Old Town Artisan Studios in La Quinta.
PHOTO COURTESY VISIT GREATER PALM SPRINGS
Order flowers early. Know if they prefer gold or silver jewelry. Skip the chalky conversation hearts. Valentine’s Day is full of rules, but the most important mandate is simple: Do something you love with someone you love. Whether that’s hitting the trails or belting along to a cover band, the Coachella Valley has killer date spots for romantic outings and get-togethers with close pals, whatever you and your people adore — no UR CUTE candy heart required.
For Artists
Anyone who’s seen Ghost knows that ceramics can be seriously sexy. Outposts like Silica Studios in Palm Springs and Old Town Artisan Studios in La Quinta offer group and private classes where you can learn to transform clay into bowls, mugs, and vases (for all those V-Day flowers). Bonus: Since courses are offered in four-week sessions, you’ll have built-in dates for a month.
For Foodies
Share a meal you’ll still be talking about years down the line at fine dining spots like Palm Springs’ seasonally minded Workshop Kitchen + Bar and French-inspired Palm Desert restaurant Cuistot. For a more playful rendezvous, chart a path through restaurant-heavy areas like Old Town La Quinta or El Paseo in Palm Desert, picking a different eatery for drinks, apps, entrées, and dessert.
A margarita from TQLAS in Old Town La Quinta will get your culinary tour started right.
PHOTO COURTESY VISIT GREATER PALM SPRINGS
For Smarty Pants
Is there anything hotter than intelligence? Show off your smarts at bar trivia. In Palm Springs, the Ace Hotel & Swim Club offers fun quizzes on Mondays at the industrial-chic Amigo Room bar, and laid-back taproom La Quinta Brewing Co. throws out puzzling questions over amber ales and IPAs at its Palm Desert location.
For Music Buffs
Are you and your dearest deadheads? Maybe classical connoisseurs? Whatever your favored musical genre, there’s no shortage of local venues where you can catch live tunes together. If you’re up for a drive, Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace draws established and indie artists to the Old West locale, while the Palm Springs Philharmonic brings orchestral offerings to the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert twice this month. Although it won’t be back in time for Valentine’s Day, beginning next month, classic rock aficionados can headbang to
weekly cover bands at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino’s Rock Yard in Indio.
For Outdoor Adventurers
For obvious safety reasons, outdoorsy couples and friend groups tend to favor daytime dates for open-air adventure. But there are ways to explore outside after the sun goes down. Join local conservation nonprofit Friends of the Desert Mountains on a guided night hike in La Quinta or Rancho Mirage. Or head up Twentynine Palms Highway for a stargazing sesh in the High Desert, with a quick stop at Joshua Tree Bottle Shop for a syrah to split.
Joshua Tree.
PHOTO COURTESY VISIT GREATER PALM SPRINGS
Coachella Valley Firebirds.
PHOTO BY MIKE ZITEK, COURTESY COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS
For Sports Fans
Treat your sport-loving partner in crime to a seat at one of the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ seven home hockey games this month at Palm Desert’s Acrisure Arena. Holding may be a penalty on the ice, but it’s A-OK to grab your honey’s hand in the stands. If you’re feeling inspired by the players’ fancy footwork, do date night part deux at the neighboring Berger Foundation Iceplex during the public skate sessions.