Are you in need of some date night ideas for Valentine's? Whether you are a snuggle under the blanket at home or want to head out for a night on the town, we have all the local favorites that don't require much preparation and planning!
With Valentine's Day falling on a Tuesday this year, take advantage and do both! Get a sitter for the weekend before or after Valentine's Day and then on Tuesday, make it a night to spend at home with the kids as a family. Here are some fun family Valentine's Day ideas to make it special for the kids!
Now for couples looking for something fun to do together out on the town, we have the best local restaurants and fun places to spend some quality time together.
Some local favorite restaurants for a Couples Dinner Out. Be sure to call ahead, check hours, see if you can make a reservation and head out as early as you can to avoid long wait times and crowds - or order in and enjoy one of our at-home date nights listed below.
Brio Italian Grille
Flemings Prime Steakhouse
Gen Korean BBQ House
Islamorada Fish Company (by Bass Pro)
Kabuki Japanese Grill
Ken's Japanese Restaurant
Kings Fish House
Lazy Dog Restaurant
Longhorn Steakhouse
Magic Lamp
Mama Por Dios
Panda Inn
Paul Martin's
PF Changs
Septembers Taproom
Shogun Restaurant
Sushi Martini
Texas De Brazil
The Cheesecake Factory
The State
The Sycamore Inn
Yard House
Oh, the local places you can go.....
1. Axe Lair
Looking for something new and maybe...competitive? How about axe throwing! Hurl a 1.5-pound axe at a target. Who throws the best? This is a great double date too! The Axe Lair has a great lounge that sells beer and chips so be sure to make this a before or after dinner activity.
2. Brewery Tour through Rancho
Do you and your significant other LOVE beer? Why not brewery hop through Rancho's 6 breweries! Use Uber or rent a limo for a special night out!
Hamilton Family Brewery - Open 7 days a week
King's Brewing Company - Open Tues-Sun
No Clue Craft Brewery - Open Wed-Mon
Rowdy's Brew Co. - Open Wed-Monday
Solorio Brewing Company - Open Tues-Sun
Sour Cellars Barrel Room - Open Thurs-Sun
3. BIG Al'S
Book a VIP Lane for your date night! Plus enjoy their Weeknight deals!
Monday $5 Margaritas ALL DAY, Happy Hour from 3-6 on weekdays, half-off games 3-6 on weekdays and
Healthcare Workers, First Responders, Military, Vets, and Seniors bowl for $3 Monday-Friday until 5 pm!
Book your date night lane online. Better yet, invite friends and make it a double date! Plus grab this Monday Mayhem deal!
Come in for unlimited bowling and arcade card deals starting at 9pm. $19.49 UNLIMITED bowling per person, shoes included. Subject to lane availability.
A romantic event awaits you. With a delicious 3 course meal, wine and time alone. It can’t get much better.
Available Saturday, February 11th and Monday, February 13th.
Head to Haven City Market for a fun variety of food, drinks and desserts. With live music on Friday and Saturday nights, monthly trivia nights, Purple Easel paint nights and movie nights - be sure to check their monthly calendar and plan ahead.
7. Escape Room Fun!
Rancho has 3 fun escape room locations for you to challenge your smarts to solve the clues and escape before your time runs out!
The Escape Room @ Victoria Gardens
8. Local Hike + Romantic Picnic Lunch
Get close to nature at Heart Walk Falls (yep, it's a thing), Etiwanda Preserve, Claremont Wilderness Park, Potato Mountain, Bonita Canyon Falls, or San Antonio Falls. Grab a small blanket and picnic lunch from The Deli, Old Towne Baking Company, Chop Stop or Gandolfos to take with you and enjoy on the way.
Want to make it a family hike?
Take this cute hiking scavenger hunt printable to make it more fun for the kids. Do you have littles that yuor worried about rugged terrains? That’s ok! We have found the perfect spot to take the kids on a new adventure right in Rancho. This paved path makes it easy to travel with strollers, bikes, skates or scooters. Lined with 3 beautiful parks, this walk will be the highlight of your kid's (and your) day! Plus this trail is so secret, you can't even google to find it. Park at Mountain View Park at 11701 Terra Vista Parkway, Rancho Cucamonga. Cross the street to the west and you'll find yourself walking through shaded tree-covered paved paths where the kids can run and get their energy out. If you keep walking, you'll stop at Coyote Canyon Park, Milliken Park, through a fun tunnel that runs under Milliken Avenue and finally end at Spruce Avenue Park. Bring snacks, lunch and you really could spend the day out on the trail.
Side Note: If you have bikes or tricycles you can take to the same trail (above). It's actually unofficially named the Terra Vista Biking Trail, made for biking! Take lunch and stop for a family picnic at one of the parks. Pack some playing cards and a blanket for the perfect screen-free afternoon to connect.
9. iFLY
Take flight and celebrate this Valentine's Day in the tunnel of love.
Military, First Responders, and Nurses get 20% off their first-time Flyer package.
10. Indoor Rock Climbing at Hanger 18
Head to Hanger 18 for some rock climbing fun! Spend the day seeing who can climb the highest.
Parent Tip! This is also great family activity if you have teens in your household.
11. Miniature Golf at Family Fun Center in Upland
Relive some of your childhood memories with pizza at Bullwinkle's and miniature golf in Upland! This is also a great place to take the whole family!
12. Ontario Improv
Have a few laughs and share a cocktail (or two) watching some of the funniest local comedians!
13. Piano Piano Dueling Piano Show
Enjoy Dinner, drinks, and a fun show at this local Dueling Piano bar in Claremont.
