12 Fun & Unique Valentine’s Day Activities (+ Some At-Home Ideas!)
Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate all kinds of love, but if you’re looking for some great ways to treat your significant other or to impress a romantic date, you’ll find fun and unique Valentine’s Day activities all over the country. Here are 12 ways to celebrate the most lovey-dovey day of the year…
1. Enjoy afternoon tea at Clifton Observatory in Bristol
Clifton Observatory is a historic windmill built around 1766, and its perfectly-placed observation tower offers stunning views of the Bristol landscape.
You won’t be short of afternoon tea options in England, but one that adds something extra special to the mix for the month of February is the indulgent afternoon tea at Bristol’s Clifton Observatory. There, you’ll tuck into freshly-prepared sandwiches, delicious treats and mouthwatering cakes, and have access to the Rooftop Terrace which has incredible views of Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge.
They also have packages for kids if you want to bring the little ones along. You’ll find booking options on the Clifton Observatory website.
Date: They have afternoon teas on various dates in February.
Price: From £20.00 per person, and £25 for a glass of Prosecco.
2. Win the Big Bake in London
If you are obsessed with The Great British Bake Off (who isn’t?!) then this fun experience will be right up your street.
In this unique experience, you’ll have 90 minutes to bake, decorate and crown your winning piece. You’ll have a Head Baker with you, who will provide instructions and pre-measured ingredients so it’s more fun than faff. They have a new theme each month, so you might get to make something delicious for Valentine’s Day and share it with your one-and-only.
There’s one in East London, Tooting in South London, and also in Birmingham, so there are quite a few locations to suit you and your other half.
Date: Various dates throughout February.
Price: From £48.50 per person.
3. Write a love letter in West Sussex
This has got to be one of the best Valentine’s Day activities! This day is traditionally about showing your Valentine that you care, and nothing could be more romantic than writing them a letter from the heart.
Head down to Ropetackle Arts Centre, a multi-award winning arts venue in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, that offers a number of artistic workshops and fun things to do.
For this event, award-winning author and playwright Jill Hucklesby is leading a 2.5 hour workshop where you can take inspiration from famous love letters (like those of Napoleon Bonaparte and Virginia Woolf), and explore wider themes of love and desire while finding your writing style and penning a masterpiece.
There’s verbal storytelling, quiet writing time and an opportunity to share your writing with the group if you choose to. But don’t worry, it’s not just for professional writers, as all abilities are welcome to join as long as you bring along a pen and paper.
You can sign up for the love letter writing workshop here.
Date: Saturday 17th February 2024
Price: £17.00 per person
READ MORE: The Best Gift Experience Days for Him
4. Escape from prison with your partner in crime in Manchester
Think you could break out of prison? This is your chance, and doing it with your partner in crime will make it extra fun.
The Alcotraz immersive experience can be found in various locations around the country, but the Manchester one will see you thrown in a cell with you partner, given cocktails made from the spirits you have smuggled in yourself (watch out for the Warden!), and given sneaky instructions from some of the other inmates who are trying to break you out of jail. It’s thrilling!
This experience is one of the more unusual Valentine’s Day activities, but it is a lot of fun, especially if you like bespoke cocktails and immersive actors.
You can enjoy this night out right in the heart of Manchester, but if you’re looking for more to do in the city, here are 14 date ideas in Manchester for you to try.
Date: Various dates are available throughout February.
Price: From £36.50 per person
5. Take a Valentine’s Day cruise on the Thames
Ooh la la! We can’t think of many better ways to spend the evening of Valentine’s Day than aboard a boat for a beautiful cruise on the Thames in London.
This is the perfect evening if you’re looking for a show-stopping night to celebrate the most romantic day of the year. Hop aboard a boat on the River Thames where you can enjoy a glass of Champagne before tucking into a selection of canapes and watching live entertainment.
The cruise will take you past iconic London landmarks like the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and Tower Bridge, as well as the stunning lights of London, which are really something to behold at night.
You can book your spot on board the cruise here.
Date: Wednesday 14th February 2024
Price: £62.00 per person
6. Fall head over heels at a bungee jump (anywhere in the country)
Daredevil couples will love this one – though it’s certainly not one of the classic Valentine’s Day activities! If you’ve always wanted to try a bungee jump (*gulp*), or fancy yourself as an adrenaline junkie, this could be the best way to show your fearless side to your date.
Get strapped in, take a deep breath, and throw yourself (safely, of course!) off of one of these high-up spots around the country: Here are the 10 best places to go bungee jumping in England.
7. Go on a treasure trail around England
You don’t have to spend money to enjoy each other’s company on Valentine’s Day, because a walk might be just the thing. Spice it up with a treasure hunt!
