Valentine’s Day means a lot of different things to different people. For people who aren’t in a romantic relationship, it ranges from being just another day to an annoying reminder that you’d like a romantic relationship to a celebration of all things friendship and community. 

If you’re in the early stages of love, it can be a really big deal to get Valentine’s Day “right,” though more and more, I think people recognize that how we treat each other all the time matters more than a shower of gifts and experiences on one February evening. 

Finally, there are long-term romances that sometimes become just daily life, with Valentine’s Day as a chance to focus on each other rather than the day-to-day of work, children, or other commitments. 

While I will always love sharing a meal for a Valentine’s Day or literally any other day to bond with a friend or beloved person, I thought I’d challenge myself this year and think of Valentine’s Day dates that are uniquely Asheville Valentine’s Day dates, as well as experiential and not just the dinner and a movie that might have become routine. 

Here are just a few of the options at your fingertips, and remember: whether I “shelved” an experience for friendship, new romance, or a long-time love, you can repurpose them all to fit the experience you want to have – the sky is the limit when it comes to Asheville Valentine’s Day experiences!

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10 Uniquely Asheville Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Celebrate Friendship or Take a Day to Yourself!

Valentine’s Day may be overhyped as purely about romantic love, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It can be a great time to make a special plan with a friend who also doesn’t have a date on the calendar for that day – make the 14th a time to reconnect and do something fun together! 

Or, make this the time you re-up on a New Year’s Resolution yourself: find yourself doing something new or exciting when six weeks have passed since the new year started, getting you back on track toward your own goals.

1. Make Time Stand Still at Wake Foot Sanctuary

I’ve written a bit about Wake Foot Sanctuary on About Asheville before, but I think that it is the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day with a friend or by yourself. 

While they have spa packages of all kinds, the centerpiece of their “menu” at this spa is a luxurious foot soak in a comfy chair, and, at least when I first visited, a 45-minute soak with a pot of tea was still under $50.

It’s a real pampering steal compared to some of the more one-on-one offerings at spas like massages (not knocking a massage either – if you want to add on massage options to the foot soak, you can!). 

With soaks like the Good Vibes (vetiver, patchouli, and added coconut oil) or The Clay Bath (white clay, avocado, fennel, and clary sage), you’re able to get moisturizing oils, aromatic herbs, and a general lovely smell for your feet, which are probably spending way too much time under wraps in the middle of winter. 

Take this indulgence and maybe share it with a friend, though be ready to save your chitchat for after – the space tends to include multiple groups and everyone sticks with a whisper, no girl-gab chatter. 

Location: 1 Page Ave #115, Asheville.

2. Craft a Candle at Hummingbird Candle Company

If you and a friend want to go out but don’t want to hit a restaurant with too many romance-focused vibes, try an activity instead. Hummingbird Candle Company will curate a candle-making experience for you, where you learn how to pour a scented candle (chosen from among 30 scent options in the candle library) that will burn for approximately 80 hours.

Listen to music, dance around, and get expert tips from the staff at Hummingbird while shaking off the February chill. This is a wonderful sensory experience for those who love how a candle brightens up a room and makes the place smell as lovely as you feel. They’re always great for taking a relaxing bath or for making the house feel special for a guest!

Location: 82 N Lexington Ave #100, Asheville.

3. Reach New Heights at Riveter

Whether you are big into rock climbing or just resolved to try it for the first time, Riveter is a great climbing gym for finding your own flavor. While of course you can take a date here, one of the coolest features is the tech called “auto-belay,” a safety feature that allows you to scale rock routes with an automatic device rather than someone belaying you. 

There are 68 rope lanes, 16,000 square feet of rock-climbing terrain, a climbing cave (sounds wild!), and a bouldering area if you want to train your arms and legs without getting really high off the ground. If you are brand new to climbing, look into an Intro to Climbing Clinic, where you might meet other newbies who are excited to pursue this newfound passion as well!

Location: 701 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher. 

Celebrate New Romance with an Adventure 

Getting to know a new love is more than just staring into each other’s eyes – it’s all about really getting to know what makes them tick, what they’re like in an adventurous setting. Add some adventure to your itinerary, even if you also want to do all the roses and chocolate things this Valentine’s Day.

4. Bundle Up for a Valentine’s Day Hike

Whether you live in Asheville or are just a couple who both appreciate Asheville, chances are that sometime around Valentine’s Day you can find some hiking weather and have a romantic trip up a trail. 

No lie, February weather can be dicey, but they say there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing. If you’re truly bundled (and maybe check the forecast for the day that inches a little above 45), you can make many hikes in the Asheville area happen. 

Bearwallow Mountain Trail offers a 360-degree view at the top, especially spectacular after the uphill climb that gets you there. Lover’s Leap Loop near Hot Springs takes you out onto the Appalachian Trail briefly for some beautiful ascents and picturesque views of the river, or head to Black Mountain to try the Lookout Trail or other trails near historic Montreat College. 

Along the way, you can chat and get to know your new love even better. Picnic weather isn’t likely, but a thermos of hot chocolate might be very handy!

