This Arizona city was named one of America's most romantic small towns. Here's why

Michael Salerno, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

Move over, Virginia — Sedona is for lovers.

At least according to a new survey from a New York-focused online publication, New York Travel Guides, which published a list of the 140 most romantic small towns in the U.S.

Sedona came in all the way at No. 2, just behind Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

It's just the latest accolade for the travel hotspot known for its red rock buttes like Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock.

Sedona came in as the No. 8 small town and No. 23 best place in the nation in a U.S. News & World Report ranking, as well as the No. 15 most popular place to travel in the U.S. for 2023 in Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards.

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Why Sedona was named the No. 2 most romantic small town?

New York Travel Guides stated Sedona stood out for its large number of art galleries (it counted more than 80), wine tasting opportunities and tours that allow visitors to experience the area's cherished red rock buttes.

They also highlighted Sedona's "world-class" spa resorts and accommodations, many of which won national accolades in the past year: Tripadvisor users named Adobe Grand Villas the No. 1 small hotel in the U.S., Conde Nast Traveler readers named L'Auberge de Sedona the No. 1 hotel in the Southwest and Travel + Leisure named Mii amo at Enchantment Resort, which debuted a two-year, $40 million renovation in February, one of the best new hotels for 2023.

How New York Travel Guides came up with its ranking

The 140 places on the survey were ranked based on four factors:

  • Romantic activities made up 45% of the cities' overall scores. Activities considered romantic for the ranking's purposes included spas, art galleries and horse-drawn carriage rides.

  • Romantic places to stay comprised 25% of the rating, considering hotels with a view, full-service luxury resorts, and bed and breakfasts romantic.

  • Historic architecture and scenery comprised 15% of the score, evaluating small towns for their outstanding natural landmarks and the number of places listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Cozy coffee shops and restaurants comprised the last 15% of the score, each city rated for the number of coffee shops with high review scores on Yelp and the number of fine dining restaurants.

The survey's sources were the Historic Register, Booking.com, Yelp, Google Search and Google Maps.

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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Most romantic small towns in America: Arizona city named No. 2 in US