From puppy love and fine art to delicious desserts and board sports, check out what to do on Valentine's Day in the heart of the Love state.
Have you made plans for Valentine's Day yet? From cozy booths and craft beer to fine art and delicious desserts, Richmond has you covered for romantic and unique Valentine’s Day outings. Toss in some shuffleboard and cute pups, and you’ve got a whole box of chocolates to choose from. Read on to check out some of our ideas for the best V-Day ever.
Puppy Love at Ardent Craft Ales
Dogs, tacos, chocolate, and beer (and even chocolate-flavored beer) … How’s that for a Valentine’s Day quartet? Ardent Craft Ales is hosting an event for a new small-batch craft beer release. Historical Chocolate Stout, brewed with an American Heritage dark chocolate, is in collaboration with—appropriately enough—the Valentine Museum.
The Taco Club food truck will be on hand in the beer garden, while Chocolate Cravings features their delicious handcrafted truffles.
The two featured flights for tasting are:
For the Love of Stout flight
- Historical Chocolate Stout
- Dark Rye
- Barrel-Aged Milk Stout
- Imperial Stout with Coffee, Coconut, and Almonds
I Heart IPA flight
- Floreda Idaho
- IPA X
- Summit Dipa
- IPA 14
A portion of all sales will go to Richmond Animal Care and Control. You just gotta love that.
Stoplight Party at Tang & Biscuit
Shuffleboard has jumped the cruise ship and set up shop right here in Richmond. Bring your sweetie or find one at Tang and Biscuit, Richmond’s first—and the world’s largest—indoor shuffleboard bar and club. For those not in the know, “tang” is the shuffleboard stick, which is used to hit the “biscuit,” or puck.
The club is having a Stoplight Party. Wear red if you’re taken, yellow if it’s complicated, and green if you’re single. The party starts at 4 p.m. and music is via DJ 2Nasty. Enjoy drink specials and $14 court rentals all night
Share a basket of tater tots, a plate of biscuits, or a Tang-inspired cocktail. Be sure to take a selfie in front of the LOVE sign. There are 10 regulation-size courts as well as table shuffleboard, and games like giant Jenga, cornhole, and ping-pong.
Kuba Kuba
From Cuban sandwiches to vegetarian paella, shrimp enchiladas, and all-day breakfast, the Fan’s Kuba Kuba makes a casual evening out. Snuggle into a cozy booth and enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee or a glass of wine. Then there’s the dessert—and possibly the real reason I picked Kuba Kuba for your V-Day dining pleasure. Don’t forget to order a slice of tres leches cake (made with evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream). It’s available in vanilla or chocolate.
Shyndigz
Valentine’s Day is the one day when you can skip right to dessert, so why not do it up big? The slices at Shyndigz are big enough to share or take at least half home. If you need some savory to go along with all the sweetness, they do have charcuterie and cheese plates and appetizers like quiche and deviled eggs. According to the Cake Calendar, Chocolate Truffle is the cake-of-the-day on Friday, February 14. Chocolate Love-Fetti is the gluten-free cake-of-the-week.
Signature flavors include red velvet with cream cheese icing, raspberry almond, German chocolate, and strawberry Nutella. Wine, craft beer, and coffee are also available.
Virginia Museum of Fine Art
Indulge your love of fine art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. Check out the new Kehinde Wiley Rumors of War equestrian statue out front or stroll among the exhibits of photography, pottery, sculpture, and Faberge eggs inside. The special exhibit Edward Hopper and the American Hotel is at the museum through February 23, 2020. This exhibit does require a fee, but general museum admission is free.
Every second Friday of the month (which the 14th just happens to be) Best Café hosts a winetasting seminar with local experts. The museum’s Amuse restaurant makes a romantic spot to grab a bite in between gallery gazing. The museum is open until 9 p.m. on Fridays.
Have you been to any of these Richmond Valentine’s Day spots? Let us know in the comments.
