Unique Date Ideas

Words By Ambar Ramirez

If you’re thinking about planning a romantic dinner and movie night for Valentine’s Day, think again. Valentine’s Day is a great day to show the person you love how much you really love them (though, you should do this consistently), but how much does it really say about your relationship if you go on a basic date that you probably have gone on a million times? 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

• Candle Making at Wick: A Candle Bar

• • • Planning a candle-lit dinner, why not make the candles yourself? At the Wick: A Candle Bar in San Marco, participants get to make their own candles with their favorite scents. Bonus, if you get there early enough, you can take the candles home the same day. Just in time for that intimate candle-lit dinner. Not only are certain scents aphrodisiacs and trigger desire, but we can’t think of a better way to spend Valentine’s day than making something by hand with the person you love. 
    • wickacandlebar.com

• Sip & Spin at the Jacksonville Pottery Studio

• • • Cue the intimate pottery wheel scene from the 1990 movie “Ghost.” This one is for all the couples that aren’t afraid to get dirty (literally and metaphorically). The Jacksonville Pottery Studio in Murray Hill is hosting a Sip and Spin event Feb. 14 from 6-7:30 p.m. And it’s a BYOB event (Bring Your Own Bottle), so you don’t have to worry about not having your preferred glass of wine. 
    • jaxpottery.com

• Keg & Coin

• • • Is your partner the type to sit at a monitor playing games for hours? This one’s for you. As the saying goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”  Keg & Coin is a local bar arcade that offers the best ’80s to ’90s arcade games with a wide selection of beers and IPAs. While it is a more laid-back scene for the romantic holiday, it’s the perfect spot to hit up after grabbing dinner for a fun-filled night. 
    • kegandcoinjax.com

• Valentine’s at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

• • • Don’t think I forgot about all the singles out there! Instead of spending the holiday eating a box of chocolates while watching all of your favorite rom-coms, take yourself out on a date to the Cummer Museum. From 6-7 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, the museum hosts “Love Hurts: Feuds, Falling Outs and Failed Relationships,” a guided tour of the Cummer collection focusing on stories about love and feuds in art. 
    • https://www.cummermuseum.org/event/love-hurts-feuds-falling-outs-and-failed-relationships-cummer-collection-tour

• Kayak

• • Enjoy being in nature? This alternative date idea is for you. Can you think of anything better than a romantic, sunset kayak ride with your partner? We can’t either. There are a couple of places in Jacksonville that offer kayak rentals but one that’s especially popular is Amelia Island Kayak Excursions. And they are open until 7 p.m. 
  • https://ameliaislandkayak.com/