Addresses vary, but access Bearwallow Mountain Trail at 4854 Bearwallow Mountain Road, Hendersonville.

5. Do a Little Getaway to Wrong Way Cabins

While outdoor recreation is for the more intrepid visitors during the winter, people who love a creature comfort can still get away from it all and have an exciting time with a new romance trip. 

This Valentine’s Day, book one of the distinctive a-frame cabins at Wrong Way Cabins, tiny cabins that give you your own space but which also have access to the River Lodge, a spot where you can gather with others who are visiting Asheville and get some community time. 

You’re steps away from the French Broad River and tons of greenway options, and you can easily use greenways and the roads for biking and walking into the River Arts District or over into West Asheville to explore the town. I like this as an option for a budding romance because getting to adventure together is one of the coolest ways to deepen a romance!

Location: 9 Midnight Drive, Asheville.

6. Get Artsy in the River Arts District

The River Arts District is renowned for being a haven for working artists, where intrepid sculptors, painters, and textile workers all came to work on their craft while also selling their wares to the ever-growing visitors to the district. 

Now, as an established destination for beautiful arts and crafts, the River Arts District also features a ton of wonderful classes: from Ignite Jewelry Studios teaching classes on how to make silver stacking rings to the Burnt Toast Fused Glass classes on how to fuse different colors of glass to make particular art pieces, there’s something for everyone to learn in the district. 

Take your new love to a class where you can walk away with new skills and some mementos of the occasion! 

Ignite Jewelry Studios: 191 Lyman Street #262, Asheville.

7. Rely on Each Other at the Adventure Center of Asheville

Much like a hike, other outdoor activities are often possible in Asheville due to mild winter weather. While we cannot guarantee that a visit to Adventure Center of Asheville on the 14th itself will be a comfy temperature, good enough gear will get you through many February days here. 

Try Adventure Center for heart-pounding fun, from the multi-hour zipline tours to a very cool mountain biking park for bike trips and tricks. Want to learn to trust each other? Try your hand at the aerial trails, a ropes course with over 70 elements that take you into the treetops.

It’s like a giant playground with all kinds of experiences that may have you laughing or gasping, depending on the experience. You’ll definitely remember it for a long time!

Location: 85 Expo Drive, Asheville.

Rekindle the Spark in a Long-Time Romance in Asheville

You can always go to your favorite restaurant another day. Even if Valentine’s Day long since became “just another day” for you and your sweetheart, this might be the year to try something different and spend some time remembering all that you love about each other! 

Here are some new experiences you might not have thought of, beyond the fun of food, beer, and outdoor adventures in Asheville. 

8. Enjoy a Chocolate-Making Class at Asheville Chocolate 

Asheville Chocolate rolls out the red carpet for their chocolate-making class attendees, setting you up with both a little know-how and a lot of chocolate-making time. They teach you about the process of making things like their signature truffles and how to make temperamental chocolate behave in ways that lead to beautiful candy, but much of the class is left to you to get artsy and design your own confections using techniques they tell you. 

This isn’t a class where you’re physically cooking up sugar and water or anything like that. Instead, you get the warm chocolate to pipe or dip, and they bring the truffle centers to you pre-made, making the experience more focused on your designs than on getting the proportions or temperatures just right. 

You and your sweetheart can make a big box of treasures together and enjoy them for the rest of your trip!

Location: 25 Broadway Street, Asheville.

9. Visit the Appalachian Beer Spa

Maybe your long-time love is not much for pampering and not familiar with spas and the cozy luxury they can create. Well, if your trip to Asheville takes you into or out of the airport, you’ll be right near a spa that might appeal to even the least-likely-to-visit-a-spa husband – the Appalachian Beer Spa! 

This spa features many of the traditional massages, foot soaks, facials, and zero gravity recliner lounges, but with some notable additions: a taproom with local craft beverages and fun on-theme soaks like beer and wine soaks! 

Whether you opt for a pampering package or just a stop by for a relaxing beer and maybe a step into the sauna, you’ll find this to be an approachable and fun riff on the spa experience, very relaxing for a wide variety of folks.

Location: 142-K Airport Road, Arden.

10. Feel Young at Heart at the Zip N Slip

Too routine around your home? Why not try something downright silly and very wintery! Check out the Zip N Slip in Mars Hill, north of the city of Asheville. This snow tubing park offers fresh snow for you to slip down atop a tube, no skiing or snowboarding expertise needed, and a cool contraption known as a magic carpet that will haul you back up the hill, letting you focus on the fun of slipping down the hill. 

With multiple runs, even a busy day moves fast, and while plenty of people bring their kids to this fun activity, it’s absolutely fine to make this an unconventional Valentine’s Day date instead of a family gathering. 

What appeals most to me (a notoriously reluctant participant in wintery outdoor sports) is their cozy solarium with a fireplace to warm up and the frequent availability of hot drinks and even a food truck sometimes. This is a fun experience to spice up the humdrum of February, for sure!

Location: 10725 US-23, Mars Hill.

There you have it! Ten uniquely Asheville Valentine’s Day date ideas. What are your plans for this Valentine’s Day?

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