Sure, you can do the traditional dinner and a movie, but why not step it up a notch and try something new and exciting this Valentine’s Day? Whether you go for a blindfolded dining experience, a naked scavenger hunt or a trapeze flying class, these ideas will help you plan a Valentine’s Day you’ll never forget.
Education and Culture
*Take a journey to the stars with your spouse this Valentine’s Day at the Hayden Planetarium. Set the mood with a cocktail hour and live music from the Josh Rutner Quartet. Then hold hands as the pair of you travel through the skies on a narrated tour of the gorgeous night sky.
*Live the high life for a night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Listen to live classical music, sip cocktails and snack on appetizers as you gaze out over the balcony at the Great Hall in one of the world’s largest art galleries. Every Friday and Saturday night.
*Impress your partner with your quick thinking and extensive knowledge of trivia at The Big Quiz Thing, a multimedia live trivia game show. Socialize, drink and compete against other couples at locations around the city, to prove your worth as a trivia master!
Natural Wonders
*Set off together on your own private, romantic walking tour of Central Park. Guided by podcasts, maps and interactive guides, you can set your own pace as you wander through the art, architecture and natural beauty of the country’s most iconic green space.
*Take a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy some of the city’s most beautiful views. Go at night and marvel at the twinkling lights before tucking in to a romantic waterfront dinner at the River Café; or, go during the day and pack a picnic lunch to enjoy in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Fitness and Adventure
*Fly through the air with the greatest of ease at Trapeze School New York. If you’re not quite brave enough to go flying, you can also work on trampoline, acrobatics and more.
*Head to Chelsea Piers to tackle the rock climbing wall together. Take a beginner’s lesson or get certified to go out on your own on one of two courses—the 46-foot high wall or the slightly more manageable 30-foot one. Belay on!
Food and Drink
*Have dinner, enjoy some dancing and solve a crime at the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre. Figure out whodunit before dessert or you could find yourself in serious danger. “Murdered By The Mob” is enjoying its fourteenth year in Manhattan, and “Disorganized Crimes” plays in Long Island.
*Don’t be afraid to make your date a little cheesy. Head to Murray’s Cheese on V-Day to take part in “Cheese 101,” learn how to pair beer or wine with cheese or sign up for their “Mozzarella Making” classes that happen throughout the year.
*Stop by the City Winery the Sunday before V-Day for Klezmer Brunch, which brings together great live musical acts with bagels and lox for a fun, laid-back morning of music and great food.
*Cook your dinner and eat it too at a romantic couples’ class at the Institute for Culinary Education. Sign up for a “Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner” or “Sweet Valentines” class, where you can learn to cook a gourmet meal or bake sweetheart-shaped pastries. Classes run all week before the big day.
Out-Of-The-Box
*Get reacquainted with your spouse in a whole new way by dining in the dark. Head to CAMAJE for a dark dining experience, and heighten the rest of your senses with live music and a romantic four-course feast.
*Loosen your inhibitions and try not to blush on a “Naked At The Art Museum” scavenger hunt by Watson Adventures. Follow clues, answer questions and discover the secrets hidden on some rather “revealing” works of art. Available at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