Great food and entertainment all in one with mid-mod mini golf, karaoke, bowling and table games.
Plus you can walk around the mall after or catch a movie at the theater across the street.
15. Purple Easel
Get creative and book a couples date night to paint together. They have so many fun date nights in February.
16. Head to VomFass in Claremont
If you and/or your significant other loves cooking, head to VomFass to taste test delicious specialty olive oils, balsamic vinegars and spirits, such as Armagnac, Bourbon, Brandy, Cognac, Gin, Grappa, Liqueur, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey, Wild Rose Liqueur. Then purchase your favorites to take home!
17. Top Golf
Get competitive or make it a double date in one of Top Golf's bays. Enjoy food, drinks while you take aim at the giant outfield targets with high-tech balls which will score themselves.
Want something a little farther than local? We live close to the beach so head out to the OC and enjoy a sunset cruise, dinner cruise or cruise around Newport Harbor on a gondola!
Looking for some indoor date night ideas after the kids are in bed or do you have the place to yourself for the night? Here are some fun at-home date night ideas!
1. Date Night Adventure Books!
I can't recommend these books enough - plus they will last you well past Valentine's day! With your choice of a couple's edition (50 scratch-off date ideas), dinner dates (30 scratch-off dinner date ideas), and in bed books (on pre-order with 50 Sexy scratch-off adventures in bed)! This will get you out of "I don't know what to do" and watch the connection, sparks and laughs fly!
For a low monthly price, you receive an entire date in a box! The challenges you'll complete are also in The Couples Edition but include everything you need to complete the date. Each monthly box includes exclusive & curated items to upgrade every adventure to a more premium experience.
Order just one date night box or make it a subscription. From $19.99 and up these are a great way to change up the at-home date night.
This box is custom-tailored to you and your significant others likes and interests. For $39.99 a month you'll have a pre-planned date ready and waiting for you without the worry about what to do together.
Do you and your significant other like to solve crimes? Order some take-out, grab a murder mystery box and solve the crime together.
6. Make a Romantic Dinner Together
This sounds so simple but it's a simple way to reconnect! Try a new recipe for you both to work together in the kitchen to make as a couple. Turn on some music, pour your favorite mocktail or cocktail, pull out some snacks and then cook away! Don't forget dessert!
7. Wine or Beer Tasting at home!
Are you a wine or beer connoisseur? Grab a few bottles of different kinds of alcohol you'd like from Total Wine and More in Rancho Cucamonga and have a wine/beer tasting night at home! No driver is needed. Add a charcuterie board and you are set for the night. Amazon has some fun wine/beer tasting placemats and flight sampler sets you can purchase to make it more fun!
8. Create a Camp Indoors!
Light a fire, turn off the tv, add some sleeping blankets and pillows near the couch. Grab some couples conversation cards off Amazon, turn off your phones and spend time getting to know one another again. Start a 2023 couples journal of all your hopes and dreams for the year.
9. Learn about your Love Languages
Grab the book 5 Love Languages and take the test together before your date. Then plan the date night all around each others love languages.
Physical Touch - do anything you can be close to one another to allow hand-holding and cuddling.
Words of Affirmation - do something where you can encourage one another and let them know how you feel about them.
Gifts - flowers, chocolates, gift certificates - anything that will surprise each other with something just for them.
Acts of Service - what can you do to help that person out at home? Laundry, tackle a chore that's been on their list, iron their clothes for the week, prep lunches - do something just for them and they will swoon!
Quality Time - this one means phones down and uninterrupted time together - it doesn't matter what you do. They want to know you are 100% focused on them and your conversation.
10. Write each other a love letter
This may seem a little too cheesy but let me tell you, we did this at a marriage conference, and brought us both to tears. Get some stationery and have both of you go to separate places in the house to write to each other about what made you fall in love with them. Reminisce about what brought the two of you together and relive those early days of butterflies in your stomach and your first kiss. When you are done, each of you will read aloud your letter to the other person. No matter how long you've been together it's amazing to hear through the words of your significant other how you made them feel when you met. It's powerful let me tell you!
11. Be big kids for a night
Take control of the gaming for the night and play some of your kid's favorite video games!
12. Rock, Paper, Scissors
Do you both like to craft? Do an online paint night at home through a Purple Easel + online tutorial, make homemade soap, dip candles, create something fun with epoxy... Head to the local craft store, gather your supplies, add some dinner and you are ready for a fun night crafting together!
13. Movie + popcorn + the couch all to yourselves!
Get into some cozy pajamas, pick out a good movie, make a mini snack bar with cany and popcorn for an at-home movie theater experience.
14. It's selfie time
Get dressed up and take pictures together - out on the town or around your house. Then hand the camera to each other and take pictures of one another. If you want something a little more professional call a local photographer and see if they would come to your house for pictures together. How fun to have professional pictures of the two of you in your kitchen, backyard, on your cozy couch with a blanket. Everyday moments in your own home that you'll always have to remember.
15. Board games + pizza
Remember this date is all about time together! On a budget? Make or order out for pizza and grab a board game to play together. It sounds simple but it's still one of the best and easiest ways to reconnect, laugh, and spend time together.
16. Trees, succulents, flowers, plants, vegetables...
Get a head start on your spring gardening and get outside to start it together. Plant veggie plant seedlings, create a succulent garden together, or plant some flowers to go by your front door. Spending time together + sprucing up your yard is a great way to be together.
For more events like this and access to your own calendar of family fun be sure to sign up for our weekly calendar of local events!
