With new parents getting on average between five and six hours of sleep each night, it’s no wonder that babymoons are all the rage. With the luxurious feel of a honeymoon and the relaxation factors of a staycation, parents are eager to recharge before welcoming a new member into their family. Whether you’re in your first or third trimester, babymoons provide quality couple time before this major life change. Plus, you may not have to travel far, as the perfect getaway could be a city right in your own backyard!
Babies and parenthood require a whole lot of work. So, before you say hello to your new bundle of joy, we wanted to find the best babymoon destinations across the U.S. so you could enter into this new phase of your life rejuvenated and de-stressed! Our research factors revealed some of the best babymoon locations in the most unexpected of places! So, without further ado, keep reading to discover where to plan your next babymoon trip.
To find the best U.S. babymoon destinations, we created a list of the top 100 cities with the highest population and ranked them on five categories (The Stay, Adventures & Dining Together, Relaxation, Day on the Water, and Shopping & Mommy Relaxation), assigning a weight to each factor for a score out of 100. We used sources like Airbnb, Vrbo, Yelp, AllTrails, and Yellow Pages to discover the number of massage therapists, maternity retailers, and other expecting-parent activities in each city. Our “Ideal Rentals” factor consists of the number of 4+ star ratings, rentals that are highly rated for cleanliness, rentals that allow pets, and rentals that have a premier host.
Factors
The Stay (Worth 1.0)
- Number of Superhost & Airbnb Plus Rentals
- Weight: 0.50
- Source: Airbnb
- Number of “Ideal Rentals”
- Weight: 0.50
- Source: Vrbo
Adventures & Dining Together (Worth 5.0)
- Number of Hiking Trails
- Weight: 0.25
- Source: AllTrails
- Number of Museums
- Weight: 0.75
- Source: Yellow Pages
- Number of Aquariums
- Weight: 0.75
- Source: Yellow Pages
- Number of Cinemas
- Weight: 0.75
- Source: Yellow Pages
- Number of Food Delivery Services
- Weight: 1.00
- Source: Yellow Pages
- Number of Comfort Food Locations
- Weight: 1.50
- Source: Yelp
Relaxation (Worth 4.0)
- Number of Spas
- Weight: 1.25
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Nail Salons
- Weight: 0.25
- Source: Yellowpages
- Number of Hair Salons
- Weight: 0.25
- Source: Yellowpages
- Number of Massage Therapists
- Weight: 1.25
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Meditation Centers
- Weight: 1.00
- Source: Yelp
Day On the Water (Worth 1.5)
- Number of Swimming Pools
- Weight: 0.50
- Source: Yellowpages
- Number of Lakes
- Weight: 0.50
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Rafting/Kayaking Experiences
- Weight: 0.50
- Source: Yelp
Shopping & Mommy Relaxation (Worth 8.5)
- Number of Baby Gear & Furniture Retailers
- Weight: 2.00
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Maternity Retailers
- Weight: 2.00
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- Weight: 0.50
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Prenatal Yoga Classes
- Weight: 2.00
- Source: Yelp
- Number of Prenatal Chiropractors
- Weight: 2.00
- Source: Yelp
Whether you’re planning an overnight trip or an extended getaway, certain cities may be more relaxing than others. Poughkeepsie, NY, is one of the best U.S. babymoon destinations to visit with a total city score of 96.1 out of 100. Bordering the edge of the Hudson River, this picturesque city is home to 520.8 hair salons and 92.3 prenatal yoga classes per 100k people. Visit Stone Wave Yoga in Poughkeepsie, NY, to learn yoga poses for pregnant women to increase strength and flexibility, which will surely come in handy during birth.
New Haven, CT, is next on our list, earning a city score of 81.1 out of 100. The Elm City earned top marks for 35.3 museums, 15.3 comfort food locations, and 4.6 maternity wear retailers per 100k residents. Take a page from power couple, Beyonce and Jay-Z, who made going to the museum cool again, and take a stroll around Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT, for a romantic experience!
