5 Last-Minute & Inexpensive Ideas for Impressing a Date – Courtesy of It’s Just Lunch Houston

Valentine’s Day takes a lot of planning and coordination, and some busy couples simply don’t have the time or energy to pull it off. Fortunately, local dating experts have put in the work and done the research for you. Stephanie Osgood, owner and director of It’s Just Lunch Houston, has over 20 years of experience in matchmaking, and she knows what it takes to pull of a wonderful date night.

This article is for anyone who has waited until too late to get a reservation or book a hotel for Valentine’s Day, or anyone who just plain doesn’t know where to go or what to choose for this relationship pressure-cooker of a holiday.

You can have more romance and conversation by creating a memorable experience with your Valentine. Here are some Houston date ideas to make the day extra special.

If you’re going to play games as a couple…go to an arcade! Cidercade Houston offers an inexpensive and fun evening for couples looking to level up their date-night experience.

Admission is $10 for a day pass, and that includes unlimited play on 275+ arcade games. No quarters or bills. In fact, they’re cashless, so couples will need to have a credit or debit card on hand to play the games.

 The Cidercade bar has 48 taps of different hard ciders, hard kombuchas, hard seltzers, and hard smoothies. For those who want the soft stuff, buy a cup for unlimited drinks from the soda fountain. The bar is family-friendly during the day, but it switches vibes to 21+ adult fun starting at 8 P.M.

For Valentine’s Day, Cidercade is offering a special for lovey-dovey patrons of all relationship statuses. Instead of a boring, overpriced dinner, the bartenders are throwing a single-friendly Stoplight Party. You pay $10 for admission, and you get a colored wristband: green for single, yellow for maybe, and red for taken. Drink ciders, mash buttons, and have fun!

How about cuddling up together at an old-fashioned drive-in movie theater? Moonstruck Drive-In has put romance on cruise control with its 60-foot-wide scope-ratio screen and Barco 48 DLK projection.

This drive-in theater offers the same quality show as a premium large-format indoor theater – but with a more unique and nostalgic setting. 

Couples can eat and drink from the Moonstruck bar and food truck. No outside food or beverages are allowed.  The pricing is $30 per car with up to six people per vehicle. Pets are welcome to tag along too!

The good thing about the Moonstruck Drive-In is that it stays open through the night, rain or shine. Sit in your car or bring chairs and sit outside and enjoy the weather!

This Valentine’s Day weekend, couples can choose from a romantic lineup on movies ranging from the science-fiction thriller “Moonfall” to the classic chick flick “The Notebook.” Couples who enjoy horror may even want to curl up, lock the car doors, and watch “Scream 5” to get their hearts pumping on their date night.

Moonstruck Drive-In is offering a Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board Special that must be ordered in advance.

What can be more romantic than a light show set to music and experienced at sunset? James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace is every bit as impressive as it sounds.

The Twilight Epiphany is acoustically engineered to host musical performances. The structure is constructed of grass, concrete, stone and composite steel, and it is equipped with an LED light sequence that projects onto the ceiling and through an aperture in the 72-foot square knife-edge roof during sunrise and at sunset.

The Sunset light sequence begins about 10 minutes before sunset. Each sequence lasts approximately 40 minutes. Early birds can check out the Sunrise sequence with a warm cup of coffee in hand. The show is free and open to the public Wednesday through Monday. It is located in the Suzanne Deal Booth Centennial Pavilion, which is adjacent to the Shepherd School of Music on the Rice University campus.

Perhaps you’d like to do something as a couple that will be unlike any other experience you have had. Seismique Art Museum certainly fits the bill.

The technology-fueled experiential art museum features over 40 unique galleries (they call them galaxies) spanning 40,000 square feet. The displays include depictions of extraterrestrial beings, artificial intelligence, immersive experiences, gamification, and dazzling displays of light, color, sound, and natural elements.

Seismique promises to transport you to an entirely new and unforeseen universe of creative inspiration and artistic manifestation. The galaxies are designed to stimulate imagination, heighten curiosity, inspire wonder, and – most importantly – deliver an extreme dose of fun.

The museum has been voted one of the 10 Best Immersive Experiences by USA Today (Reader’s Choice 2021 Poll) and one of the Top 12 Immersive Exhibits in the World by CNN.

You have the chance to really wow your Valentine by cooking their favorite dish from their favorite restaurant – at home!

Don’t be afraid to call the restaurant and ask if the chef is willing to share the recipe for a certain plate. In exchange for the recipe, offer to share pics or a video on social media about how you prepared this for your Valentine and tag the chef or restaurant. This is a great way to show off your culinary skills and bring some positive attention to a local restaurant.

If you can’t get the recipe directly from the source, search YouTube videos for a similar recipe. There are endless recipe demo videos that will take you step-by-step on how to prepare pretty much any dish. A number of “copycat” websites offer recipes for famous restaurant dishes including Cracker Barrel Meat Loaf, Benihana Fried Rice, and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Some of our favorite websites for dateworthy recipes include Allrecipes and CopyKat Recipes, which we’ve written about here.

It’s Just Lunch Houston has the local date area on lock. Its matchmakers are constantly giving advice and making recommendations to singles in the Texas city, and their judgment has steered many happy couples toward romance.

This Valentine’s Day, take a page from this premier dating service’s romantic playbook and plan a unique date that won’t break the bank. When providing tips for us, Stephanie noted that she has seen plenty of dates flourish or flounder based on where they take place, so choosing a date locale is key to success. She recommends that couples take the time to plan a leisurely and pressure-free date night this Valentine’s Day.

Stephanie told us that putting in a little thought is what makes an extra-special date night, and that will win the heart of any Valentine.