Follow a self-guided booklet to solve the clues and uncover the secrets of your local area with one of more than 1,200 adventure trails to choose from across the UK. With themes including Treasure Hunts, Spy Missions and Murder Mysteries, Treasure Trails provide the perfect solution for Valentine’s Day activities that can be enjoyed as part of your daily exercise and also get you in touch with nature.
And if you’re taking the kids on your date, these trails are suitable for up to five people and designed to appeal to all ages.
Date: Whenever you like!
Price: Treasure Trail booklets cost £9.99 (plus P&P if required)
READ MORE: What about a romantic walk around one of England’s prettiest villages?
8. Treat your partner to a Champagne Getaway in County Durham
As Valentine’s Day activities go, a weekend away is up there with the ultimate ways to relax and enjoy each other’s company – and South Causey Inn has the perfect one for you.
This year, South Causey Inn is offering their Champagne Getaway, which takes place in their hot tub suites on Valentine’s Day. This relaxing overnight stay features pink champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries, a hot tub, and a delicious Valentine’s Day six-course dinner in one of their onsite restaurants.
The next morning you’ll also enjoy breakfast, so you can head back to “real life” feeling all relaxed and full of food. Ah, bliss!
Date: Wednesday 14th February 2024
Price: This experience starts at £519 per couple.
Spending Valentine’s Day at home? Here are the best things to do…
9. Have a Michelin-star dinner from home
Picture it: Exceptional home cooking by a Michelin-star chef… in your living room, with the TV on, in your PJs.
Best. Valentine’s Day. Ever.
Birmingham-based Aktar @ Home was a new creation for lockdown which has continued due to its proven popularity. Creating excellent food with the best possible produce, you’ll have restaurant quality delivered to your doorstep for a cosy night in like no other.
If you know your significant other won’t want to go out anywhere on Valentine’s Day, this could be a fantastic option.
Date: Whenever you fancy!
Price: They have meals priced from £9.45 all the way up to boxes for £75.
10. Make some heartfelt custom art
The couple who crafts together, stays together. If you want to get creative with your Valentine’s Day activities, you can choose an svg file from Design Bundles and create your own custom art for your loved one, or do it together as an activity.
Maybe you could choose an image that reminds you of your first date, or the first time you kissed, or your first home – anything special to the two of you would make for a thoughtful present. Then you can print it to a picture to give as a special gift – go small, medium or large enough to cover a wall. Up to you!
11. Get sweet treats delivered to your Valentine’s door
If you want to see your loved one’s smiling face when they get a surprise delivered to the door, we’d go for the ever-popular chocolate gift box, afternoon tea hamper, or tasty macaroons… you simply can’t go wrong!
The iconic Betty’s chocolatiers have put all their passion and creativity into crafting exquisite selection boxes, with elegant Fondant Fancies, champagne truffles and many other mouth-watering treats at their Harrogate Craft Bakery.
Or if your partner likes afternoon tea, London based Cutter & Squidge deliver all over the UK, and you can get an afternoon tea hamper sent straight to your door, or theirs. Or if your sweet-toothed sweetheart is all about the macarons, you have to check out Macarons & More, which has been offering up delicious macarons and other treats baked by their award-winning chef Tim Kinnaird in Norwich since 2011.
If you want your Valentine’s Day activities to involve plenty of sugar, this is ideal for you.
Price: Options from £6.50
12. Book an experience in England for the future
Just because you don’t have time to do anything around Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you can’t book something in for a later date. Check out Bristol’s unique marketplace, Yuup. The curators at Yuup have several unique gift ideas that you can buy now and use whenever you’re ready.
How about baking a cake with The Great British Bake Off’s Bryony May? Or hiring a bike for two? Or going full Swayze and Moore at a couple’s pottery workshop? Or learning to forage and cook on a fire? Or attending a workshop to make your own silver ring? (Hint, hint!)
The experiences are all led by local experts and are sure to be a truly memorable gift to look forward to when you’re both less busy.
Got something else you think should be on our list? We’re all ears! Let us know in the comments what you think should be included so we can spread the love further.
Quick List: 12 Fun & Unique Valentine’s Day Activities (+ Some At-Home Ideas!)
- 1. Enjoy afternoon tea at Clifton Observatory in Bristol
- 2. Win the Big Bake in London
- 3. Write a love letter in West Sussex
- 4. Escape from prison with your partner in crime in Manchester
- 5. Take a Valentine’s Day cruise on the Thames
- 6. Fall head over heels at a bungee jump (anywhere in the country!)
- 7. Go on a treasure trail around England
- 8. Treat your partner to a Champagne Getaway in County Durham
- 9. Have a Michelin-star dinner from home
- 10. Make some heartfelt custom art
- 11. Get sweet treats delivered to your Valentine’s door
- 12. Book an experience in England for the future
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