The rose and chocolate alternative: 10 things to do in and around Durango this Valentine’s Day
DURANGO, Colo. – There’s nothing wrong with buying your loved-one a dozen red roses for Valentine’s Day, but how about getting a little more creative this time around? Here are 10 outside-of-the-chocolate-box ways to get your heart pumping this Saturday, Feb. 14.
Romance on the Rails – The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is offering the complete package for Valentine’s Day. You and your sweetheart will ride side-by-side to beautiful Cascade Canyon and return for dinner and music at the vintage Strater Hotel. Premium-Class seats are sold out, but Standard-Class seats and dinner packages are available. Call 970.247.2733 or 888.872.4607 or visit www.durangotrain.com for more information. $89 and up.
Valentine’s Day Snowshoe Hike – Gay Grossman, longtime educator and instructor for Durango Nature Studies, will lead a snowshoe hike at Vallecito Lake. Enjoy the scenery while Grossman fills you in on a little winter ecology lessons and Valentine’s Day trivia (Did you know Geoffrey Chaucer was largely responsible for associating Valentine’s Day with romantic love?). Call 970.769.1800 or visit www.durangonaturestudies.org to register. Snowshoes are available. The hike will meet at the end of FDR 692. $15.
Valentine’s Day 5K – Nothing says “I love you” like a five-kilometer run, right? The City of Durango has organized a special Valentine’s Day 5K walk, run or jog along the scenic Animas River Trail to get your heart pumping. The race will begin at 10 a.m. at the Durango Community Recreation Center Amphitheatre, 2700 Main Ave. $15 early registration, $20 otherwise. Call 970.375.7306 or visit www.durangogov.org/specialevents/valentine5k.cfm for registration details.
Sketchy Business – The San Juan Symphony will provide the perfect soundtrack for a snuggle-filled Valentine’s Day date. From Shubert’s “Symphony No. 8” to Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture,” guest conductor Philipp Mann and featured soloist and bassoonist Benjamin Kamins will lead the symphony through the night’s so-called “Sketchy Business” program. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. $20 and up. Call 970.247.7657 for tickets or visit www.sanjuansymphony.org for more info.
Sing to your Valentine – Love songs seem to encapsulate romantic sentiments best. If you can’t carry a note yourself, let the Durango Barbershoppers do it for you this Valentine’s Day. The quartet will be available for hire all day Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14. The recipient of your affections will receive two songs, a carnation and a small box of chocolates, and the group will go just about anywhere in La Plata County. Call 970.247.5073 or 970.247.4595 or visit www.durangobarbershoppers.org.
Sweet deal – For the snow lover on your list, take advantage of Durango Mountain’s Sweet Deal Valentine’s Package, which includes a day of skiing, a hotel room or studio in the Purgatory Village Hotel and a romantic dinner at Purgy’s. $159. 1.800.525.0892, www.durangomountainresort.com.
Bugs and stuff – If you can’t imagine spending a Valentine’s Day without the kids, or you simply waited too long to schedule a babysitter, make it a family date and head to Durango Discovery Kids to check out its current “Out of This World Dramatic Play” area, the “Grasshoppers, Prickly Sticks, Pepper Roaches and orange Assassin” bug exhibit, “Nature Joe’s Awesome Aquatic Adventure” and more. The museum is open 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and located at 802 E. Second Ave., upstairs in the Durango Arts Center. www.childsmuseum.org or 970.259.9234. $4-$5.
Tickled ivories – Dinner at the Mahogany Grille (699 Main Ave.) is nice anytime, but it’s especially sweet on Saturday nights when Grammy award-winning pianist Tom MacCluskey provides the musical backdrop to your fine-dining experience. Visit www.mahoganygrille.com for reservations or call 970.247.4433 for reservations.
Valentine’s Day Dinner – The Kennebec Café (4 County Road 124) is offering guests a tasty-sounding romantic evening. The menu includes bacon-wrapped steak and lobster tail, lamb tenderloins, ricotta cannelloni and more. www.kennebeccafe.com or 970.247.5674.
Beer & Wine Dinner – For the foodie or beer-snob Valentine, Steamworks Brewing Co. (801 East Second Ave.) has put together a three-course meal, plus dessert, with each course paired with your choice of a hand-crafted Steamworks beer (or wine, if you must). Start off with a spinach salad paired with Colorado Kölsch or pinot grigio, end with ginger-infused crème brulee paired with Third Eye Pale Ale or chardonnay and have some additional excellent-sounding food, beer and wine in between. $45 per person or $90 a couple. 970.250.9200, www.steamworksbrewing.com.
