Ah, Valentine’s Day, the holiday for love. We’d never discount Valentine’s Day or call it overblown or silly, because we’re all about any excuse to show your partner you love them. Giving little tokens of your love, going on a nice date, and having lots of amazing sex are usually part of the day, too. All great things to look forward to.
How do you avoid falling into the boring date trap, though? Valentine’s Day should be a time to live your best life as a couple…and that doesn’t always mean going to the fanciest, most expensive restaurant in town. Your love is special, so you should celebrate Valentine’s Day in style, with a fun and unique date night that’s perfect for you. Read on for some ideas…themed by cheesy Valentine card pickup lines…then start planning the most memorable Valentine’s Date of your life!
“You really bowl me over, Valentine!”
Traditional bowling (or a fun local take on it like duckpin bowling or Feather Bowling) always makes for a fun and memorable date night. Whether you’re both really good or really bad or somewhere in between, encouraging each other and laughing with (or sometimes at) your partner’s strike attempts makes for some great bonding time. Besides, something about wearing rented shoes really helps you let your guard down and just enjoy each other. Winner gets a sexual favor of their choice when you get home?
“Our love belongs in a museum!”
While museums are usually great places to be steeped in arts, history, and culture, sometimes they may feel a little…stodgy. If you and your partner like that classical quiet of an art or history museum, by all means, make that your Valentine’s date. More and more museums these days, however, are catering to the crowd that likes a little more excitement in their life.
If you’d rather not celebrate your love with the old masters, check out a super unique museum near you. With choices like The Spam Museum or the Mustard Museum that dot the American landscape, there’s something to cater to everyone’s weirdest interests! Fun, unique interactive museums & art installations like WNDR will give you both a date to remember. Keep an eye out for traveling interactive art exhibitions, too, like Meow Wolf or Immersive Van Gogh. Take a V-day trip to one not too far out of town, or at least watch for one to pop up near you soon! These immersive experiences are like the art museums for the Instagram era; many have lots of great opportunities for selfies and snaps so you’ll remember your special day together for years to come.
“There’s no escaping how much I love you!”
Do you like to live on the edge? Do you laugh in the face of danger? Then gather up a few more couples and enjoy your Valentine’s Day spent solving a mystery to escape a dangerous situation in an Escape Room Game. Escape Rooms are located all over the country (all over the world now, probably) and come in many different formats, themes, and styles, but the aim is usually the same. Find and use clues, evidence, puzzles, and objects in your environment to solve a mystery so can escape the room to live another day. Everyone in your group will have to work together and capitalize on their strengths to find and solve all the cryptic messages that will lead to your escape. There’s almost always a time limit, and if you don’t solve for the key before time runs out, you didn’t escape. Better luck next time!
“My love, no one else competes for my heart.”
…That doesn’t mean you can’t compete with each other, though! If you and your lover have a competitive streak, try a creative way of gamifying your V-day date! Head to a hip modern gaming venue or an old-timey arcade for some video game or air hockey action. Enjoy a non-traditional Valentine’s dinner of wings and fries before a few games of pool or shuffleboard at your favorite dive bar or billiards venue. Feel free to wager or bet on the games you participate in…and at least some of the wagers should include the promise of sexual favors for later!
You can even turn dinner into a TV-style competition. Whip up a gourmet dinner with mystery ingredients chosen by your partner like you’re a contestant on Chopped, then have your partner get their Great British Baking Show on to make your favorite dessert for you. You’ll both probably be a lot kinder to each other than the real judges would be, and you’ll turn a standard dinner at home into a fun game show worthy of your special Valentine’s date.
“My favorite thing to do is just relaxing with you!”
Ah, Spa Days. A long-time favorite staple for bachelorette parties and ladies days out, but who says the guys in your life wouldn’t appreciate a little pampering, too? Indulge your partner with a Valentine’s spa date, complete with relaxing massages, facials, and a mani-pedi. You can even get super fancy by checking out a salt room spa, float spa, or a mineral/thermal spring spa. Even the manliest man probably won’t balk at a day to get spoiled like a celebrity next to their lover, while sipping champagne and eating strawberries. Relax next to each other while you both beautify your outsides to match the inside beauty of your relationship.
“You warm up my heart on the coldest days.”
If you live in, well, any area around where Lover’s Lane stores are located, Valentine’s Day always falls during the chilliest time of the year. There’s a certain quiet beauty in the cold and snow, though, so don’t let freezing temps or flakes rain on your parade. Take your Valentine’s date to the great outdoors to enjoy some sports and activities that are uniquely winter: ice skating, skiing or snowboarding, sledding, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing are all amazingly fun and active winter date ideas that won’t leave your love cold. Whatever activity you choose, make sure you take some time to thaw each other out over hot chocolate, spiked or unspiked, and a good roll under the cozy covers once you get home.
“We’ve got a groovy kind of love, Valentine.”
Show your lover that your love goes way back with a vintage-style date from an era in the past. Choose a historical period that interests you and your partner, and just have fun with it! Some options?
-Fancy restaurants are so overrated. Have dinner at a classic 50s diner. Wash it down by sharing a shake or malt at a soda fountain. Poodle skirts and leather jackets optional.
-Don your best 20s-style flapper and gangster gear and head to an underground speakeasy.
-Dress up in your fanciest finery and slip on your dinner gloves to dine in a Victorian mansion or share a romantic afternoon tea.
-Put on your go-go boots and go-go to a retro disco. Or have your own disco dance party in the bedroom…clothing optional!
You’ll have to do a little research and you may have to go a bit out of your way to find these unique spots near you, but we promise the memories you make will be worth it!
“I may not be a Grammy winner, but your love makes my heart sing!”
Put on your party clothes and get your voices ready, because you’re about to expose your true selves through song! Get your best (or worst) singing voice on in front of a room full of strangers at a karaoke bar, or rent a private room in a Japanese-style karaoke studio for just the two of you. Sip in whatever cocktails you both need for social lubrication, then sing your heart out with your favorite duets, romantic ballads, Disney songs, or 80s jams. It’s your party so show your heart through your favorite styles of music. And remember, your partner loves you no matter how you sing…and you’ll never see any of those other people again, so let loose and have fun!
“My love for you shines brighter than all the stars in the sky.”
There’s really nothing more romantic than a stargazing date! Pack up your car (or pickup truck…bonus for the built-in bed) with blankets, cozy clothes, and thermoses of hot chocolate. Head out to an International Dark Sky Park if you’re lucky enough to have one near you, or anywhere you can get away from the light pollution of city life if you don’t. Pack a telescope or even some really good binoculars to provide the best view of the moon, stars, and any planets that may be visible at the time. Phone apps can tell you what you’re looking at, so it’s a learning experience, too!
While you’re waiting for it to get dark enough, you can even dine under the stars! Many places, especially due to COVID, have introduced igloo dining. Find a restaurant that offers igloo dining near you, and enjoy your Valentine’s Day meal in a quiet, private, heated dome that still gives you a view of the outside. Play your own romantic playlist from your phone or just chat and really connect with each other. Make sure to make a reservation early, though…these places book up fast!
