16. Charleston (North Carolina)

It’s not Italy or France, but Charleston is an intriguing city, dripping with Southern charm, not to mention upscale Southern cooking. The downtown fills with galleries, boutiques, restaurants and lovely historic homes to tour by day — and live-music bars, ghost tours and romantic walks to partake in by night. To bed down, honeymooners can book a historic inn downtown or a beachside resort-spa (average temperatures range from the 60s to 70s during May’s wedding season).