There are many date ideas out there but I wanted to put an emphasis on spending time with your partner in the outdoors. I’ve also added some fun ideas of ways to spend time in your house together if you don’t have the funds for an expensive meal or outdoor activity, or if you are looking to stay close to home. These 14 fun date ideas for Valentine’s Day will sure bring you on a lot of fun adventures, laughs and a chance to reconnect.
Table of Contents
1. Skating
Quality Time Together
I love skating. It’s an excellent way to get exercise and spend quality time with your loved one. Even if you’re at different skating levels, you can hold hands (aww, romantic) and help keep each other stay upright on the ice. You can pull each other forward if you need some encouragement. It’s a good place to practice skills such as stopping and if you’re competitive, race against each other and see who can stop the quickest.
Picnics are Fun Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day
Hawrelak park is a fantastic place to skate as it provides lots of space for many people to move around without bumping into each other. You can bring a picnic with some hot chocolate in a thermos and eat at a picnic table near the pond if you need a break or need to refuel for the remainder of your skate.
Buying vs Renting
Skates were available for rent at Hawrelak park prior to Covid-19 if a person wanted to go for a short skate and didn’t have a pair of skates. Hopefully, rentals will be available in the future. Otherwise, you’re looking at anywhere from $170 pair to $400 at Sport Check if you want to buy your own skates. Skating on the pond is free. It might be a bit pricey if your first time skating is for Valentine’s Day, but skating is an addicting exercise. You can make good use out of owning your skates and get your money’s worth.
Hockey Skates vs Figure Skates
I find that for skating around a pond, hockey skates make it a lot easier to stop. Yes, as a lady, I wear hockey skates. I used to wear figure skates but found it harder to maneuver in them. Of course, it’s a personal preference if you’re female. Unless you are looking to do twirls and fancy tricks on skates, hockey skates can be a wonderful option. Hockey skates are wider and allow for warmer socks, and in turn, warmer feet, when skating outside.
2. Cross-Country Skiing
Love for Cross-Country Skiing
I love to cross-country ski! So much so that I encouraged Kris to buy cross-country skis and join me on a regular basis. Most of the time, as long as the snow doesn’t stick to his skis, he likes it. It’s definitely not as much as myself, who’s a cross-country ski enthusiast, but that doesn’t matter, it’s wonderful to have his company! He was already a downhill skier, so convincing him to try cross-country skiing wasn’t very difficult, thankfully. At times, I’ve been called a slow poke as Kris is way ahead of me cross-country skiing. He is enthusiastic when the conditions are favourable.
Try a new Sport
If you’re both lovers of the sport, why not do this activity for Valentine’s Day? If you haven’t tried it, it’s a good opportunity to try something new. Strathcona Wilderness Centre offers ski rentals for the day for those that don’t have their own equipment ($16 to $20 for adults depending on the type of skier). You’ll also be required to buy a day pass for $7 per adult. This allows the staff to keep the tracks in awesome condition by continuously track setting. They even offer beginner classes to help you on your way.
Different Locations as Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day
Cooking Lake-Blackfoot has over forty kilometers of free cross-country skiing for both classical and skate skiers. They offer green tracks (easy), blue tracks (moderate) and black (difficult) for every level of skier. They feature warm-up huts which are handy if it’s too cold outside to eat your lunch. As it’s free to use the park, they don’t track set as often as Strathcona Wilderness Centre, so just keep that in mind. Sometimes the conditions are not as awesome as their competitor. But it’s free, so you can’t complain, and it’s often rewarding!
There are many cross-country skiing options around Edmonton. You can find some places within the city such as Goldbar Park, if you don’t want to make the forty-five minute drive out of the city.
3. Downhill Skiing
If you have some money to allocate to a more expensive outing, downhill skiing is a wonderful option. You get to spend the entire day together. Kris and I like to take parallel runs, him on blacks and myself on blues and meet up at the bottom. That could be an option for you as well, if you’re at different levels but would like to spend most of the day together. Different ski hills also offer varying levels of hill difficulty. The runs at Lake Louise tend to be steeper. A blue run at Lake Louise would compare to a black run at Marmot. After gaining some confidence like I did, I found that blacks were a fantastic option as fewer people venture on them. There’s more freedom to turn without excessive numbers of boarders and skiers passing by you.
