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Fancy dates are overrated. This guide will help you come up with a unique, fun experience to impress your date all year long. Make sure to read the descriptions - the choices aren't always obvious, but i promise they're good!
Once there's snow on the ground, what could be more romantic than strolling through the Japanese Garden? The Chicago Botanic Garden is one of our region's true treasures. It's enormous, beautiful, and has something for everyone from conservation geeks to train nerds. It's free - but parking costs, so bring money or take the metra.
The Palm Court is one of the prettiest places in the whole city, and, for the right couple, High Tea at The Drake might make the perfect daytime getaway. It's tasty, boozy (if you want) and if you're feeling extra romantic, you can always get a room for the night...
This was, by far, my most dramatic Valentine's Day ever. Learn to blow glass with your sweetheart! Bond over dangerous crafts! Seriously, it's fun and you'll never look at a drinking glass the same way again.
If you just want to have a date at a high place, head to the Signature Lounge instead. But, during the winter, you can go "Skating in the Sky." That's right, they set up an ice rink all the way up there. How much more awesome can you get?
It might seem a little scary, but picking out your own fish fresh from the supplier is a great way to start a date night in. Isaacson and Stein isn't a supermarket, it's an old-fashioned fish mart. Piles of fish of every description are everywhere. They'll take care of cleaning it - all you have to do is choose.
What a great idea for a date! Drink a little, pick up a paintbrush and pretend you are re-enacting that scene from Ghost, except with more color (and less sex; it is a studio after all).
FEW Spirits is Evanston's only distillery. They make gin, bourbon and rye - and their overproof gin is to die for. They also sell used barrels, and the distillery is open for tours on the weekends. A great gift idea for the bourbon lover in your life, or a great unique date!
If your sweetie has a ... sweet tooth, what better way to spend a special night than learning how to make breads, pastries and croissants? They will teach you all you need to know.
The best cooking school in town. Bring your sweetie and learn how to use that fancy knife that's been gathering dust on your counter. If you want something more romantic, take a chocolate cooking class - you'll have plenty of recipes to bring home.