Blue ridge GA, pretty close to ATL, the downtown area has a ton of cute restaurants and shops and it’s very mountainy and there’s a lake

Chicago, Cleveland, Lake Norman (outside of Charlotte), Bar Harbor, Lake Travis (outside of Austin)

My friends and I have pulled off similar itineraries in Destin, FL and Savannah, GA and had a ton of fun. We rented a nice house, had one day on a boat, 1-2 nights out, and found both places had plenty to offer other than just hitting up bars. I think we did May for Destin and April for Savannah and lucked out with great weather. Renting a house in New England in the summer could be fun too (Newport, The Cape, Portland, NH lakes region, coastal Maine, Block Island, etc)

We’re going on a short cruise for a joint Bach party! There are 3 night options and they can be really reasonably priced (ours is <$350pp)

Charolette, NC (Lake Norman). Most airports have direct flights to Charolette, I believe since it is a larger American Airlines hub

Portland Maine is lovely!

Saratoga Springs, NY. Has a lake nearby, cute downtown with boutiques and restaurants. The race track is there if you’re into it and it’s track season, you can wear the hats and get dressed up.

Lake George, NY in the Adirondacks is beautiful.

Charleston is for sure a bachelorette hot spot. I’ve been there twice for bachelorette parties.

Annapolis, MD. Not a lake but still water access for boating and it’s historic and beautiful.

What’s the budget for everyone who you want to go to your bachelorette? That might narrow it down if people can’t afford to fly/travel.

Since you’re in NC Asheville seems perfect! Lots of outdoor activities, great restaurants, and nightlife if you want to do a little partying.

If Asheville is been there done that, Greenville, SC has similar vibes but slightly preppier and a different city.

I went to a bachelorette party in Charleston and it was super fun!

Portland, ME

Savannah and New Orleans are both popular and fun - both have an abundance of “ghost tours” that I always see bachelorette groups on. I think both have an abundance of things to do besides just bar hopping, personally.

Scottsdale is also popular.

Some more ideas - afternoon tea, weekend getaways to national/state parks (hiking/camping/kayaking etc), weekend spa getaways, wine tasting, theme parks, scavenger hunts - I think whatever you do should reflect your interests and personality :)

Vegas tends to have cheap flights! Key west is a bit of a hassle to get to after you get off the airplane.

Chicago also has a lot of flights. Austin and Atlanta could also work. Maybe New Orleans.

I’m doing Wilmington in June! I’ve heard great things about it. We considered VA beach, but since I grew up in VA it didn’t feel special enough. I’ve been there 10 thousand times, we wanted something new and different to explore!

What about Chicago? Great place for a summer bachelorette! City fun plus the lake!

Savannah Georgia

Pensacola Beach is one of my favorites.

I don't want to ask people to spend a ton of money on a bachelorette trip, and then on a trip to the wedding itself.

That's considerate of you. But then wouldn't it make sense to have the bachelorette locally, in the days preceding the wedding, so that your friends only have to travel once?

In any case, how much money and days off have your bridesmaids say they wanted to spend on the bachelorette trip? That's an important info we need to recommend locations.

What is your definition of “a ton of money” ? If youre having a trip where people both fly and pay for a hotel its going to be about the same price as your wedding. An international trip will potentially be even more. Maybe considering polling people to figure out what a good travel budget would be and then go from there.

I hear great things about croatia as a budget vacay destination.

A destination Bach is probably going to be pricey no matter how to slice it since it'll probably need to be a multi-day affair to make the trip worth it. You also should consider the non-cost logistics, like how much PTO or arranging childcare that your girls will need for this and the wedding since that sounds like a destination (or at least a bit travel-y). 

What comes to mind is someplace like Mexico  or somewhere in Caribbean, but even then, a lot of typical locations there are inclusive resorts that might be pricier than going to a mainland city and getting a hotel.

Do you epxcet them to also cover you? (Kind of hope not since you're the one proposing travel that will cost more than a night out on the town.)

I'm going to my hometown (Austin, TX) for my bach! It's more based around outdoorsy stuff than bars/partying. We're going to a water park, floating the river, hikes, good food, etc. We're doing one night out downtown and I'm so excited! The last thing I wanted was to be hung over and I love the idea of taking my friends to all the things I did growing up.

Budget wise - most of those things are less than $50/pp or free, we're saving money by staying at my parent's house

Not sure if it’s helpful, but I’ll be doing Temecula for my bachelorette. I figure we would do wine tasting, hot air balloon, and maybe ride horses. We’ll also probably spend time just relaxing by the pool.

You could choose a city that is equal distance for everyone in your bachelorette party and assist with flights or accommodations so it’s not a large financial burden for any of your bridesmaids.

I second the responses here that say a trip is fine but consider somewhere with equal flight time for everyone so some people aren’t schlepping or spending extra while others have a quick 2 hour flight or something!

