The Smallest State Just Became America’s Most Romantic Escape

Rhode Island has been called a lot of things throughout the years, but would you call it romantic?

We all may need to start because, Travel + Leisure just named the Ocean State the most romantic state in America for 2026. Based entirely on travelers' reviews, Rhode Island beat out Texas, Washington and New York as the top romantic spot in the country.

So when you're planning your next romantic getaway, those on the SouthCoast don't have to travel far.

What Romantic Reviewers Love About Rhode Island

As the Travel + Leisure study shows, many travelers describe their Rhode Island trips as romantic. Their findings examined hundreds of restaurant and hotel reviews along with comments about local landmarks and state parks, where visitors repeatedly used the word "romantic" to describe their experience.

READ MORE: MA & RI's Most Romantic Dinner Spots For 2026

In total, 173 out of every 100,000 hotel reviews used the word 'romantic' along with 1,134 restaurant reviews, 390 landmark comments and 403 nature attraction reviews per 100,000.

Those numbers rank Rhode Island hotels 50 percent higher than the national average while state parks ranked 93 percent higher.

What Are Rhode Island's 'Most Romantic' Spots?

According to the study, the Newport mansions, the lighthouse tours of Block Island and the Providence food scene were some of the most romantic things to see and do in the state. While walking almost any of the state's 400 miles of coastline was mentioned dozens of times as well.

READ MORE: Newport's Best Bed and Breakfast Destinations

While Travel + Leisure didn't give any specific romantic destinations within the state in this study, they did list many Newport hot spots, chef-approved Providence restaurants and shared some of their favorite hidden gems in previous stories about the Ocean State.

The travel site clearly loves Lil' Rhody, but so do their users, who review Rhode Island highly again and again.

On the other end of the romance spectrum, Montana came in as the least romantic state in the US for 2026.

If you need a starting point for your romantic Rhode Island escape, here are some Newport hotspots to explore any time of year.