Gary Chapman’s 5 love languages are something I was exposed to early on in marriage — a staple I believe every person in a relationship should understand. After my partner and I took a quiz, I quickly learned that “quality time” is an integral part of how he wants to receive love.
Quality time is all about creating special moments and doing things together that are uninterrupted without distractions. While this is important all year round, there’s no better time than Valentine’s Day to serve as a reminder to book something special to do with the special someone in your life. This Valentine’s Day, book a fun, consider these X interactive date night ideas where you can spend quality time together.
Top Golf
With over 100 Top Golf locations nationwide, there’s bound to be one in your area for the perfect interactive date night. Whether your guy is huge into golf or just plays casually, Top Golf is easy enough for anyone to enjoy. Though I have absolutely no athletic abilities, I love going to Top Golf for an interactive date night. With heaters in each bay, it’s also a date night that can be enjoyed regardless of the weather.
I do recommend booking a lane in advance at your local Top Golf, especially if you’re planning on going the week of Valentine’s Day (as it can get pretty busy). For two people, two hours is the perfect amount of time to play several rounds and also spend time talking over food and drink. Top Golf has recently expanded it’s food and beverage menu with some great choices for a dinner date and interactive date combo. Or, you can plan a higher-end dinner or drinks before or after the Top Golf lane reservation if you want to extend the evening.
Sur La Table cooking classes
Last year, my husband and I had a blast attending a South American Steak Night cooking class at Sur La Table. Although many people just assume Sur La Table is just a kitchen goods store (which it is), they also offer amazing cooking classes which offer a fun, interactive date night for you and your loved one. What’s great about these cooking classes is that they appeal to home cooks of any skill-level. Each class is broken into teams of about four people where you work together to divide the tasks to make different meals. With guidance from the class instructor, there’s no need to worry about not knowing how to do something. If you and your special someone love a challenge, you’ll love learning how to cook a new meal together.
Sur La Table’s cooking classes are available all the time, with a rotating selection of different classes that include different cuisines and types of foods. They even have dessert classes! For Valentine’s Day, classes in the month of February are “love” themed such as “Be Mine Macroons” and a Cupid’s Feast Date Night. After the class, each couple is given the full recipes so you can recreate them later at home. While many of these are called “Date Nights”, they’d also be a great choice if you’re looking to treat a friend or companion to a Valentine’s Day gift, too.
Date nights at home
If your man isn’t the “going out” kind, there’s nothing wrong with planning a cozy, comfortable date night at home. Even if you choose to stay home, there are plenty of ways you can still try out new experiences and learn something new together. One way you can combine “gift giving” and “acts of service” together is with a fun gift like an indoor pizza oven. Indoor pizza ovens like Current’s Smart Pizza Oven are a great idea for the “staying in” date night where you can learn to make restaurant quality pizza at home. I think there’s something special about not just doing something experiential together but also learning a new skill together.
If cooking isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of other indoor date nights where you can experience something new together. Try something artsy like a Paint-Me-Like custom paint-by-number date night or even consider planning a movie night, complete with all the fix-ins. When it comes to planning a Valentine’s Day night, it’s all about spending quality time together and doing something beyond just your typical date night dinner.
Planning an experiential Valentine’s Day night
Planning an experiential Valentine’s Day night doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bother with all the classics. If your loved one’s “love language” is gift-giving, don’t forget the usuals like flowers, chocolates, cigars, and wine. But if you’re looking to create a memorable Valentine’s Day night, consider experiential date nights that match something your loved one enjoys. Whether it’s something artsy like a wine-and-paint night or something thrilling like ATV rides, there’s something to be said for going above and beyond to plan something memorable to do together.
