Valentine’s Day can be the worst. Expensive Prix Fix menus, shitty chocolate cake, crowded restaurants, sex after a heavy meal. Awful. While I’m not a traditional Valentine’s Day Gal, it’s too easy to write it off. I have compiled a solid list of 10 Valentine’s Day Date (solo or otherwise) activities that will turn you into a Valentines Queen.

1. nUMBER 1 IS OBVIOUS AND i AM CERTAINLY NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY THIS…HAVE SEX FIRST. tHERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN HAVING SEX AFTER A HEAVY MEAL.

2. Eat at a low- key tex mex restaurant. tex mex is not a “traditional” valentines day cuisine so it should be easy to get a table. my favorites are casa navarro, Avilas, Ojedas, el fenix and E Bar.

3. Flowers are great, but they die. If you are looking for something a little more permanent and unique, visit The Scent Room in West Village. The Scent Room is a fragrance boutique that sells fragrance from all over the world. Neimans could never. The Scent Room makes having a 100% signature scent a reality with over 700 bottles to choose from, a visit to The Scent Room is a date in and of itself.

4. Foot Massages at YAYA foot spa. The best date. My husband and I do this all the time. It is so relaxing and very affordable. No frills, just lotion and a strong foot massage. They have locations all over Dallas. There is also a place called Sole Therapy at Meadow and 75 that offers full body massages, and you can just walk in.

5. Get a manicure and pedicure. If you want to go all out, try BellaCure in Preston Center. They are a little bit pricey, but they do impeccable work, everything is super clean, and they have all the frilly add-ons.

6.  Go to a dive bar. There is nothing better than a good dive. You’ll have the whole place to yourself on Valentines Day. Some of my favorites are bryan street tavern, time out tavern, inwood tavern and the peak inn.

7. Dessert at Bobs. Every dessert at Bobs is probably straight out of a box from Ben E. Keith but they all slap. The portions are gargantuan. Pro tip: get the Grasshopper. Divine. Sit at the bar because there’s no way you’re getting a table.

8. Buy cheap paint and canvases and paint each other’s portrait. Unless you are a classically trained artists, this is a hilarious activity.

9. If you have the day off, go get a sandwich from Jimmys.

10. Go to the Dallas Museum of Art. They have an impressive permanent collection and it’s a great way to spend an hour or two.

    **If you have kids, make them a valentines themed dinner. Strawberry banana smoothies, heart shaped hamburger patties, pasta with red sauce. You can find all kinds of cheap valentine’s day cups and plates on Amazon. Turn on Charlie Browns Valentines and do a craft. An easy one is to get pink and red paint and have them make handprints all over a piece of white construction paper. Cut out hearts then hang them on a ribbon and make a garland.

    It’s fun to set up a craft, meal, small gifts area in the kitchen with some of their favorite things. This does not have to be expensive. Here is an example of what I would do:

     

    -       1 red balloon and 1 pink balloon

    -       Reese’s hearts

    -       Valentine’s plate and cup

    -       Pink and red curly straws

    -       Doilies

    -       A small stuffed animal

    -       All materials for a craft

    -       A bowl of all red berries

I hope this list helps you plan out your perfect valentines day.