Honeymoon Planning: Choosing A Common Interest Will Help Plan Your Getaway

Planning a honeymoon can be just as stressful as handling the wedding day itself. Picking a location within your price range can be hard enough, but then you have to plan activities you and your new husband can enjoy. What’s a girl to do?

Simple âย€” develop a romantic getaway with a common interest in mind. After all, you’re no ordinary couple, so why have an ordinary honeymoon? Here are some pre-planned getaways guaranteed to create memories that will last a lifetime.

SPORTY
If you and your new husband find love in competition, then a sporty honeymoon could be right up your alley. Take a trip to Arkansas’ “it” place for athletics, Fayetteville, home of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.

Your autumn or winter honeymoon will fall right into the thick of Hog fever! Football and basketball season will be in full swing as well as women’s soccer, gymnastics, basketball and volleyball.

For the complete Razorback experience, stay at the beautiful historic Inn at Carnall Hall. Conveniently located right on campus, this hotel offers a wide variety of room styles and boasts an in-house fine dining restaurant. If playing sports is more your style, check out any of Fayetteville’s three golf courses.

For outdoor adventure, Devil’s Den State Park offers hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and caving in either Devil’s Den Cave or Ice Box Cave.

Essentials:

  • Old clothing, as caving can be messy.
  • Comfortable shoes, unless you want an excuse for a foot rub.
  • A lightweight backpack for your sporting equipment.
  • Water bottles.
  • Red and white clothing to help cheer on the Hogs.

For More Information:

SOPHISTICATED
Everyone wants to be pampered every once in a while. Make your honeymoon a luxurious getaway with a visit to Hot Springs. Live the life of a chic sophisticate with a trip to Oaklawn Park for some thoroughbred horse racing. From there, take a trip to historic Bathhouse Row for a day of spa treatment with your man.

Many spas offer couples and honeymoon packages. Besides, your new husband will need a relaxing day after you visit Hot Springs’ famous antique stores and boutiques.

Don’t miss the nightlife, either. Hot Springs boasts hot clubs, delicious eateries and sizzling evening concerts. When the day is done, take a relaxing stroll through Garvan Woodland Gardens and view more than 588 varieties of flowers and shrubs, then head back to the Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast.

You can relax with its in-house spa treatments, take a luxurious dinner cruise or go on a romantic horseback ride. This hotel gives guests the option of creating their own getaway package so you can design your perfect honeymoon.

Or get away from the hustle and bustle of the city at Turtle Cove Spa at Mountain Harbor Resort in Mount Ida. Located on Lake Ouachita, Turtle Cove Spa offers a honeymoon package that includes luxurious lodging, a private cruise on Lake Ouachita and a romantic hot stone couples massage in an open-air pavilion.

Essentials:

  • The traditional derby hat for your Oaklawn Park visit; think Southern and wide-brimmed.
  • Your little black dress for an evening out on the town.

For More Information:

ARTISTIC
Photographer? Artist? Writer? Once you make it to Eureka Springs, you may never go home!

Selected by AmericanStyle magazine as one of the nation’s top small arts communities, the city boasts a variety of activities for every personality. One-of-a-kind specialty shops and galleries are main attractions, where you can watch art in progress or just peruse the work of local talent.

One of the city’s weekly gallery walks is the perfect opportunity to see a sampling of art in one location. For the drama queen (or king!) in all of us, indulge in America’s most attended drama, The Great Passion Play.

Eureka Springs, like Hot Springs, is famous for its natural, mineral-rich waters, so stay at the Crescent Hotel & Spa or the Basin Park Hotel for some creative relaxation. Both offer couples packages for a romantic and relaxing stay complete with dining and couples spa treatments. The Basin Park Hotel has one added perk: ghosts. Advertised as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” The Basin offers guided ghost tours of its paranormally active property. Looks like Eureka Springs is home to all sorts of free spirits!

Essentials:

  • A blank pocket-sized sketchbook so you can draw/write about your honeymoon experiences or just jot down inspiration.
  • A camera to capture paranormal activity.
  • Walking shoes.

For More Information:

  • Basin Park Hotel – (479) 253-7837
  • Bavarian Inn – (479) 253-7741
  • Best Western Inn of the Ozarks – (479) 253-9768
  • Crescent Hotel & Spa – (479) 253-9766
  • Gallery listings – EurekaSprings.org
  • The Great Passion Play – (866) 566-3565

RUSTIC
If you want your honeymoon to be a breath of fresh air, pack up and head off to beautiful Heber Springs. Drop your bags off at the edenlike Red Apple Inn and Country Club, 650 acres in the middle of beautiful Ozark forest. The resort has an 18-hole golf course on premises and is near the Little Red River where you can fish the day away.

The Red Apple Inn offers a special honeymoon package complete with champagne, two nights of fine dining and full breakfasts. If you want even more outdoor adventure, try nearby Greers Ferry Lake. People from across the state come to this 4,000-acre playground to fish, boat, swim, hike, water-ski, and best of all, scuba dive! The lake has a visibility of 15-20 feet, and the docks and marinas that dot the shoreline are equipped to fill air tanks.

The area has many knowledgeable professionals that can help you find exactly what you’re looking for on your dive and clue you in on the hottest scuba spots.

Essentials:

  • Lightweight backpack — for your husband to carry, of course!
  • Impact resistant water bottles.
  • Fishing poles and tackle.
  • Long pants for hiking.
  • Topographical maps, scuba gear, and certification to dive in Greers Ferry Lake.

For More Information:

HOLIDAY
Winter weddings come hand-in-hand with the holiday spirit, so why not your honeymoon? Pack up your things, grab a car and head off on Arkansas’ Trail of Holiday Lights. Communities across the state get into the holiday spirit with spectacular light displays. Although each town has its own lighting dates, most turn on their twinkle from Nov. 20-Jan. 1 (we recommend double-checking with each town on your itinerary). To make planning your road trip a little easier, Arkansas’ state Web site has compiled a handy-dandy list of lights by region, complete with city locations, individual display descriptions and detailed contact information.

Essentials:

  • Warm winter clothing for walking tours.
  • A blanket so you can cuddle up outdoors.
  • Insulated coffee mugs or thermoses for holiday drinks like apple cider or hot cocoa.
  • Small presents to give each other at each location for many mini-Christmases.

For More Information:

  • List of lighting locations – Arkansas.com
  • Signature Transportation (Little Rock) – (501) 907-CARS

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