They also have green runs, which are easier for people who don’t feel confidant to tackle the harder runs, for skiers that are just starting out, or if a skier needs a bit of a leg rest. If you’re wondering what are some date ideas for Valentine’s Day? Think downhill skiing.
4. Adventure Challenges are Awesome Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day
I found the Adventure Challenge book online. They offer adventures for families and couples. It is the same principle as a scratch ticket but instead of scratching to win money, you scratch to find out what adventure lies ahead for the two of you to accomplish together. They have many different topics, including: meals, snacks, get wet, mess, active, indoors, outdoors, amongst many others. You get to have an idea of what you’re getting yourself into, before you scratch. They give you a price point of how much money will be required for your date night. You can also buy a polaroid camera with the book to take pictures of your date. It’s an adventurous way to get to know your partner better and get into something that you wouldn’t normally do.
We’ve bought it for ourselves, and can’t wait to try it out. Some suggested ideas from the website are body painting, floating down the river and having a picnic on a blow up mattress. Some adventures might push you out of your comfort zone but it will encourage you to widen your horizons and think outside the box for date night. Get your book today!
5. Cook Together
Cooking together is an awesome way to connect, especially on Valentine’s Day. Kris came up with the idea of making a pizza in the shape of a heart! Awww, romantic! This is one of the most fun date ideas for Valentine’s Day! You can make anything that the two of you like. Go to the grocery store together and get what you need. Buy some wine and start cooking!
It’s also a good test of your communication skills. I’m pretty sure if I remember correctly, we burnt the bottom of this pizza! Making the pizza was great, actually eating it was a bit more challenging! I had old crappy pans at that point, forgetting that they were not non-stick pans and we burned our supper! We had a good laugh! Eating it was more of a piece-by-piece situation. If you’re looking for more ideas of meals you can cook, try my Pinneaple Chicken Stirfry or Salmon Patties.
6. Romantic Walks are Fantastic Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day
Kris and I went for a stroll in the town of Jasper during a snow storm. You can do the same. Whether it’s snowing or a gorgeous day outside, go for a romantic walk around your neighbourhood or even in a park close to your home to get some exercise and spend some quality time together. You can also go explore a new part of your city and check it out. It’s simple and free to spend time with your partner. Romantic walks are fantastic date ideas for Valentine’s Day. If you’re looking for a more adventurous hike, you can find some all around Jasper.
7. Karaoke Sing Off
In the picture above, I got the opportunity to sing Travelin’ Soldier by the Dixie Chicks in Australia, back in 2007. It was so much fun and I had around 15 people watching me at the caravan park, where my family and I camped that night.
If you and your partner love to sing, why not turn on the karaoke channel and do a karaoke sing off? You’ll love listening to each other sing and laugh together when you can’t reach the high notes. It’s a different Valentine’s day idea that might just make your evening more fun and interesting!
Every once in a while, it’s nice to do something out of your comfort zone and push yourself to do something different. Being around your lovely supportive partner in your own house; what better place is there to sing? This one’s free!
8. Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day: Play Board Games
Kris and I play Scrabble every so often. It’s a good two player game and excellent for your brain to create words. It’s a fun game to include for date night. You might even get a cat poking its head out to see the fun it’s missing. We had a good laugh when Rocky appeared from under the blanket! You can play Scrabble or find another game to play. If you are both competitive and don’t care if you lose, then that might be a good option for you. If that will result in anger, maybe avoid competitive games and find a more amicable game to play, that doesn’t ruin your evening. Board games are fun, interactive, free and can provide many laughs. This is why it’s included in date ideas for Valentine’s Day.
9. Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day : Creative Love
If you’re looking for creative date ideas for Valentine’s Day, why not use the snow? Kris made me a heart shape in the backyard, by walking around. You could also make a snowman or maybe even a snow fort. Kris also thought of cutting up some of the red flowers he bought to make me a heart with the petals and write “love you”. If you want to perform a romantic gesture while coming off as sweet and not spending much money, this is a fantastic idea! It was very unique and heartfelt.
