Puget Sound’s picturesque waterfront towns are perfect places to jump-start your romantic daydreams. Loaf around down at the docks in Edmonds, Mukilteo or Anacortes. Study yachts and tugs going by, dine on succulent seafood, and browse through soundside boutiques for local arts and crafts in Bainbridge, Poulsbo, and Gig Harbor.

Enjoy historic architecture in downtown Tacoma and Bellingham. Stay at Victorian inns and bed and breakfasts. (www.bedandbreakfast.com/usa/washington) Find a guide to take you cruising or kayaking, biking or fishing. (www.woga.org) Drive the Chukanut Drive that hugs old growth forests and the coastline on the way north to Bellingham. In Bellingham, try the luxurious Chrysalis Inn and Spa. Savor an exotic wine from its extensive wine bar, and feel the afterglow of a day spent at its full-service spa. Take a ferry at Fauntleroy in West Seattle to bucolic Vashon Island.

Edmonds is just 15 minutes north of Seattle, and was voted “Puget Sounds Friendliest City.” Quaint bistros and sidewalk cafes line its streets. A nearby bird sanctuary will put you in the mood for nesting. For those who enjoy the mysteries of an underwater world, explore a sunken shipwreck at the diving park. (www.snohomish.org or 1-888-338-0976)

LaConner (an hour north of Seattle in the Skagit Valley) looks onto fishing boats across the Swinomish Channel next to farm fields and forests. Spring brings endless fields quilted with tulips and daffodils. Mount Baker looms on the horizon. Mull over how to plant a romantic garden at the charming Tillinghast Floral and Greenhouse or look for inspiration in the many local art galleries or at The Valley Museum, the country's top collection of “Northwest School” art. (www.laconnerchamber.com)

Historic Port Townsend (on the Olympic Peninsula northeast of Seattle) features a bustling waterfront of Victorian brick-front shops, and a hillside dotted with the best collection of Victorian homes in the state. (www.ptguide.com)

Gig Harbor near Tacoma is nestled on the water and sports a charming marina. Or venture past Olympia to Hoodsport, located on a fjord perfect for cultivating oysters. U-pick, or enjoy them cooked to perfection at local eateries. Top it off with a fine fruit wine from the Hoodsport Winery.