Valentine’s Day ideas for couples

Lucha VaVOOM’s racy, raucous spectacle of wrestling, burlesque and various amazing sideshow acts may not seem a logical choice for a romantic night out, but if you’re looking for a high-voltage, lusty, entertainment-filled evening, this show has it all. This Valentine’s Day, the theme is Amor Impossible.

Outdoor movie season is back for a brief Valentine’s weekend reprise. We think Rooftop Movies at the Montalbán is offering the best of the bunch, with flicks like La La Land and The Notebook on a fantastic Hollywood rooftop. Meanwhile, Street Food Cinema is hosting two drive-in screenings a night in Arcadia with everything from Up to Crazy Rich Asians.

Drive-ins popped back into fashion again in 2020, but in L.A. they’d never really left. And two years later, they’re thankfully still here, with about a half-dozen old-school spots in the region that offer nightly drive-in screenings. If you’re up for the drive to Montclair, we’re particularly a fan of Mission Tiki.

This adults-only, nudity-driven scavenger hunt at the Getty (held the weekend of V-Day) is a comical two-hour quest that has guests searching for answers to riddle-like questions in the museum’s bare-it-all paintings and sculptures. Whoever answers the most questions correctly will pick up some sweet swag (gift cards, backpacks, street cred). No previous art knowledge is required.

The Huntington Library’s rose garden is a picture-perfect Valentine’s locale, with rows and rows of vibrant petals to stop and sniff. You probably won’t be the only person there with the same idea, but luckily there’s tons of space elsewhere—and other beautiful gardens around the region, too, like Descanso, South Coast and the Arboretum. All are open with timed reservations required (and don’t sleep on their virtual programming, either, like a flower arranging class from the Huntington and a tart workshop from the Arboretum).

Personally, we think cooking a meal in together can be a dreamy team building activity for a couple. But if you’re the kind of couple that would just make a burnt mess, forget about all of the fuss and treat yourself instead: Some of our favorite twinkly patios and dimly-lit dining rooms are prepping prix-fixe menus for the holiday.

What can be more pleasant than a meal in the park? (Aside from off-leash pups attempting to pilfer your food and screaming children in bouncy castles.) But seriously, taking your Valentine’s meal alfresco—weather permitting—is the perfect way to mix up your dining plans. If you’re picking up the goods from a restaurant, consider making it a lunchtime affair to avoid the dinner rush.

Let Paul Thomas Anderson program your Valentine’s watchlist as the Valley-born director curates a few days of American Cinematheque’s film calendar in Los Feliz and Santa Monica. PTA himself will be on hand to present some of his own films (Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza) or moderate conversations about some of his favorites (Fast Times at Ridgemont High with a virtual appearance from Amy Heckerling).

Couples who hike together stay together—or something like that. With Valentine’s falling on a Monday this year, you may want to opt for a Saturday or Sunday trek depending on your schedules, but that gives you a whole weekend’s worth of opportunities to get your hearts pumping—for real.

Forget everything we just said. Getting all sweaty and letting your date see you at your worst as you huff and puff your way up Runyon? Yuck. Keep things real laidback instead with a cruise along the beach, into the mountains or through a canyon. Put on some good tunes, bring along some snacks and spend the afternoon admiring the view—and we don’t just mean the person in the passenger seat. Consider a longer trek into the San Gabriel Mountains to see some snow, but if spending hours together in a cramped aluminum cabin seems like it’ll be a one-way road to passive-aggressive conflict, maybe stick to Malibu or Palos Verdes.