Unrelated to your actual question, I think the anti bachelorette discourse is bullshit. I’ve been on FOUR Bach trips in the last two years. Happily spent the money for my friends and showed up with great energy. So yeah, now it’s my turn and I feel zeroooo guilt about asking. Am I supposed to have a local one night Bach (which would feel like most nights anyways because my friends and I go out a lot) when everyone else got to go to Tulum or Turks & Caicos or Miami or St Barths??? Hell no lol

This sub is so weird when it comes to bachelorettes. I did one abroad but had all the girls very much involved in picking if they wanted to go away, when, and where. Everyone absolutely loved the trip. We’re all from different financial backgrounds and it was very much a diplomatic approach and it worked.

For the wedding, all they had to do was show up so I am not sure if that elevated a lot of pressure for them so it was easy to do the Bach? Not sure. If they’re your friends they’ll be honest with you and want to talk through the best solutions.

To avoid some of the main things people complain about, I’d recommend doing some of the following if you’re in the position to do so:

1. Pay for the accommodation, large ticket events (for example, I paid for the spa day, bottle service, etc.), and some meals (especially if catered).

2. Do not penalize those unable to attend (I’ve seen brides remove them from the bridal party or even uninvite them to the actual wedding). There should be no hostility of someone can’t get the time off, has another obligation, or simply can’t afford it.

3. Make it fun for everyone, but not at the expense of your special weekend.

4. Allow feedback on the itinerary or even allow others to suggest ideas.

5. Show gratitude throughout the weekend. This can be with words or even a small gift bag.

6. Plan in advance. Make it clear what they’re paying for and what you’re covering. This will give them enough time to save if needed, take time off of work, or arrange personal affairs.

This really all depends on who you’ll have attending and their financial situation and personal obligations, so the main thing is to communicate openly and not get defensive.

For locations, I’ve enjoyed Asheville, Savannah, or even somewhere nice in Florida like St. Augustine.

From personal experience, I think you’re already part of the way there by making it a weekend trip. Ideally, if it’s one where people can arrive after work on Friday and still have time to participate in the main parts of the weekend, that will make things much easier on people.

Second, try to choose somewhere with a major airport that has direct flights to most of the places your friends live / is considered easy to get to. Try to focus on the fact that you’ll have fun with your friends no matter where you are rather than making it a place on your own travel bucket list. You can do that later, because the direct trade off is people you care about being able to make it.

Finally, be prepared for not everyone to come, and know it’s not because of you. A few of my very closest friends couldn’t come to mine for various reasons, and I wish I wasn’t so hurt by this at the time. This is especially true if they already have to travel for your wedding, which if they all live in different places, they probably do. Weddings get EXPENSIVE especially if you’re at an age where there are multiple per season. I had a summer with 11 weddings and was literally crying weekly about how to make it all work financially and not let anyone down. It’s hard because with a bachelorette you’ve probably pictured one with all your friends there and there’s an element of “why can’t I have this like everyone else” but reality gets in the way - and that’s okay!

Seattle native here!

What kinds of things are you interested in doing for your bachelorette? March kind be kind of bad weather wise (still pretty cold and windy), but April is usually lovely!

Are you the MOH planning for the bride? Have you checked with the BM's re the budget they are comfortable spending?

Seattle or Portland definitely sounds right up your alley!

The biggest difference I can think of is that Portland is a lot easier to get around if you are planning to walk/use public transit.

Seattle is a lot more spread out (esp breweries/wineries, two of the best ones IMO are in Woodinville 20-30 minutes outside Seattle) so driving or Lyft/Ubering would be a lot faster.

I wish you happy planning!

I think Portland or maybe San Francisco would be the best for what you want

...is ... is this me? Are you my doppelganger? because, SAME. I'm a little COVID-anxious about much travel for bachelorette unless it were a road trip, and also on the East coast. MOH is asking me currently where I'd want to go and I'm struggling.

Was starting to think about choosing somewhere in the Finger Lakes for the variety of (especially outdoor) activity available but I see you have this option on your list with Lake George

After some searching last night, I found that there are some 'destination' spas and luxury resorts that we could consider. I'm not a big partier and would love to have a relaxing bachelorette, maybe if that's your vibe a spa destination would be another decent option!

Your friends need to survey those invited to see what the budget for the trip is before you decide on a destination. The budgets may allow for only a short drive and an overnight stay at an AirBnb.

I've heard good things about Portland, Maine. I think the Catskills could be really fun too. You could stay at a cabin and explore the little towns and do some hiking or visit a lake for the day!

What time of year are you going

Charlottesville! Tons of great vineyards, super chill. Definite outdoor hiking or activity options if you’re into that: Trickier to get there but wayyy less expensive than Martha’s Vineyard or Newport.