22 unexpected NYC date ideas for the offbeat romantic

When February arrives, we’re reminded that love is, in fact, in the air, filling our inboxes with a never-ending litany of ways to summon Cupid’s attention, from expensive restaurant seatings to every bloom and bonbon that will fit in a heart-shaped box. If you’re looking for a romantic New York City (or nearby) date idea with a bit more thought behind it, check out our love-infused list.

Music, theater, art, and performance

Get intimate with art and music
Wednesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
Hall des Lumières, Tribeca

Sofar Sounds at Hall des Lumières is a special Valentine’s Day event at an immersive art venue within the historic Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank. The two-part event showcases the work of Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky against a backdrop of musical performances by talented mystery artists who will be revealed on the day of the show.

Enjoy chamber music at Lincoln Center
Saturday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.
Alice Tully Hall
The chamber music program “Sacred and Profane” will feature notable works by Debussy and Ravel and a duo that intertwines a performance by Jean-Marie Leclair, founder of the Baroque French violin school, with Olivier Messiaen’s “The Blackbird.”

Feel the glow of a candlelight concert
Murmrr Theatre, 17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238
February 11 & 15, 6:30 & 9:15 p.m.
Music and candlelight set the stage for romance, and candlelight concerts combine the two in a magical multi-sensory experience. Candlelight: A Valentine’s Day Special featuring “Romeo and Juliet” at Brooklyn’s Murmrr Theatre adds a memorable venue to the mix.

Unleash your inner ‘Gypsy’
Wednesday, February 14, 7 p.m.
UBS Arena, Belmont Park, Long Island
Though the iconic Stevie Nicks rarely tours, she continues to inspire with her ethereal style and beloved rock repertoire.

Love and laughter
Wednesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
Beacon Theatre, New York, NY
Two of comedy’s funniest gal pals have teamed up for their first-ever joint comedy tour, Tina Fey & Amy Poehler: Restless Leg Tour Valentine’s Day Show.

Mix shots and Shakespeare
February 9th – 18th, times vary
The Ruby Theatre, 35 West 39th Street
At the Drunk Shakespeare Valentine’s Show, actors pound a whole lot of whiskey shots and attempt to perform works by William Shakespeare. No, really. During Cupid season, add free champagne and a Valentine’s Day theme!

Have a Valentine’s Day date night at MoMA
Friday, February 17, 4-7 p.m.
11 West 53 Street, New York, New York, 10019
The Museum of Modern Art will stay open late on a Friday to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Expect live jazz, beer, cocktails, and more, plus a chance to explore the museum’s galleries and try your hand at drop-in drawing sessions. The event will also be your last chance to see the exhibition “Picasso in Fontainebleau,” with works from the artist’s brief stay in Fontainebleau, Paris.

Fun and games à deux

Team up in an escape room
The escape room is an immersive concept that gives you a chance to impress your crush with your sleuthing skills. Most have a theme–like Timeliner: Train Through Time or Prison Break–so you can pick one you both love. In addition to the previously mentioned events, top NYC escape rooms include The Escape Game, Mission Escape Games, and BrainXcape.

Shoot pool without having to share
Sharks Pool Club lets you choose and reserve a table, book as many hours as you’d like, and pay online. Play your own music, BYOB, and take your best shot. Sharks has four New York City locations: Williamsburg, Astoria, Two Bridges, and inside Rockefeller Center. Pricing starts at $25 for 30 minutes.

Bond over a board game
230 Thompson Street, New York, NY
10 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily (til midnight on weekends)
Technology may have given us the ability to hang out in virtual worlds, but getting lost in a classic, hands-on board or card game never gets old. The Uncommons board game cafe offers your favorite game experiences–from Cards Against Humanity to checkers and chess–with comfortable seating and refreshments for sale.

Ice skate under the Brooklyn Bridge
Located under the Brooklyn Bridge at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in Dumbo, Glide is a casual, urban pop-up rink that offers skating, rinkside food and beverages from nearby Time Out Market, and sweeping Manhattan skyline views. Tickets start at $15 for adults, with discounted tickets ($9) available for NYC residents who provide proof of residency.

