Thankfully, Valentine’s Day is trending toward the romance-agnostic! Any love is worth celebrating on the day of love, so I’ve compiled a multi-purpose list of last-minute Valentine’s Day activities to do in Boise.
🍷 It’s Not Too Late to Wine & Dine
One of the many perks of living in our city is that less than a week out from the holiday, you can still grab a dinner reservation on Valentine’s Day. You might not get your first pick of a restaurant, but if you go a couple days on either side of Friday you might.
Last year Natalie Plummer of the Boise Bubble podcast brought her well-tested date night recommendations to City Cast Boise.
See if any of these restaurants with reservations strike your fancy:
- The Avery, for Saturday or Sunday night.
- Chandlers Steakhouse, starting Monday.
- Fork (and Alavita next door).
- The Lively, which at the time of writing this, has spots until Thursday this week.
- Terroir, for the middle of the week, late night, or next week.
🍰 Find Something Sweet
You might be hard-pressed to get a custom cake before the 14th, but Cravin’s Candy Emporium or Goody’s Soda Fountain will always take care of a sweet tooth. If those options don’t feel quite adult enough, maybe try the City Peanut Shop (and try the espresso brittle, and maybe Les Bois Wines down the street has a table for you).
Now’s a good time to put an incredible microbaker on your radar: Nica Bake & Co started after Valentine’s Day last year, so this is baker Jokasty’s first take on the holiday. You can order her mini raspberry mousse cakes, Valentine’s variety box, and more at the start of this week for a Friday pickup.
💝 Gift From the Heart
Some local gift ideas, lightning round style:
- A coffee bean subscription from Push & Pour, which also gets you a discount and a very sweet Valentine’s Day-themed tote bag.
- Gift an experience like an escape room, concert, cooking class, or hot springs getaway.
- A Downtown Boise Association gift card, which works at dozens of shops and restaurants.
- Whatever the gift, put some effort into its packaging with beautiful and reusable wrapping paper from somewhere like Mixed Greens.
My final tip: have a friend whose birthday is the week of Valentine’s Day, so you always have a reason to celebrate no matter your spirits!
