This city was made for serenading.
Want to mix things up this Valentine’s season? Consult this list of date ideas of fun, cheap, zany, and or romantic things to do in Houston.
1. Experience an Enchanting Candlelight Concert
Calm your mind and experience classical music in a new light with these sensational concerts in some of Houston’s most magical locations. This concert series known simply as “Candlelight” invites everyone to relive the greatest works of classical music, from Vivaldi to Marvin Gaye, in an intimate atmosphere.
2. Stargaze at The Twilight Epiphany Skyscape In Houston
The rise and setting of the sun are spectacles all on their own: captivating natural phenomena that imbue us with feelings of wonder, awe, and romance. At the James Turrells’ Twilight Epiphany installation, you’ll see the sky in entirely new colors.
3. Go on a Coffee Date
Need a pick-me-up? Houston has plenty of coffee houses scattered about the city for residents to take refuge, re-energize, and maybe eat a scone or two.
4. Slip into a Speakeasy
There’s something special about speakeasies. The secretive, vicarious forbidden feel of transporting back to the prohibition make imbibing cocktails all the more tantalizing. Stow away in wonderful hidden bars that Houston has to offer!
5. Visit a Museum
Houston is a city of art, and we want the people to know it. That’s why many of Houston’s museums are either free to the public during select times throughout the week, or are just free altogether.
6. Watch the Sunset
Texas Hill Country might get all the love when it comes to sunset-gazing. But here in Houston, the sky is puts on its own stellar show. When the time is just right, there are plenty of places in Space City that provide a perfect vantage point to catch the show.
7. Dine in Decadence
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, Houston. While there’s still plenty of time to get your hands on the other essentials, pretty soon the day will come when all restaurants will be booked and you’ll be forced to improvise. If you’re looking for somewhere sultry to dine out or have a drink this season, these local romantic restaurants in Houston set the table as well as the mood.
8-10. Warm Up in these Sultry Lounges
Houston doesn’t get cold often, but when it does…*shudders*. While the cold winter air might compel you to stay inside and bundle up in a blanket next to your smart TV, you could keep yourself in warm in good company in some of our favorite bars. Consult our list below to see where to find ample shelter, and ample whiskey to keep you warm through the winter in Houston.
- Nestled in at 813 Congress St. between two modern gastro lounges on the border of Market Square Park in downtown is one not-so-modern establishment. La Carafe Wine Bar is a historic haunt housed in a building that’s stood for over a century and remains to be the oldest in the city of Houston.
- Formerly a shelter for LGBTQ youth, the over 100-year-old house in Montrose retains its homeyness down to the last nook and cranny. Fit with a brick fireplace, wooden tables, vintage furniture, and a spacious lawn, Bacco Wine Garden is a hidden gem and choice local to wind down at the end of the day.
11. Sing From the Rooftops
Nothing quite says “living the highlife” like clinking glasses on a city rooftop. Touch the sky this season with a brunch, evening, or nightcap on the most jaw-dropping rooftops in Houston.
12-13. Catch a Movie Al Fresco
Using a 60-foot wide screen strewn across a stack of shipping containers, Moonstruck offers that classic drive-in vibe, while allowing local cinephiles to combine two of their favorite things: the city and the movies. Here, patrons are invited to park their automobiles, tune into FM transmission, and watch a variety of blockbusters, classic, and family friendly flicks.
- The Rooftop Cinema Club is an open-air theater on top of the Whole Foods in BLVD Place. It provides an atmosphere of what’s been called “social cinema” wherein viewers at times walk around and interact with the environment during the course of the movie.
14-16. Hit the Club
Billed as “the largest indoor/outdoor space of its kind in the city”, Sekai Night and Day is slated to elevate East Downtown’s nightlife with top notch DJs, dancing, lounging, and private events.
- Cherry is a darkly lavish new nightclub is a concept from Hospitable Viking the group behind The Commoner + The boulevardier, Rosemont, and the 006 Bar. It’s set in the two-story space formerly occupied by the Nightingale Room – which is rather appropriate all considering.