Offbeat immersive experiences

Share the world of AI·magination
Through March 17
439 West 15th Street, New York, NY
Immerse yourself in the six captivating scenes of World of AI·magination: The 20-minute “cinematic experience” includes Submerge, GAN Mecca (inspired by M.C. Escher and Zaha Hadid), the Library of Magical Portals, the Symphony of Illusion, the Infinite Maze and more, all meant to showcase the creative possibilities of collaboration between the human mind and AI.

And there’s a cocktail bar.

Let the magic happen
Four shows weekly
Lotte New York Palace Hotel, 455 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
The elegant Lotte New York Palace Hotel hosts Magician Steve Cohen’s Chamber Magic, conjuring the intimate parlor entertainment popular in early 20th-century Manhattan. Guests (adults only) will be astounded by tricks, mind-reading, and sleight of hand, up-close in a salon-style setting.

Dive into an erotic carnival and steamy sideshows
The Museum of Sex, 233 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Maybe not for a first date, but passionate Valentines can venture into the sexual history of the carnival, as The Museum of Sex explores its bacchanalian origins from ancient Greece and Rome to the World’s Fairs of the 20th century. Superfunland: Journey Into the Erotic Carnival is a hot-and-heavy history lesson accompanied by erotically-charged games and amusements, including a 4-D immersive “Tunnel of Love,” a biometric kissing booth and an erotic fortune-telling machine with an appearance by RuPaul. The happy ending: A two-story slide that empties into the Museum’s carnival bar. The museum also offers Valentine’s Day packages with a Love or Lust” theme, for a choose-your-own-adventure evening.

Get cozy and escape the cold

Immerse yourselves in a thermal bath
Aire Ancient Baths, 88 Franklin Street, New York, NY
Indulge in pampering and renewal at Aire Ancient Baths, inspired by ancient Roman, Greek, and Ottoman baths, surrounded by historic architecture, enhanced by cava rosé and velvet macarons.

Cozy up in a Catskills getaway
Leave daily city life behind for a cozy room in a Catskills cabin, hotel, or B & B, surrounded by nature and fabulous food and drink. The Graham & Co is a boutique hotel in picturesque Phoenicia, NY at the base of Hunter Mountain–just a few hours from New York City.

Wine and dine

Do something “cheesy“
Dive into your cheese cravings together: Interactive cheese classes at Murray’s Cheese flagship Bleecker Street store or other NYC locations offer options like mozzarella making and wine and cheese pairing. Classes are led by experts who will help you nibble and sip your way through delicious cheeses and brilliant beverage pairings.

Discover Korean cuisine, food court fun and a karaoke booth
11 West 32nd Street, New York, NY
Food Gallery 32 in Midtown’s Koreatown is one of New York City’s favorite multicultural food court experiences. Slurp some Korean noodles, sip Chinese bubble tea, and sample Spanish churros under the same roof with three floors of colorful dining options. To add fun to the food, hit the coin-operated karaoke booth to serenade your Valentine!

Hit all the high notes
59 Grove Street, New York, NY
Belt out a tune or two at Marie’s Crisis Cafe, a petite and elegantly seedy piano bar in a West Village basement, where you can sing along to a night’s worth of show tunes with the regulars.

Share cocktails in a heavenly setting
45 Grove Street, New York, NY
Perched above an evolving East Village street scene for nearly three decades, Angel’s Share has long been known as one of Manhattan’s most romantic drink destinations. The blissful bar ushered in cocktail culture in downtown New York City from behind a Korean eatery. After shutting its doors in 2020, the treasured establishment recently re-opened in the basement of a Grove Street townhouse, where it continues the tradition of being a no-fuss destination with killer cocktails, often packed to capacity, with a four-person maximum for party size.

Who’s this Cupid guy, anyway?

Party your heart out
Wednesday, February 14, 9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Elsewhere, 599 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
For party people whose romantic ideal is a date with the dancefloor, the folks at Brooklyn venue Elsewhere are throwing open their doors for Elsewhere’s Heartbreaker’s Ball. Music from Mija, The Muses, Jupiter, and Ultra Violet will surround art installations, a glam station, and distraction galore.

Get un-serious about dating
February 13, 8:30 p.m.(doors, 7:30 p.m.)
TV Eye, The Ballroom, Ridgewood, NY
Tinder Live! with Lane Moore is a send-up of the dating app Tinder, featuring Moore, Danny Tamberelli, and Michael C. Maronna (Nickelodeon’s Pete & Pete). Take a swipe at dating app profiles and get some tips for success along the way.

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