Lakeland, FL, lands in third with a city score of 80.4 out of 100 while Bridgeport, CT, tops the charts in fourth place with a score of 79.5 out of 100. Bridgeport, CT, aka Park City, boasts 18.8 OB-GYNs per 100k people. This may come in handy, should you find yourself about to give birth in the backseat as one Bridgeport woman did.
North Port-Sarasota, FL, ranked fifth (79.3), while Allentown, PA, is further down on our list in sixth place with a city score of 78.8 out of 100. Bouncing back from the hard times described in Billy Joel’s song, “Allentown”, this city is one of the best babymoon destinations in the U.S. with 24.8 meditation centers, 125.5 massage therapists, and 23.1 swimming pools per 100k residents!
Allentown’s Cedar Beach Pool offers slides and sprinklers to cool off from the heat, plus—it’s nestled across the street from the Allentown Rose Garden so you and your significant other can take Instagram-worthy babymoon pics after you dry off!
We added up the city score from each of our featured cities in each state to discover the best states for a babymoon getaway in the U.S.! It’s no surprise that Florida ranked first with a total score of 573.3. With yoga studios like Serendipity Birthing popping up all over Florida, it’s no wonder that moms-to-be are putting The Sunshine State on their babymoon checklist!
New York (#2), Pennsylvania, (#3), California, (#4), and Connecticut (#5) follow closely behind as the best U.S. states for a babymoon. From Los Angeles to San Francisco—California is one of the best states to venture to for babymoon bliss. Mellow Mommy, located in Sonoma County, CA, offers babymoon destination packages for couples to relax their mind, body, and spirit—sign us up!
Ohio (#6), Utah (#7), and Massachusetts (#8) all receive top marks as premier babymoon destinations. Ohio is home to some of the best lakes for sunset views, which is the perfect place to make one last pre-parenthood memory with your partner before your life changes forever!
We broke down the best babymoon locations in each of our categories (combining The Stay and Relaxation brackets) so you can pick the city that peaks your baby (or more like babymoon) fever!
New Haven, CT, and Ogden, UT, placed first and second respectively in the Adventures & Exploration category. It’s no secret that staying active during your pregnancy can help you fall asleep easier at night and improve your energy levels—which technically means that visiting the best babymoon destinations in the U.S. are doctor's orders!
When it comes to Relaxation & Accommodations, look no further than Poughkeepsie, NY, (#1), Greenville, SC, (#2), Harrisburg, PA, (#3), and Scranton, PA, (#4). The Electric City is home to 116.9 massage therapists per 100k people. Try a massage at Alexander’s Spa, which offers a luxurious pre-natal massage—a one-hour massage that relieves nerve inflammation, reduces muscle tension, and lowers stress. Now that’s a babymoon destination we can get behind!
Allentown, PA, ties for first with Poughkeepsie, NY, and Greenville, SC, for our Day on the Water category. Greenville, SC, is one of the best U.S. babymoon destinations for water lovers, as it’s home to 27.3 lakes per 100k residents. Lake Placid in Greenville’s Paris Mountain State Park is perfect for swimming, paddle boating, and fishing.
For those who still need to prepare for their baby’s arrival, there’s no better place than Poughkeepsie, NY, (#1), Lakeland, FL, (#2), Bridgeport, CT, (#3), New Haven, CT, (#4), or Palm Bay, FL, (#5) for a Shopping & Mommy Relaxation babymoon. Palm Bay, FL, is home to 17.6 baby gear and furniture retailers and 7.9 prenatal chiropractors per 100k people.
There you have it—the best babymoon destinations in the U.S.! We hope we’ve given you ample inspiration on where to plan your next trip to relax and reconnect with your partner before this major life change. Still, need to check a few more things off of your baby shower must-haves? Shop our products and get help picking out the perfect stroller for your new bundle of joy!