Wondering what to do now that Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday and you may not have gotten dinner reservations in time? Here is a list of some non-traditional activities your date will surely remember. Check our our Weekender calendar listings for other ideas too!
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- Get an ice cream – Visit Prince Pucklers, Handels, or Salt and Straw for a scoop, shake, or sundae. You can argue that it’s not ice cream weather, but then again, you could say that anytime is ice cream weather. And Prince Pucklers has an espresso machine
- Get a coffee, kombucha, or tea – Try the coffee of the month from Equiano Coffee, where you can get a small farm single-batch espresso, and stay long enough to listen to their record of the month (which you can buy directly from them if you like it). Then make a promise to yourself and your date to go back in summer and sit under the magnificent mimosa tree in the back yard. Visit J-Tea‘s tea shop if you want to learn more about high quality tea with an educational experience that isn’t just picking a tin of tea off the shelf. Visit the BNF Kombucha tasting room (open until 6 on Wednesdays!) and sample delicious kombucha, then fill up your growler to take home.
- Try Goat Yoga! You may have heard of other goat yogas across the country but the one here from No Regrets Farm is the original. Learn more about it in our article. You don’t have to have done yoga before, and trust us, your date will never forget the experience! Goat yoga sessions do sell out but they happen fairly often so reserve a spot from their website.
- Try an art class. Classes at Emerald Art Center, like the upcoming Watercolor Reflections, are not intimidating. They have a lot of different art classes on their menu, so if watercolor isn’t your thing, maybe needle felting would be.
- Visit the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the University of Oregon campus. It’s open until 8 on Wednesdays, and your date might find something they love in the museum store, which has cool jewelry, scarves, books, and lots more.
- For a uniquely Oregon experience, grab a box of Voodoo Donuts to go. Next, load Eugene-born musician Mat Kearney’s “Coming Home” on your smartphone. Now, drive to the top of Skinner Butte Loop with your windows down and the song escaping from your vehicle. At the summit, take in panoramic views of the entire Willamette Valley, identifying familiar landmarks in the downtown business district, the University of Oregon, and even your own neighborhood. Commence pastry consumption! (This idea was taken from our “Beat the Winter Blues” article which has LOTS of other winter-time activities you can do, either by yourself, with your family, or on your own.
- Visit a local bookstore and browse. Eugene’s locally owned bookstores include J. Michael’s, Tsunami Books, Smith Family Bookstore, Books With Pictures (a comics store), and Black Sun Books.
- Learn a new game by picking up a board game or a card game from one of Eugene or Springfield’s many game stores. Try Funagain Games for lots of different games. Funagain has ongoing Beginners Board Game Nights where you can stop in any time between 5 – 10 p.m. every Thursday or Saturday at Funagain Games’ new game parlor at 28th and Oak.
- Pick up a hobby kit from Eugene Toy and Hobby and work on it together.
- Pick up some Euphoria Chocolates (they are sold all over the place but you can also go to their manufacturing location), pop some popcorn, watch a movie, and go to bed early.
- Make homemade pizza at home. Go ahead and make it extra cheesy and in the shape of a heart!
- Make a chocolate or cheese fondue. The Vintage still has a chocolate or choose fondue on their menu.
- Pick up a cocktail kit from Heritage Distilling and make a drink in the comfort of your own home. Ninkasi Brewing has some really good canned cocktails too.
- Go for a walk or bike ride. Weather permitting of course — but hey, you’re in Oregon, so a little rain must sometimes fall.
We hope you enjoyed these Valentine’s Day date ideas. If we left off your favorite activity, let us know and we’ll add it!
