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(Enlarge) Kiawah Island, S.C., where you can still find romantic getaways in sunnier climes.
“Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it” Cole Porter said in his 1928 song, and Feb. 14 is the time to fall in love, pronounce it, or celebrate it. Plenty of people and businesses are eager to help you observe this joyous feeling at Valentine’s Day. They seem to ignore the statistics about people not bothering to marry these days and the figures about divorce. The word is, “it’s time to do something romantic.”
If you’re buying into that agenda (it’s estimated that more than one billion Valentine cards are sent in the United States annually, second only to Christmas), then start by driving down (or mailing a card inside another envelope) to Loveville, and having a love note or card canceled with the town’s postmark of a heart and a cupid. You could also go to Loveland (Colorado), Valentine (Texas and Nebraska), Loving (New Mexico) and another half-dozen romantically named towns, but St. Mary’s County is a lot closer.
Oh, but you want to do something that’s not ordinary, something that is truly worthy of the love of your life. Troy Corley, publisher of Free Fun Guides (www.freefunguides.com), which detail free and frugal things to do, says the newest trend is happening at zoos and aquariums (there’s that birds and bees thing again).
The National Aquarium (www.aqua.org) in Baltimore is sponsoring a date night Feb. 14 and offering you a quiet evening under the sea. “Marvel at more than 16,000 animals and enjoy live music by guitarist Richard Barry,” they say. Appetizers and drinks are included for this 21-and-older gathering ($80 per couple for members, $125 for non-members). Snorkel tubes are not required.
A stray manatee must have said something because the South Carolina Aquarium (www.scaquarium.org) is offering a three-course meal with wine and a gift at tables set up around the tanks and the front window that overlooks the Charleston Harbor. You’ll be able to walk the aquarium at your leisure and they are sure you’ll be “happy as a clam.”
It must have been a little bird who told someone about the Cleveland Zoological Society (www.clevelandzoosociety.org), where guests can learn about the birds and the bees “Zoo-style,” slipping behind the scenes to see some of the animals up close and personal and hear from the keepers. Local restaurants are providing food and beverage.
A month of Sundays
For a more traditional and romantic outing, the 1867 Inn at Leola Village (www.theinnatleolavillage.com), in Leola, Pa., is offering a “Couples Pampering Package” that includes an hour couples massage, dinner for two, a luxury whirlpool suite, champagne, European breakfast for two, welcome gift and more. And, it’s available all month, not just the Valentine’s Day weekend. Set on a former Amish tobacco farm (with restored Amish homes, tobacco barns and acres of stunning gardens), the inn and the Restaurant Mazzi received 4 diamonds from AAA and have been voted “Most Romantic” on numerous occasions.
If you’re just taking a drive to Rehoboth Beach, Del., Feb. 13 so you can recall warm summer days with the ocean lapping at your ankles, stop by the Indian River Life-Saving Station for a seminar on sailors’ valentines. Dating from the 1800s, sailors would spend months at sea and make “valentines” with seashells mounted in a wooden box or frame. You can do the same with shells and found beach items. Reservations for the 90-minute seminar are required. Go to visitsoutherndelaware.com/events/Sailor_Valentines/1875/detail.htm.
You may think elopements are for the spur-of-the-moment types, but the Gramercy Mansion in Baltimore County allows you up to two months to plan yours. You decide when and they’ll handle all the arrangements and details, from a simple ceremony on the balcony of your private suite to handling the details for up to 20 guests. Yes, they can do bigger events, but we’re talking elopement. You must apply for your marriage license.
Multiples of two
From private to public (bring on the paparazzi) for exchanging vows: Whether this is your first go-round or you want to renew, head to Atlantic City (www.atlanticcitynj.com), where they’re having their Fourth Annual Group Valentine Wedding, Civil Union and Vow Renewal Ceremony (www.ticketmaster.com/venue/16684) Feb. 14. More than 100 couples have participated in the previous events. You must register to participate at the event at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall. Out-of-state couples must have a New Jersey marriage or civil union license. Spectators are invited.
Water that’s seven colors of blue under skies to match framed by swaying palms trees and rimmed with sandy beaches mean you’re in Freeport, the Bahamas, and you’re learning how to dive. You can do it with sharks even. Two of you can take a PADI SCUBA diver course in the UNEXSO (Underwater Explorers Society) 17-foot training pool with a daily open ocean dive to complete your course (www.unexso.com). You can interact with dolphins and explore wrecks and reefs.
This is where I did my first dive. It was extraordinary, even when a two-foot barracuda decided to explore my face mask.
Four nights in a one-bedroom suite with daily breakfast at the beautiful Pelican Bay Resort is the perfect antidote for this ridiculously cold weather.
The mystery of romance
I would have sworn the murder-mystery weekend would have died in the last century, yet it lingers. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (www.kiawahresort.com) is holding its fourth annual “Weekend of Mystery” over Valentine’s Day weekend. Enjoy the luxurious amenities at this South Carolina property while crimes take place to your left and your right.
Meet your fellow crime-solvers (or are they the villains?). And, just when you think you’ve solved the misdeed, well, you wouldn’t want the secret exposed. Wait until the final scene when all is revealed and prizes awarded. Where are Kyra Sedgwick and Nathan Fillion when you need them?
Forget champagne and strawberries with crème fraiche. Go straight for the Whoopie Pies if you’re going to be making whoopee. You’ll find two of them (red velvet cake with yummy butter cream frosting) and a box of Wilbur Buds (can you say “OMG delicious?”) at the Valentine’s Day getaway at the historic Bird-in-Hand Village Inn Suites (www.bird-in-hand.com/index.php/places_to_stay/stay_overview/village_inn_suites). The daily continental-plus breakfast includes fresh-baked pastries, muffins and bagel from their Pennsylvania Dutch Bakery next door, and more. Evening snacks are complimentary, too.
Don’t have time to fly off to some island? Just drive into Washington for its second year of Date Nights DC (www.datenightsdc.org) throughout February. They’ve listed more than 100 date ideas and suggestions, a calendar of events and packages and offers at dozens of restaurants. Date concierges are available to create date activities and book whatever needs to be done. Just contact the D.C. Department of Love and Relationships and they’ll take care of everything.
Proclaiming love is a leap of faith, and you can take another one just minutes from home at the Terrapin Adventures Center (www.terrapinadventures.com) in Savage. The Leap of Faith is there, along with the High Ropes Challenge Course, the Heebie Jeebie, and Islands in the Sky. They have 32 elements to the center, including a 330-foot zip line. The Giant Swing promises 2gs of force, and then there’s the Terrapin Tower.
Do you quake in terror or prove your mettle? They’re promising a romantic adventure for Valentine’s Day weekend. What more could you want?