Plan a Romantic Valentine’s Day in Houston

Are you already thinking about where to take your loved one on Valentine’s Day? If you’re in the Houston area, you’ll find a number of great things to do that are a bit out of the ordinary. After all, you don’t want to go to that same restaurant and order the same meal again, do you? Spice up this Valentine’s Day by trying these fun ideas.

Moody Gardens currently has a great penguin exhibit that is more than just looking at these cool birds through a glass window. Instead, after a 45-minute tour, you get to actually go in and play with a penguin one on one. How neat is that? If you and your significant other are animal lovers, this might be the perfect Valentine’s date.

If you love murder mysteries, you’ll absolutely love Keith and Margo’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. This amazing event takes place at the Renaissance Houston Hotel Greenway Plaza. Just be warned that it’s not cheap—the price per couple is $188.

Not a fan of Valentine’s Day? Well, you can always attend the Howl at the Moon’s Anti-Valentine’s Day party! It’s sure to be a lot of fun whether your single or part of a couple who isn’t into hearts and cards.

Sambuca is a great bar and restaurant for those who love contemporary jazz. It’s consistently packed on Valentine’s Day, though, so if you want to treat your significant other to this great atmosphere, you better make reservations now. You get a three course meal, amazing live music, and the chance to show off your dance skills.

Spending some time in Houston’s museum district is a different yet still interesting way of spending Valentine’s Day. It’s certainly not traditional, but it may be exactly what you need to break out of the Valentine’s Day mold and experience something different.

Of course, if none of these ideas sound great, there’s always the old standby: a romantic dinner at home. Whether you sneak in take-out or cook it yourself, there’s nothing quite like dining by candlelight with your loved one. You can go all-out and make some exotic dish served with wine, or just go for something simple. Either way, spending time alone together is what Valentine’s Day is all about. Don’t forget the fresh flowers, either—nothing puts one in the Valentine’s Day spirit than bright red roses!

The Warmth of Flowers

During the cold winter months, we often find our homes feeling chilly. While you can turn up the heat or block the drafts, if your home doesn’t have a warm atmosphere, you’ll still feel cold. How can you make your home feel warm and inviting? One way is by adding flowers to your home. Fresh flowers can help create a warm atmosphere even in the coldest winter weather.

Colors play a huge part in creating a feeling of warmth. A bouquet of white roses or white lilies may look amazing, but the white color can reinforce the fact that there’s a foot of snow outside. Warm flowers in bright reds or purples, on the other hand, have a warmer feel to them. These colors create a bright, appealing arrangement, especially when you surround them with bright, colorful tablecloths and other decorations in the same colors. Burning candles can also be a great way of adding a touch of warmth to your décor, and they have the added benefit of putting out a bit of heat, too.

Candles and flowers have the added bonus of bringing in scents to your home as well. Fresh flowers will add a lovely scent to the area around them, while candles can fill your entire home with the welcoming smell of cinnamon, apples, cherries, and even baking cookies. These types of smells can make your home feel inviting and invoke memories of childhood and special times in you and your guests.

Don’t forget, of course, that if you use fresh flowers to help create your warm atmosphere that you don’t let them linger past their prime. A decrepit bouquet can undermine the feeling of warmth and comfort that you’re trying to create, so be sure to order a replacement arrangement when your current one is starting to look worn.