- Get a closer look of the Houston skyline this season at the sophisticated new bar, lounge, and club located 43 stories above Market Square Tower. Opened this December, Cielo XLIII offers a lavish new hangout in the sky with unparalleled, 360-degree views of the city from the tallest bar in the city Houston.
17-18. Cruise Through Houston’s New Markets
The former United States Postal Service (USPS) office in north downtown has been converted into Post Houston, a dazzling mixed media complex comprising of a packed list of vendors, multiple double-helix staircases, a trio of skylit atriums, and a FIVE-ACRE ROOFTOP PARK AND FARM.
- Railway Heights is now open on Washington with two stories of vibrant businesses, food stalls, local vendors, and an art gallery on the second floor.
19-21. Experience These Surreal Exhibitions
From its obvious history, stellar observatory, intergalactic exhibits, and stunningly evocative sunset-gazing, Houston is known as Space City for a reason. The city continues to live up to its name with the opening of Infinite, an immersive, NASA-inspired Virtual Reality exhibition.
- Seismique is a celestial new exhibit that experiments with an otherwordly interplay of immersive experiences, artificial intelligence, and alien-like terrain. Across 40 galleries, 111 projectors, 40,000 square feet, and 9 million LED lights, the exhibit immerses visitors in alien universes full of creativity, imagination, and wonder.
- It seemed like yesterday when ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’ first made its way to Houston. And while we’d love to see the stunning exhibition stay, all great things must come to an end: the breathtaking experience will officially depart in February, taking with it the rich story of a painter’s life. But fear not! Until then, you still have time to step into Van Gogh’s universe, diving deep into the world created by his brush strokes.
22. Snuggle Up with a Hot Chocolate
It’s safe to say that there aren’t many of us keen on the bitter cold; however, the cold does provide a rare opportunity to get extra cozy. After all (real) winter only comes this way every once in a while, might as well use it to rejoice in the wintry splendors otherwise inappropriate for typical Houston humidity. For hot chocolate, the arguable symbol of coziness in the wintertime, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best spots to warm up in Houston.
23-25. Game On
Reality has been a drag recently, escape into the carefree virtual world of gaming this weekend at East Downtown’s newest hangout. Cidercade has opened in Houston with a ton of games, ciders on tap, and 18,000 square feet of fun to be had.
- Whether your idea of gaming is Pacman, shooting hoops, ping-pong, or drinking cocktails over a game of cards, Houston’s new speakeasy, FAO HTX, has got you covered.
- Houstonians will soon be able to get a taste of UK pub culture, but with a modern twist. British-based gaming pub, Flight Club, is throwing itself into the Houston bar scene with its 21st century digitized dart boards, sharing boards, and bespoke cocktails.
26. Staycation In Texas
It’s with a tinge of guilt that we find ourselves traveling nationally and/or internationally knowing that the state of Texas has so much to offer. Whether it’s to save money on airfare, get closer to local nature, or simply getaway without all the fuss, here are 10 Texas Airbnbs that make for a sublime staycation!
27. Putt Putt in Pixar
Experience your favorite Pixar movies like never before at this brand new imaginative putt-putt pop-up! Pixar Putt recreates scenes, stories, and characters inspired by the animation studio’s iconic movies in the form of an interactive mini-golf course!
28-30. Visit Houston’s Amazing Parks
One of the upsides of living in a city where winter is a rarity is being able to enjoy its plentiful park system throughout the entire year.
- Experience a vibrant blend of nature and art at Smithers Park, a creative urban space filled with technicolored mosaic installations, a meditation garden, a whimsical set of swings, and more!
- Wander out to Eleanor Tinsley Park. With its pristine lawn, undulating hills, and breathtaking location in front of the downtown skyline, it makes for an ideal spot to toss the frisbee, plop down for a picnic, or catch the sunset of clearer evenings.
- In between the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Collection in Montrose is Menil Park, a shaded little patch of greenery with plenty of natural nooks and crannies for one to curl up with a book, catch up with friends, or simply be present.
See also: 25 Cheap And Amazing Things To Do In Houston