10. Treasure Hunts Around the House
One year, I was creative and found a different way to be romantic without spending money. I cut up hearts on my Cricut, and wrote various messages on them for my boyfriend to find throughout the house. It created a treasure hunt for him and made it fun and interesting to see if he’d get them all and also for him to think where I might have placed them. Months later, he still found some. It was a good way to brighten up his day on Valentine’s Day and for subsequent months.
You can be creative and make whatever you wish. Cater to both sets of interests. Find something that he or she likes and hide it around the house. It could be messages or wrapped up chocolate. I hide chocolate around the house for Easter, yes as an adult, and no we don’t have children. I’m a kid at heart and don’t see why we should miss out on the treasure hunt.
Have fun, that’s what life is all about! Treasure hunts around the house create fun date ideas for Valentine’s Day.
11. Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day: Bake Cookies
Baking cookies or making desserts is a wonderful way to spend time with your partner on Valentine’s Day. You can either make the same cookies or make different ones. It’s fun to talk about which ones you love and want to make while deciding together. You can exchange conversation about what you’re doing and where the measuring cups went, since you can’t find them or as you find out, it’s because your partner is using them. If you make sugar cookies, it’s fun to decide which shapes to make and what icing or sprinkles you want to add.
12. Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day: Romantic Fondue
The U of A Botanical Gardens hosts a three-course fondue supper in a bubble tent. It’s a fifteen-minute walk from the main gate. You get to enjoy looking at the lights from Luminaria during the December months on your way to the tent. They had Luminaria running in December and due to its high popularity, it’s running again from January 27 to March 13, 2022. It includes cheese with veggies and fruit, meat and bouillon, and chocolate with fruit for dessert. They have a heater inside but it can get cold when it’s -20°C and they open the door to exchange the courses. Dress warmly!
Tip: If you can, sit to the left of the door. When the door opens, you’ll have less cold air flow on you. There are cushions to sit on and others behind your back to help keep you warm. You can add wine to your supper for a romantic feel. That will also help warm you up!
It’s a fun and different way to enjoy a fondue. It costs $150 each. It’s a more expensive outing for sure but totally worth it. I would strongly recommend it! The Romantic Fondue definitely had to be part of 14 fun date ideas for Valentine’s Day.
13. Ice Castles
Prior to Covid-19, a company from the United States created an Ice Castle located in Hawrelak Park that was extremely popular. You could walk around looking at the different colours in the ice as well as check out the shape of the carvings done in the ice to create a castle. Hopefully, we’ll see the return of this wonderful event! It cost $14 to $18 for an adult, depending if it was on a weekday or on a weekend. Buying the tickets online, ensured that you got in. If they sold out, people without a ticket might have been turned away.
This was a wonderful way to spend the evening, walking hand-in-hand with your loved one. They had a slide made out of ice for children’s enjoyment. There were many entrances in the ice encouraging you to go through, if you dared to go to the other side. Fire pits were placed throughout the ice castle to warm you up.
14. Make a Puzzle
If you want a night in, why not do an outdoorsy puzzle together, like this one of Moraine Lake with canoes? It offers a relaxing atmosphere with conversation as you build it together. Exchange pieces; help each other out. It’s a fantastic opportunity to discuss future plans of where you’d like to take your next journey and think of adventures abroad that offer the chance to travel. Maybe you want to go on a canoe day trip on Moraine Lake or even a multi-day trip down Maligne Lake. It will definitely get you thinking of the next trip you’d like to take in the summer together.
These 14 fun date ideas for Valentine’s Day should be a wonderful start to get you planning how you’d like to spend your romantic day or evening together. Whether you are looking for indoor or outdoor options, you have many suggestions here to help you. The activities have different price points as well, depending on your budget. Look at the options, chat with your partner to see what you’re both in the mood to do and then pick one! Happy romantic adventure on Valentine’s Day!
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