who can get some romance growing.

Bonus: For Washingtonians who are irrevocably disappointed by this cliché recommendation, and for poor planners who still want to capture some romance, consider taking your date to The Grill from Ipanema like in The Worst Best Man.

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Brownstone Walking Tour

WHERE: New York City

We can’t all inherit a brownstone in Brooklyn from a not-even-blood relative like Marnie in Matchmaking for Beginners. But you can do the next best thing. Take a slow walking tour of brownstones in Brooklyn and make sure you linger at Love Lane, a street named for Dutch romance. If the pandemic inspired you to do Hot Girl Walks, you’ll have no problem on this delightful tour of Norah Jones’ neighborhood. But let’s say you’re more of a NUMTOT. An alternative is getting on the subway and hoping you run into a punk rock princess like in One Last Stop.

INSIDER TIPBring a speedometer to make sure you’re hitting the New York Walking MPH minimum. If that doesn’t earn you a flirtatious smile, try impressing your date with a copycat Seinfeld joke about DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). 

5 OF 10

Maui Sunday Market

WHERE: Maui, Hawaii

They say food is the way to someone’s heart. If you want to enjoy the tastiest food and fall in love with a chef like in Simmer Down, check out the Maui Sunday Market, a nonprofit project dedicated to supporting Hawaiian culture. For a Filipino combo to die for, try Flippin’ Out. If you want a health-conscious beau, or if you’re craving something healthy and good for the soul, walk up to Haleakala Supah Shots. The lineup of 30+ trucks changes, but they say variety is the spice of life. If you’re not on Maui, you can still use Kuhikuhi to find native Hawaiian vendors. Heed the words of native Hawaiians and consider crossing Maui off your list, and if you visit, read up on the ways food is intrinsically linked to power, sovereignty, and activism in Hawaii. If you’re wanting something a little spicier, you and your partner can act like the fake couple in The Unhoneymooners and drink cocktails on a boat. If you go snorkeling at Molokini Crater, ask the guides to tell you the story behind this sunken volcano, and be glad you don’t have to compete with Madame Pele for your mate.  

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The Gibson House Museum

WHERE: Boston, Massachusetts

We can’t all have an architect from Underneath it All. There aren’t enough Walsh brothers. But if historic preservation turns you on, how about trying to meet someone at The Gibson House Museum? Attendant literary fans will recognize the rooms from scenes in Greta Gerwig’s production of Little Women. They even offer a specialty queer-focused tour in honor of the museum’s architect, Charlie Gibson. And you can keep the history theme running by going antiquing on Charles Street, just like Amy in The Romance Recipe does to source dishware for her fabulous restaurant.

Insider Tip: Once you’ve successfully wooed someone enough to ask them on a date, consider taking them out on the Swan Boats, an unspeakably romantic spot for a proposal or a steamy kiss.

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Surfing the Groins

WHERE: Westport, Washington

So you’ve read It Happened One Summer, watched all of Schitt’s Creek, and just can’t wait to visit a small town and fall in love. Well, heiress, you’re in luck. Visit Westport, Washington. There are so many different activities to choose from that your head will be spinning at the possibilities for romance. Do you start with a tour of the International Mermaid Museum? No, of course not. You want to meet a human, not a merman. So grab a surfboard and head to The Groins. They’re decidedly not for beginners, of course, so make sure you know what you’re doing. If surfing isn’t your style, there’s the rather romantic Grays Harbor Lighthouse. Westport is also known for storm watching that will “awaken all your senses.” If you want to keep things hot, go further up toward Seattle and enjoy one of the dinner cruises that made Weather Girl so hilarious.

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Romance Aisle, Book Store

WHERE: Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Any reader worth their salt knows that a bookstore is just about the best place in the world to fall in love, usually with books but occasionally with life and clumsy bookworms as in The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. Although Alice Island is fictional, there are plenty of bookstores around Cape Cod that will make do. Titcomb’s hosts readings and has a delightful found-treasure history, Where The Sidewalk Ends Bookstore has plenty of toys if you’ve found yourself with a toddler like AJ Fikry. And if you get hungry, you can go to the aptly named Bookstore and Restaurant. The only question is: Which aisle will be your best bet for finding your own Happily Ever After?

9 OF 10

Berm at a Baseball Game

WHERE: Nashville, Tennessee

Stick a romance novel in your back pocket and head out to a baseball game if you want to meet a future totally-romantically-literate partner like Bromance Book Club. The best seats aren’t seats at all; you’ll pay less for a spot on the Berm and you might even catch a home run. We’ll skip jokes about Booster the Rooster, but if your mind’s already in the gutter…

INSIDER TIPIf you’re lucky enough to have a canine like Butterball, you can bring them along. Bring your pup to a game during Tail Waggin’ Tuesdays. Maybe Fido gets tangled up with Fluffy and your heart gets tangled up with some toothsome dog owner. Or you can just enjoy some baseball with man’s best friend.

 

10 OF 10

On Turtle Patrol

WHERE: Seabrook Island, South Carolina

This list wouldn’t be complete without that old thing, The Notebook. It’s just too bad there’s no ferris wheel on Seabrook Island! If you want the fair experience, you’ll have to go up to Ladson, South Carolina in late October. If Charleston’s more your style, spell out, “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird,” on the marquee, but if you don’t already have a date, you might just place a “Bird seeking bird” style message instead. You can’t threaten a pretty person for a date by hanging off the Skywheel at Myrtle Beach because they’re safely enclosed in glass, but maybe that’s for the best. But if you really want to meet someone with the same classic taste as you, go look for real birds on Seabrook Island, the real setting of The Notebook. Not swans or geese like Noah and Allie’s penultimate reunion, but some rare and lovely ones, as well as dolphins and sea turtles. With any luck, you can find an Audubon Society Gosling-lookalike or, barring that, a cutie on the Turtle Patrol to be your lovebird.