Valentine’s Day is no longer the exclusive domain of romantic dinners and expensive gift exchanges. There are a lot of ways to find romance, and it makes sense that there are a lot of ways to celebrate a relationship, whether it’s with a new fling or an old sweetheart. With that in mind, here are some of the best things to do with your boo on Saturday.
1. If you ever wanted a do-over of your high school prom, only with more hairspray and bigger shoulder pads, here’s your chance. The ‘80s Hair Metal Prom at the Double Wide will feature performances from Kiss and Def Leppard tribute bands, with plenty of power ballads for slow-dancing and no chaperones to separate you and your date or keep someone from spiking the punch bowl. Valentine’s Day has always needed a little bit of Halloween, so here’s an opportunity to get that jeans jacket out of the closet and dress with a little flair.
2. Echo Theatre will turn the Bath House Cultural Center into a 1930s supper club for an all-women musical revue of songs from the first half of the 20th century. It’s a mix of period-appropriate roleplay, cocktails, and great music from an era that has been romanticized so much it’s almost synonymous with the idea of Valentine’s Day. The dancefloor will open up to couples looking to sway to some classic standards.
3. Love can be pretty scary, if not downright terrifying, so a trip to the Moxley Manor Haunted House is more of an appropriate choice for Valentine’s Day than it may seem on the surface. Fear has to rank pretty close to love on the “powerful emotions” scale, so a cocktail of the two should produce some interesting results. Coming through a haunted house unscathed with your significant other may be the best relationship-strengthening activity you’re never going to hear about in couple’s therapy.
4. Valentine’s Day cards are cute, but the idea of romance has certainly inspired art more powerful than that of the “I Choo-Choo Choose You” variety. The El Corazon exhibition features works inspired by the heart, as an enduring symbol and an actual physical object. The pieces on display should give you and your date plenty to talk about.
5. At Texas Discovery Gardens, couples can indulge in more exotic fare than you’ll get at most candlelit dinners: chocolate-covered insects. During “Love Is In The Air,” couples can also hear about insect mating practices, or “bug love,” from some top entomologists. If insect reproduction isn’t your bag, Texas Discovery Gardens is a beautiful, romantic spot in its own right. A ladybug release at sunset also sounds lovely, regardless of your stance on eating the chocolate-covered variety.
6. We’ve already established love is scary. It’s also pretty funny, and relationships have been giving comedians joke fodder since the dawn of time. “Champagne, Chocolate, and Comedy” at the Backdoor Comedy Club is fairly self-explanatory, and should be the perfect spot to bring some levity to a holiday that can take itself too seriously.
7. Ricki Derek is the closest thing Dallas has to a living, breathing Frank Sinatra clone. The lounge act brings a lot of emotion and wit to songs that are already hard to do poorly. Once Derek is done setting the mood at the Granada, the venue will screen Casablanca, which 70 years later remains the template for an on-screen love affair done right.
For much more to do, go here.
