Valentine’s Day is around the corner. If you are dating someone or are in a relationship, the pressure of what to do to celebrate is mounting. Coming up with romantic Valentine’s Day ideas is surprisingly difficult. Some couples are happy just going out to dinner at a favorite restaurant or staying home and binging on a favorite TV show while cuddling on the couch.
But if your partner prefers surprises or more outside-the-box experiences, you want to plan a more unique date. Not sure what to do for Valentine’s Day? Keep reading for the best Valentine’s Day ideas to make your loved one feel special and appreciated.
Valentine’s Day plans
The ideas don’t have to be elaborate or all-day affairs. Plan a simple activity or something a little out of the ordinary, and make the day special.
Here are a few ideas to do
- Go to a drive-in movie or set up one yourself with a projector
- Re-create your first date together, either by going to the same place or replicating it at home
- Take a spin class, yoga class, or other exercise class
- Go to a museum or art exhibit
- Watch live music or go to a jazz show or bar with an open mic
- Sing karaoke
- Take a mixology class together or try your hand at shaking up unique cocktails
- Go to a wine tasting or chocolate tasting
- Try an escape room
- Go indoor rock climbing
- Challenge other couples at trivia night at a local bar or go head-to-head with board games
- Go bowling
- Volunteer together
- Book a night at a fancy hotel
- Go glamping
- Go rollerblading or ice skating
- Take an evening hike to an open spot, have dessert, then lie back and stargaze
- Take a ballroom dance class
- Have a bonfire or patio fire and make s’mores
- Watch stand-up comedy or go to a local comedy club
- Find an old-school arcade and go play games
- Do a paint and sip class or create one at home
Make Valentine’s Day special for him
Valentine’s Day is often centered around women — girlfriends, fiancees, wives, and mothers — so much so that there’s the term “Galentine’s Day” for females to show love for one another. That said, plenty of men enjoy a romantic or sweet gesture on Valentine’s Day. If you’re a woman, man, or non-binary person in a relationship with a man, make the day special for him.
Ideas for men
- Cook his favorite meal
- Go to a wine tasting or beer tasting
- Take him to a sports game, concert, or show
- Watch stand-up comedy
- Go for a hike or bike ride
- Give him a back massage
- Make him a playlist of the songs you both love
- Make a slideshow of cute photos of the two of you
- Plan a weekend getaway together
- Go to a sports bar and play pool and bar games
- Surprise him at work and take him to lunch
- Do a flirty photoshoot
- Make him chocolate-covered strawberries from scratch
- Have lunch delivered to his work
- Make a charcuterie board of his favorite snacks and enjoy it together
- Put together/buy a gift basket
- Write him a love letter, song, or story
- Do one of his favorite activities with him
- Pack him a special lunch for work
- Get him a cameo from someone he admires
- Set up a scavenger hunt with clues only he would understand, and end with a romantic surprise
Make Valentine’s Day special for her
Many women say they don’t care about Valentine’s Day or deny the desire to do anything special to celebrate. But do something for your girlfriend, fiancee, or wife to make her feel special and loved. To be honest, most of our ways to make Valentine’s day special for him would also work for her — if your partner loves a homecooked meal, hiking, or playing games at a sports bar, then you’ve already got plenty of ideas. But just in case you need a few more for him or her:
If your partner is into experiences over Valentine’s Day gifts, consider these ideas
- Give her a foot massage or back massage, or treat her to a professional spa day
- Try your hand at making her a fancy dessert
- Surprise her at work at the end of her day and whisk her off to a fancy dinner
- Order a meal kit delivery box and cook a special meal
- Take her stargazing
- Take a confection-making class
- Make her breakfast in bed or take her out to a local restaurant
- Make her a scrapbook of your relationship
- Take her somewhere new in town you haven’t visited yet
- Set up an at-home wine and chocolate tasting
What to do at home for Valentine’s Day
You don’t have to venture out to an expensive and overcrowded restaurant or bar to have a great Valentine’s Day. There are quite a few at-home options, covering every avenue from romantic and intimate to fun and playful activities. A quiet night in together is just as memorable — if not more so — which is why many couples choose to celebrate with a simple date right at home.
Here are a few ideas
- An intimate spa night with massages or a bubble bath
- Cooking a special dish
- Dance party
- Writing each other songs or poems and performing them
- Reminiscing over photos or just sharing memories
- Playing board games, video games, or cards
- Transporting yourselves around the world by turning the living room or kitchen into a foreign country and eating foods and doing activities native to that region
- Playing instruments, singing, or making music together
- Having a movie night with popcorn and candy
- Doing arts and crafts
- Baking cookies, cupcakes, or bread
- Mixing cocktails
- Having a picnic in the backyard
- Watching the sunset
- Enjoying breakfast in bed
- Drawing or painting one another
- Making fondue
- Ordering takeout or delivery
- Doing yoga together
It’s all about the effort behind the planning. The key is to have meaning to what you plan for the occasion that’s special to you two, no matter how big or small you go. Make it unique to you as a couple and you won’t go wrong this Valentine’s Day.
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