Written and photographed by Grace Baines
Alright Bees, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many of you are searching for romantic date ideas. While others are planning how to celebrate the holiday of love being single, I recommend a picnic for this Valentine’s Day. The weather is supposed to be partially sunny with a high of 60 degrees and zero chance of rain. Go outside and enjoy the sun with whomever you celebrate Valentine’s Day with. For the couples, it’s the perfect mix of casual and romantic to create a date to be remembered. For everyone who chooses to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a group of friends, it’s a great chance to have fun being single and to be surrounded by people you care about.
A group of friends bask in the sun together.
The actual picnic is not very hard to pull off. The key ingredient to any picnic is location — I recommend somewhere beautiful and sunny. However, if you go to Forsyth Park, try not to be too close to the playgrounds as it ruins the mood when a game of tag crushes your food. Try to avoid Forsyth’s windy path as it will surely ruin the spirit even more when an overly friendly dog steps on your assorted chocolates.
For a group of friends, being close to other groups might not be too bad. For a date, being in a semi secluded spot may work better. Prepare for the weather; when you’re not in the sun, 60 degrees isn’t actually that warm, so I recommend bringing a light jacket. To anyone considering adding a skirt to their Valentine’s Day wardrobe, check how windy it is. Yes, you might be flashing your date, but you could also inadvertently flash the tourists behind them.
Items Needed
- • A large blanket
- • A basket or bag to carry the food, drinks and eating utensils
- • Plastic plates and forks
- • A large (16 oz or more) reusable water bottle
- • Plastic cups (I used plastic wine glasses because it is Valentine’s Day; you have to be classy).
- • Resealable containers for carrying food.
Create a playlist that is sure to impress your partner with how every single generic love song somehow matches your relationship in some way. For all my people dancing alone through Cupid’s Day, I recommend “Single Ladies.”
Now the food for a Valentine’s Day picnic can vary. I chose to go the traditional heavy chocolate route. I put together a menu of homemade chocolate covered strawberries, a chocolate cupcake from Wicked Cakes at 38 Whitaker St., two Savannah Honey Chocolate Bars from Chocolat by Adam Turoni, and candies such as M&M’s and candied hearts. The beverage I selected was homemade cucumber water with strawberry ice cubes.
This menu was selected due to the fact that all of the items were easy to carry — being mostly finger foods — and goes well with the outdoor settings.
Eat your chocolate strawberries before they melt in the sun
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients
- • 1 XL Hersey Chocolate Bar
- • 1 pack of ripe strawberries (bigger is better)
- • 1 microwavable bowl
- • A spoon
- • 1 plastic plate that will fit in your fridge
Preparation
- • Wash the strawberries thoroughly to remove any seeds and remaining pesticides.
- • Take half the XL Hersey bar and break it into small pieces. Put these pieces into the microwavable bowl and heat for 1 minute.
- • Remove the bowl and stir the softening chocolate. It should smooth out with a few lumps. Stick the bowl back in the microwave and microwave for 30 seconds.
- • When the chocolate is all melted and smooth, begin to dip the strawberries into it. Try and cover as much of them as you can. Leave the side with the stem clean of chocolate.
- • Place the strawberries on the plate. When all of the strawberries are covered, place the plate in the fridge overnight. This will harden the chocolate and keep the strawberries fresh and cool.
- • Remove the strawberries as you get ready to leave and put them into a container with a lid (preferably a hard lid because they can still be crushed). The original strawberry container works very well and can be decorated to make a cute display bowl.
Cucumber Water
Ingredients
- • 16 oz or more reusable water bottle (a bigger opening at the top is better)
- • 1 cucumber
- • Water
Preparation
- • Carefully slice the cucumber into very thin slices. Cut up about half of an average-size cucumber for a 16 oz bottle. Place these slices into the water bottle and fill with water.
- • Let this sit overnight so the water infuses with the cucumbers.
Strawberry Ice Cubes
Perfect picnic setup for a date in the park
Ingredients
- • 1 ice cube tray
- • 3-5 strawberries
- • 1 knife
- • 1 cutting board
Preparation
- • Wash the strawberries and remove the stem from the fruit.
- • Very carefully slice and dice the strawberries into the smallest chunks you can.
- • Line the bottom of each ice cube well with strawberry pieces (I filled mine halfway).
- • Pour water into the wells, filling them. Some of the strawberry pieces may float up, but that’s fine.
- • Stick them in the freezer overnight to harden.
- • Remove the ice cubes and put them in a Ziploc bag right before you leave for the picnic. Wrap them in the picnic blanket to keep them from melting if you don’t have a way to cool them.
- • Combine with the cucumber water for a cool refreshing drink to balance out the chocolate.
Valentine’s Day picnics can be fun while strictly conversing with one another, but for those of you who like activities, here’s a list:
- • Couple’s Bingo (Thank you, Pinterest)
- • Cloud gazing
- • Frisbee
- • BYO Horse Shoes (Put a stick into the ground and toss something like your shoe in place of the horse shoe)
- • Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt (Make a list of things and see if you can spot them from your picnic blanket)
For my single people and friend groups, here’s a different list:
- • Tinder Bingo (Thank you, Buzzfeed)
- • I Spy Awkward Valentine’s Date Edition
- • Guess That Artist (Look up love songs and read the lyrics; whoever guesses the correct artist gets a point)
- • Single’s Scavenger Hunt (See how many stereotypical cheesy Valentine’s Day events you can see happening)
- • Describe Your Love Life In Song Titles (You don’t have to worry about embarrassing your date; get as dirty as you’d like!)
This Valentine’s Day, just have fun. Go outdoors and have a unique way of celebrating the day of love.