Get out of town – If nothing in D-town is tickling your fancy, pack your bags and head to Ouray for a nice long soak in the hot springs, a walk through the Winter Art Festival, or to let the kids try their hands in Kids Night Ice Climbing. Visit www.ouraycolorado.com/Calendar or call 800.228.1876 for more info.
Valentine’s Day Snowshoe Hike – Gay Grossman, longtime educator and instructor for Durango Nature Studies, will lead a snowshoe hike at Vallecito Lake. Enjoy the scenery while Grossman fills you in on a little winter ecology lessons and Valentine’s Day trivia (Did you know Geoffrey Chaucer was largely responsible for associating Valentine’s Day with romantic love?). Call 970.769.1800 or visit www.durangonaturestudies.org to register. Snowshoes are available. The hike will meet at the end of FDR 692. $15.
Valentine’s Day 5K – Nothing says “I love you” like a five-kilometer run, right? The City of Durango has organized a special Valentine’s Day 5K walk, run or jog along the scenic Animas River Trail to get your heart pumping. The race will begin at 10 a.m. at the Durango Community Recreation Center Amphitheatre, 2700 Main Ave. $15 early registration, $20 otherwise. Call 970.375.7306 or visit www.durangogov.org/specialevents/valentine5k.cfm for registration details.
Sketchy Business – The San Juan Symphony will provide the perfect soundtrack for a snuggle-filled Valentine’s Day date. From Shubert’s “Symphony No. 8” to Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture,” guest conductor Philipp Mann and featured soloist and bassoonist Benjamin Kamins will lead the symphony through the night’s so-called “Sketchy Business” program. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. $20 and up. Call 970.247.7657 for tickets or visit www.sanjuansymphony.org for more info.
Sing to your Valentine – Love songs seem to encapsulate romantic sentiments best. If you can’t carry a note yourself, let the Durango Barbershoppers do it for you this Valentine’s Day. The quartet will be available for hire all day Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14. The recipient of your affections will receive two songs, a carnation and a small box of chocolates, and the group will go just about anywhere in La Plata County. Call 970.247.5073 or 970.247.4595 or visit www.durangobarbershoppers.org.
Sweet deal – For the snow lover on your list, take advantage of Durango Mountain’s Sweet Deal Valentine’s Package, which includes a day of skiing, a hotel room or studio in the Purgatory Village Hotel and a romantic dinner at Purgy’s. $159. 1.800.525.0892, www.durangomountainresort.com.
Bugs and stuff – If you can’t imagine spending a Valentine’s Day without the kids, or you simply waited too long to schedule a babysitter, make it a family date and head to Durango Discovery Kids to check out its current “Out of This World Dramatic Play” area, the “Grasshoppers, Prickly Sticks, Pepper Roaches and orange Assassin” bug exhibit, “Nature Joe’s Awesome Aquatic Adventure” and more. The museum is open 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and located at 802 E. Second Ave., upstairs in the Durango Arts Center. www.childsmuseum.org or 970.259.9234. $4-$5.
Tickled ivories – Dinner at the Mahogany Grille (699 Main Ave.) is nice anytime, but it’s especially sweet on Saturday nights when Grammy award-winning pianist Tom MacCluskey provides the musical backdrop to your fine-dining experience. Visit www.mahoganygrille.com for reservations or call 970.247.4433 for reservations.
Valentine’s Day Dinner – The Kennebec Café (4 County Road 124) is offering guests a tasty-sounding romantic evening. The menu includes bacon-wrapped steak and lobster tail, lamb tenderloins, ricotta cannelloni and more. www.kennebeccafe.com or 970.247.5674.
Beer & Wine Dinner – For the foodie or beer-snob Valentine, Steamworks Brewing Co. (801 East Second Ave.) has put together a three-course meal, plus dessert, with each course paired with your choice of a hand-crafted Steamworks beer (or wine, if you must). Start off with a spinach salad paired with Colorado Kölsch or pinot grigio, end with ginger-infused crème brulee paired with Third Eye Pale Ale or chardonnay and have some additional excellent-sounding food, beer and wine in between. $45 per person or $90 a couple. 970.250.9200, www.steamworksbrewing.com.
Get out of town – If nothing in D-town is tickling your fancy, pack your bags and head to Ouray for a nice long soak in the hot springs, a walk through the Winter Art Festival, or to let the kids try their hands in Kids Night Ice Climbing. Visit www.ouraycolorado.com/Calendar or call 800.228.1876 for more info.
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