Things to Do

Non-Restaurant Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Not into the prix-fixe thing? We’ve rounded up more creative options around town.

Learn about the mating habits of animals at Woo at the Zoo on Saturday. Photograph by Mehgan Murphy/National Zoo.

February 8 through 17,
Perchance to Dream Theatre presents Shakespeare’s comedy
Twelfth Night at Fort Fringe. A traveling troupe of circus style performers use music, puppets,
and magic in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. Tickets ($10 to $15) are available
online.

Get wild at the National Zoo’s fifth annual
Woo at the Zoo. The February 9 event features presentations where you can learn about the mating
habits of animals. Tickets are $30 per person ($20 for FONZ members) and include a
commemorative glass, a complimentary drink, and hors d’oeuvres. There’s also a cash
bar.

Check out naked women and men without your other half getting mad at a
Naked at the Art Museum scavenger hunt on
February 10. Search the American Art Museum and National Portrait
Gallery’s nude
pieces for answers to various questions and take part in a
little friendly competition.
If you’re the lucky duo that finishes first, you’ll go home
with a prize. More details
and tickets ($24.50) are available
online.


Disney on Ice
comes to the Washington Harbour Ice Rink on Tuesday,
February 12, at 4:30 PM. Children
can skate with the characters from the show, sample hot
chocolate, and receive a special
Disney on Ice Valentine’s Day
card.

To accompany the exhibition “Angels, Demons, and Savages,” the Phillips Collection
presents
A Valentine’s Day Trilogy February 13
through 17, with short vignettes inspired by Pollock, Ossorio, and
Dubuffet.
Head to Tryst at the Phillips before the show starts for a
Prosecco-based Pretty in
Pink cocktail or the spicy beer-and-sangria fusion Heart on
Fire. A tour starts at
6:30 PM and the performance starts at 7; tickets are
$20.

Join the Washington Ballet for

L’Amour (Love, Baby . . .)
at Sidney Harman Hall. Featuring three stories inspired by romance—
Dangerous Liaisons, Opposites Attract, and
Under Covers—the show explores all different aspects of love. Wednesday the 13th through Sunday
the 17th. Tickets are available online.

On V-Day itself, catch a movie, a comedy show, and a bonus wine-tasting at the
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse for just $8. Even better: The movie is
The Princess Bride. Shows start at 7 and 9:50 PM; tickets are available online.

Love is all you need, at least according to the folks of Art Soiree’s
Love Power. Whether you’re single, crushing hard, or in love, head to Powerhouse on Valentine’s
Day at 9 PM for a night of music, art, movies, and dancing, all inspired by the power
of love. Tickets are $20 online or $30 at the
door.

An alternative to an overpriced Valentine’s Day dinner is lunch—made by you. CulinAerie
hosts an
Intimate Valentine’s Lunch: Foods of Love
cooking class, where couples can make foods known for having aphrodisiac
properties.
The class runs from noon to 2 and is $150 per
couple.

Head to Artisphere’s
Dome Theatre on February 14 and watch Doris Day and Rock Hudson fall in love in the Oscar-winning
film
Pillow Talk. Tickets are $8, and the show starts at 8 PM.

This Valentine’s Day, float over the Virginia countryside with
Blue Ridge Ballooning
. The private flight ($895 per couple) includes a picnic and photos of your flight.

Skate the night away at the
National Gallery of Art’s
Sculpture Garden
February 14. For $16 (plus a $3-per-person skate rental) you can glide across the
ice while looking at magnificent sculptures and jamming to ’80s R&B, boogie, and slow
jams.

Enjoy an evening of Russian love at the
Hillwood Museum with sweet and savory bites,
cocktails, and Hillwood’s newest exhibition, “Pageant
of the Tsars: The Romanov Coronation Albums.” Exclusively on
Valentine’s night only,
explore the mansion and greenhouse and view objects of love
displayed throughout the
evening. 6 to 9 PM;
$75.

Add some arts and culture to your Valentine’s Day experience this year by watching
a free performance at the
Kennedy Center. February 14, students from Juilliard play classical works as a part of the Conservatory
Project.

Try something different this Valentine’s Day with
“Burlesque-A-Pades in Love Land” at the
Birchmere in Alexandria. The show, back for its seventh year, features
burlesque
performer Angie Pontani. Tickets ($29.50) are available via
Ticketmaster.

Need a laugh this V-Day? Comedian Corey Holcomb performs a Valentine’s Day show at
the
Lincoln Theatre. Tickets ($30 to $40) can be
purchased
here.

This Valentine’s Day at Georgetown’s
Tudor Place, sip afternoon tea (noon to 2), or enjoy cocktails in the conservatory (5 to 7).
Enjoy wine, Champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and musical entertainment.
Tickets ($12) are available online.

Enjoy live performances and support a good cause at Busboys and Poets’ third annual

Matters of Heart R&B benefit showcase.
Tickets are $10 per person, and the lineup consists of poets, a
comedian, singers,
and a live band. Proceeds will benefit the DC Rape Crisis
Center.

The
Torpedo Factory is opening its doors for free on Valentine’s evening. Browse three floors of open
studios and galleries, snack, and converse with artists. Make handmade Valentines
at the DIY creation station and steal a kiss in the photo booth. Come early—the first
100 guests receive a free carnation from Helen Olivia Flowers. Doors open at 6 PM;
more information is available on the website.

February 14 through 16, SpeakeasyDC presents
Sucker for Love, the sixth annual Valentine’s
love fest of stories about the pleasures and perils
of romance. Saturday’s performance gets you into Dance Place’s
Valentine’s Day dance
party, featuring DJ Glowstick. All shows start at 8 and are
$25.

There’s a thin line between love and hate, and you can find out just how thin that
line is at the Crime Museum with its special
“Crimes of Passion” exhibit. February 14
through 16, couples will be handcuffed together (upgrade to
furry handcuffs for $1) as they tour the museum and learn about
true stories such
as the “Valentine’s vampire.” In addition to the
handcuffs—which you get to keep—couples
will receive a delicious romantic treat. Tickets ($45 per
couple) are available
online.

Amazing Race meets
When Harry Met Sally meets
Casablanca in DC’s
Valentine’s Scavenger Hunt, Great Race, and Challenge
on February 16. Open to both singles and couples (you can request to be
put on a
team targeting either singles, couples, or a mix), you’ll race
around Washington finding
Valentine’s Day-themed items and competing in challenges
ranging from Champagne tastings
to spin the bottle. The event starts at 11:30 AM and costs $20;
register online.