Valentine's Day - the universal day of love, when many share their adoration to family, friends, and romantic partners in a variety of ways. It's one of the sweetest days of the year, so you want to do something memorable to really impress your beau.
Celebrate the occasion with style this year when you discover unique and unexpected things to do in Houston for Valentine's Day.
Houston Botanic Garden
If you're looking for things to do in Houston for Valentine's Day with your special someone, the Houston Botanic Garden is sure to sweep them off their feet.
The gardens span an impressive 132-acres, with two-dozen areas of varying themes. You'll start by passing down Botanic Lane, a road lined with towering oak trees leading into the main gardens. You'll then come to the Welcome Fountain, which is brimming with aquatic plants and surrounded by outdoor seating.
It's up to you which direction you follow - no matter where you go, you'll be treated to breathtaking scenes of blooming foliage. The Culinary Garden is where you'll find the edible and medicinal herbs, while the Woodland Glade is an intimate space featuring an abundance of seasonal flowers that have made the perfect backdrop for many weddings. If you're at that stage in your relationship, it could be the perfect place to pop the big question.
Buffalo Bayou Private Boat Tour
One of the more memorable Valentine's date ideas in Houston, you and your date will love a romantic journey across the city's waters with a Buffalo Bayou Private Boat Tour.
Enjoy a wonderful one-and-a-half-hour boat ride through downtown Houston to take in the historic sites along the Buffalo Bayou. You'll pass Allen's Landing and Sabine Promenade, an urban jungle right on the waterfront splashed with street art.
Riders are welcome to bring their own food and drink on board. Make your date extra special by bringing a few snacks and a bottle of bubbly to enjoy a floating picnic.
Cacao & Cardamom
Swap out the usual candle-lit dinner with something a little more interactive and decadent.
Cacao & Cardamom is a gourmet artisan chocolatiers right in the heart of the city's Galleria shopping district. If you don't have time to squeeze in a date, you'll more than likely get away with treating them to a box of handcrafted chocolates. However, we'd recommend bringing your loved one into the chocolate boutique so you can see how these artfully crafted sweet treats are made. Customers can build their own boxes to guarantee they'll get all their favorite flavors.
Let your date take their pick of chocolate bon-bons, truffles, drinking chocolate and more. If it's early days in your relationship and they have a sweet tooth, a trip to this indulgent store may just help you seal the deal.
Casa de Montecristo
A cigar lounge might not typically come to mind for things to do in Houston for Valentine's Day, but we did preface these date ideas were unexpected.
Houston boasts three Casa de Montecristo cigar lounges, each as enticing as the last. If you're taking a special someone for a date, then we'd recommend the Farm to Market Road location. This particular lounge is full-service, so you can order some delicious cocktails and bar snacks while you're here. The allure, of course, is the premium cigars.
Casa de Montecristo boasts plentiful of cigar brands and flavors, each varying in different sizes and unique shapes for a unique smoking experience. If you or your date aren't used to smoking cigars, don't worry - the onsite experts will teach you everything from how to cut your cigar to how to light your cigar. Come here for your Valentine's date in Houston and you can learn something new and enjoy a few indulgent puffs together.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
If your date is the artistically-cultured and academic type, we'd recommend treating them to a tour of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The museum boasts more than 64,000 unique pieces of art, each coming from a different part of the world. The collection is vast and varied, but you will also find an array of exhibits taking place across the year.
This Valentine's Day, we'd recommend stopping by to enjoy the Incomparable Impressionism exhibit. This particular display was loaned to Houston by The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and will be here until the end of March. Visit now for your Valentine's date in Houston and you can marvel at some of the finest French Impressionist pieces, including Renoir's 1883 Dance at Bougival.
Kemah Boardwalk
Kemah Boardwalk is Houston's most exciting and bustling waterfront attraction. It's just a short 20-miles from the city, and is open every day of the week. Here you will find some of the best restaurants around, as well as boutique stores. The main attraction, however, is the amusement park.
A year-round fair, Kemah Boardwalk is known for its zooming rollercoasters and swing rides. Jungle Bounce will flip you back and forth in your chair as it whirls in circular motions, while Boardwalk Bullet will give you the classic coaster experience of whizzing up, down, and around the tracks. There's plenty more gentle rides if you or your date prefer a more relaxed fun-fair day, including the Double Decker Carousel. Purchase day tickets and you can spend all day trying every ride and feasting on sweet fairground treats.
