Looking to plan a bachelorette for a bride who loves the outdoors? Check out my guide to the best places to have an outdoorsy bachelorette party on the East Coast!
Planning the perfect bachelorette trip can be hard! You need to have enough to do, a great place to stay, and the vibes have to be high the whole time. At 37, I’ve been to my fair share of bachelorette parties and I’ve got stories.
Anyone can have an “outdoorsy” bachelorette by getting a cabin in the woods or a lakehouse and hanging out there all weekend. I picked places where the location was vital to the weekend fun and you can do something besides play games indoors all weekend.
This guide has the best locations, what type of bride each one is best for, and a list of the best activities in each place. Read on to find the best outdoorsy bachelorette location for you!
Quick Picks for Best Outdoorsy Bachelorette Locations
Best for Being on the Water: Annapolis, MD
Best for Chic Coastal Grandmother Vibes: Portland, ME
Best for Hiking and Brewery Hopping: Asheville, NC
Best for Combining Outdoor Adventures with City Night Life: Austin, TX
Annapolis, Maryland
Best For: Water sports like sailing and paddling | Getting There: Fly into BWI (30 min from Annapolis) | Best Activities: Sailing tours, paddleboarding, kayaking and dining with a water view | Best Time of Year to Go: Summer is the best, as you’re more likely to get good weather for water spots and you won’t have to compete with Navy football games for parking and lodging
Annapolis pairs preppy with beachy for a nautical bachelorette party. Brides to be can enjoy being on the water via boat tour or human powered craft and then eating at any one of the delicious restaurants with a water view.
Some places I highly recommend for your Annapolis itinerary:
- Enjoy upscale dining with a view at Carroll’s Creek
- Pair wine with delicious food at Vin 909 wine bar
- Stay at the Graduate Annapolis for a conveniently located and cute hotel
- Explore by water via a boat tour – Annapolis offers sailboats and even a tiki boat!
- Go shopping in downtown Annapolis
- Rent a SUP or kayak to paddle the harbor
Insider Tip: Many of the waterfront restaurants book up quickly in busy season so make sure that you make dinner reservations if you have a large group or have your heart set on dining at a specific place.
Portland, Maine
Best For: Laid back coastal grandma vibes | Getting There: Fly into Boston and rent a car (2 hr drive) or fly into PWM and get a ride share downtown | Best Activities: Bike tours, hiking, and eating out | Best Time of Year to Go: July or August will guarantee better weather and watersports, but it will be busy season, so book early
Portland, Maine is a great location for a bachelorette party if you love a water view and a chill vibe (or if most of your group hails from the New England area).
Some of the most unique places we went that I highly recommend were:
- Novel Bar, a book themed bar with cocktails named after famous novels
- Terlingua, a delicious and aesthetically themed restaurant
- Batson River, a great dinner spot that is wholely Maine outdoor themed (think hunting shack, but classy)
- Yoga at Hustle and Flow, a cute studio that understood we were all hungover and taught accordingly
Your group can also head out on the water for a scenic cruise to really lean into the coastal location. I personally enjoyed some great hiking and walking by the river.
If someone in your party has a car, you can also head a little bit further outside the city for some hiking. For some great day trip ideas, check out my friend Nichole’s guide to the best day trips from Portland Maine (she’s a local!)
To plan the perfect bachelorette weekend for your outdoorsy bride, check out my guide to the best bachelorette itinerary in Portland!
Asheville, North Carolina
Best For: The hiker who loves a brewery or winery tour | Getting There: Fly into AVL and Uber or Lyft into town | Best Activities: Hiking, brewery or winery hopping, and shopping downtown | Best Time of Year to Go: September/October – August can still be very hot but temperatures cool off and the leaves start to turn by early fall
Asheville, North Carolina is an amazing place to have an outdoorsy weekend – bachelorette or not! It’s gotten far more popular for a bachelorette weekend over the last five years and we were not the only Bach party out at the bars.
Head downtown for shopping and day drinking (and eating!) We loved exploring the L.O.F.T, a funky women owned shop that sells crafty gifts and fun trinkets. If your gang likes breweries, Asheville is a great town for you. We went to both Wicked Weed and Burial. Wicked Weed had better food, but Burial was an edgier vibe with more photogenic decor (old vans around a picnic table!)
For a more upscale vibe, check out Antidote Cocktail Lounge at Chemist. This was my favorite place in Asheville, with historical decor and amazing cocktails. They had many options for mocktails and all drinks were made with care. We loved the rooftop bar.
If your group can hang with a harder hike, check out Looking Glass Trail in Pisgah State Forest. For a shorter hike, check out Craggy Pinnacle Trail for 360 degree views of the mountains. Have a group that doesn’t want to hike at all? Drive to a scenic overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway for sunrise or sunset.
Insider Tip: If you’re looking to hike, rent a car or drive to Asheville. A lot of the good hikes are further outside of town and you won’t be able to get a ride share from the trailhead as you might not have service.
Looking to plan your perfect bachelorette weekend in Asheville? Check out my guide to the best bachelorette in Asheville! [COMING SOON]
Austin, Texas
Best For: An outdoorsy bride who doesn’t want to miss out on city night life | Getting There: Fly into ATX | Best Activities: River float or hanging out at Barton Springs and outdoor bar hopping | Best Time of Year to Go: April/May or October/November when it’s cooler back east but still warm enough for outdoor activities in Austin.
Austin is close to my heart because it’s where I had my bachelorette weekend back in 2019. It was perfect location for both my west coast and east coast friends to not feel like they traveled too far but still got away.
One of my favorite things we did was the river float on San Marcos River. We had to take a bus to the location, they gave us inner tubes, and then we were floated down the river. We had such a great time and thankfully one of my friends had a floating cooler so we were able to bring all our drinks. The transport time was long, so be prepared for this to be your entire day.
I also loved hanging out at Barton Springs. I love a day by the pool so much more than a day by the beach and because Barton is cooled by natural springs, it was a great way to stay cool and relax before heading out to dance on Sixth Street.
Note that Austin has grown super popular as a bachelorette destination, so make sure to check all rental house and hotel policies to make sure you’re not running afowl of rules about partying. If you’re headed out, don’t expect to be the only bride on the town.
Insider Tip: Just make sure to plan travel dates around some of the large festivals Austin hosts so that flights and lodging aren’t too expensive.
Final Thoughts
A bachelorette party doesn’t have to just be clubbing and getting drunk. All of these locations offer amazing outdoor adventures and great things to do that aren’t just binge drinking. I really enjoyed each of the bachelorettes I’ve attended in these awesome locations and love that I’ve been able to hike, sail, paddle, and float my way through these trips.
Trying to plan an outdoorsy bachelorette but not sure where to go? Comment below or send me a DM on socials @torytalkstrails!