Florida city named the best date night spot in the U.S.

Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·2 min read

Ahead of Valentine's Day, a Florida city topped a list of the best locales for date nights in the United States, thanks to factors including its many romantic restaurants, couple-friendly attractions and more.

Sarasota was named No. 1 in the Top 10 Best Date Night Cities in the U.S. by BonusFinder.com, "an independent online casino comparison website" that also publishes entertainment lists such as Which is the Most Haunted State in America? and Best Cities for Visiting NFL Fans. The same website also named Sarasota, which is located just south of Tampa Bay, one of the top 10 party cities in the U.S. last year.

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Sarasota was named the No. 1 date night city in the U.S. by BonusFinder.com, which highlighted destinations including Siesta Key Beach, pictured here during the Valentine's Day Say "I Do" Again wedding vow renewal.
Sarasota was named the No. 1 date night city in the U.S. by BonusFinder.com, which highlighted destinations including Siesta Key Beach, pictured here during the Valentine's Day Say "I Do" Again wedding vow renewal.

According to the website, the ranking was determined by comparing 160 cities and factors such as the average prices for a meal, a bottle of wine, and movie tickets for two people, as well as the numbers of romantic restaurants, cafes, bakeries and dessert shops, bars and pubs, fun date night activities and games, couple-friendly attractions, romantic hotels and spas per 10,000 people.

Sarasota had the highest number of romantic restaurants, cafes/bakeries/dessert shops, spas, and couple-friendly attractions, according to the list, as ranking No. 3 in the number of bars/pubs and date night activities/games and No. 6 in the number of romantic hotels.

"Nestled along the picturesque Gulf Coast, Sarasota sets the stage for a captivating romantic retreat with its coastal beauty and charming cultural attractions," the blurb on Sarasota reads. The blurb also offered multiple suggestions of local attractions to visit, including Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota Opera, Siesta Key Beach, and Sarasota Bay for "a scenic cruise" or "a waterfront dinner, savoring fresh seafood with a stunning view."

Other Florida cities that made the Top 10 included Orlando at No. 6 and Fort Lauderdale at No. 8. Rounding out the list were Atlantic City, New Jersey at No. 2; Savannah, Georgia at No. 3; Charleston, South Carolina at No. 3; Portland, Maine at No. 5; Burlington, Vermont at No. 7; Wilmington, Delaware at No. 9 and Las Vegas at No. 10.

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Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by  subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida city Sarasota named the best date night spot in the U.S.