If you’re searching for a date idea for this Valentine’s Day, look no further! SUU News is your go-to wingman as this cuffing season comes to a close.
For Feb. 14, here are 14 date ideas catered to college students living in Cedar City.
1. Thumb through the vinyls and CDs at Groovacious Records.
Although there’s no listening booth, you can still capture the same feelings as the 1995 film “Before Sunrise” right here in Cedar City. Music is a powerful force that brings people together. Finding common ground over something like music creates a quick way to bond with someone.
2. Pick out books for each other at Main Street Books.
Reading together is an extremely underrated date option. You can tell a lot about a person by the books they choose, and shared interests create deeper connections. Unlike a loud bar or crowded restaurant, bookstores have an overall homey, calming feeling that invites conversation.
3. Skate around the exit 59 skate park.
A skate park provides an opportunity to get outdoors, feel the sun on your face and learn or teach a new skill. Facebook marketplace has lots of options to choose from when it comes to skating materials. From roller skates to ripstiks to razor scooters and more, it’s easy to find an inexpensive mode of transportation you can learn sick tricks on and impress your date with.
4. Look at stars and planets at the Ashcroft Observatory.
Stargazing is a date as old as time. Spend your time finding constellations and learning about their stories, or try to see Jupiter through a telescope. It’s a fresh way to see the world together. Cedar has been blessed with a beautiful canyon and minimal light pollution that makes seeing the stars wonderfully easy. In addition to being a great date location, visiting the Ashcroft is an SUU tradition, so you can kill two birds with one stone this February.
5. Check out an improv comedy show.
Comedy shows are a fun, lighthearted option for a date. There are shows at 8 p.m. every Friday at Off The Cuff comedy club at 913 S Main St. It’s fun to have an exciting event to look forward to after dinner or chat over an ice cream cone afterward. Improv is especially fun due to all of the audience involvement. It’s an opportunity to yell out crazy suggestions for the performers in front of each other and share laughs.
6. Get some colored pencils and color together.
Bringing out your inner child can create a fun, easy-going environment ideal for getting to know another person. Whether you use colored pencils, crayons, markers or pastels, sometimes stepping into a creative head space with another person can say more than words ever could.
7. Find a frozen pond or lake to run around on.
Recreate the famous scene from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
“I could die right now, Clem. I’m just… happy. I’ve never felt that before. I’m just exactly where I want to be.”
Navajo Lake and Kolob Reservoir are great options when the weather’s right, oftentimes having transparent ice that makes for an excellent photo opportunity.
8. Play disc golf at Thunderbird Gardens.
Take advantage of the course set up at Thunderbird Gardens, no experience required. Discs are available for rent courtesy of SUU Outdoors, but can also be found on facebook marketplace or occasionally at the thrift store.
9. Hit up latin dance night at The Warehouse.
The Warehouse Bar and Kitchen at 432 N 100 W holds “Latin Night” one Saturday out of each month at 9 p.m. For those looking to dance the night away, it’s a unique opportunity to escape the small town atmosphere and have your own “Baile Inolvidable.”
10. Make miniature works of art for the tiny art museum.
A tiny art museum is located at 53 300 E St. and is always welcoming new mini masterpieces. You can paint 3×3 inch canvases, tell stories with zines, make jewelry, mold miniature sculptures with clay or anything else you dream up. You can periodically check back afterward to see if your artwork has found a new home or remains on display for all to enjoy.
11. Go for a stroll in the cemetery.
“A dreaded sunny day, so let’s go where we’re happy and I meet you at the cemetery gates.” A famous line from the song “Cemetery Gates” by the Smiths. As you walk around and read the headstones, you can research or dream up stories for the people resting there. It’s an opportunity to engage with the history of Cedar City and learn more about each other while you walk. Remember to show respect while walking the grounds for those who have passed and those mourning.
12. Attend the monthly live jazz performance.
Make your “La La Land” dreams come true as you hear the sounds of jazz performed by the Cedar City Jazz Alliance. Admission is free and the atmosphere is unmatched; for all you know you could be in an underground club in New Orleans. They’re held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at Off The Cuff comedy club.
13. Run through the sheep tunnels.
Underneath the streets of Cedar City lay secret passages riddled with graffiti that make for an awesome urban exploration adventure. It runs nearly a mile long and the west entrance is located just across the street from Walmart.
14. Place bets on a game of bowling.
Bowling in and of itself is a blast, but when ice cream is on the line, it becomes all the more exciting. Bring out each other’s competitive sides by placing a wager on the game for a prize to be coined right after or even on the next date.
Before you plan your date, here is some dating advice from a few fellow T-Birds!
Amy Hueffner suggested getting boba tea on a first date.
“First dates for me — I get stressed and so eating… not a good choice. But boba is nice because you can just sip and it’s something new for a lot of people,” she said. “It’s fun and there’s a lot of variety in what you can get, so there’s something for everyone and you have a super comfortable environment. No pressure.”
Hueffner continued, “If you’re planning the date, plan to do something where you know what’s going on, so that you’re not completely lost. It takes some of the stress out of it. Pick a situation where you feel comfortable so you can shine.”
Giampiero Scattolon said, “My ideal first date is anything that involves talking, so doing something simple like grabbing a drink, maybe a little food. As long as there’s a conversation to be had.”
Sierra Edmondson recommended keeping the first date short.
“For the first date (keep it at) like one to two hours because if you don’t like them you can be nice for two hours, and if you like them, you leave wanting more,” she said.
While Edmondson believes that any date activity is fun as long as you are enjoying the company, she does have a personal favorite excursion.
“A walk up the little canyon trail where you can just talk, maybe they bring something cute that you eat on a bench up there,” she proposed. “It’s short and you get to know them, and that’s really what’s telling you if you wanna go on another date or not.”
She shared one final word of advice, “On a first date, do not ask ‘How many kids do you want?’”
With all of that in mind; good luck on your dates, T-Birds!
Author: Brooklyn Beard
Editor: Heather Turner
Copy Editor: Kayd Johanson
Photo by Brooklyn Beard
life@suunews.net
