Romance is in the air as February ushers in Valentine’s Day in San Francisco. You and your significant other will never run out of places to go and things to do in the city in this special month.
Here are our top suggestions:
Have a fun and romantic day at the Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is always the go-to place for an activity-filled day by the bay, but it takes on a special romantic air on Valentine’s Day. Spend the day walking hand-in-hand with your significant other, or go around in bikes and explore the many historic attractions and charming souvenir shops in the area.
Get your date a special chocolate gift at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Marketplace and have a delightful time watching the sea lions at the Sea Lion Center. Then cap the day with an excellent steak or seafood dinner in one of the many topnotch restaurants in the area, like Bistro Boudin, Franciscan Cap and Alioto’s.
Go on a cruise
What could be more romantic than sailing together out into the sunset or boating under moonlit skies? San Francisco Bay features several Valentine’s weekend cruises, with a four-course or buffet dinner, live music, wine, flowers, and stunning views.
Experience a “sex tour” at the San Francisco Zoo
The city’s premier zoo presents a different “sex tour” every year, allowing visitors to get more up close and personal with the zoo’s inhabitants. For 2018, the theme is “Lover’s Stroll,” giving you and your date a chance to visit “animal couples, mates and families.”
Donate to the zoo and gift your significant other with an adopted animal under the zoo’s Adopt-an-Animal program. You’ll get a Certificate of Adoption and a fun fact page, and maybe a photo of your adoptive animal and memorabilia like a bracelet and plush toy.
Get in a “pillow fight”
Have the simmering urge to let out some aggression with your partner? Join Pillow Fight, a somewhat clandestine, flash-mob type event where participants hit each other with feather-stuffed pillows.
Every year, this fun event held at Justin Herman Plaza attracts around 1,000 participants who (harmlessly) have a go at each other once the Ferry Building clock strikes 6. After all the exertion, unwind together over wine and dinner.
Surround yourself with art
Visit one of the city’s fantastic art museums with your date and catch up on the latest in San Francisco’s vibrant art scene. You can choose from a wide range of places to go, led by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The largest modern art museum in the United States, this major destination always has something new to offer to visitors.
You can also opt to explore other art museums – and other art forms. The Asian Art Museum, for example, exhibits more than 17,000 works of art from almost 6,000 years of Asian history, encompassing sculptures, jewelry, textiles and more.
Stroll down a magnificent garden
Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” better than flowers. Take your date to the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and be surrounded by hundreds of blooms. This “living museum” is home to numerous plant varieties that result in an explosion of colors – truly something to share with the special person in your life.
Say “I love you” with tulips…
Who says flowers on Valentine’s Day are exclusive to roses? Tulips – thousands of them – can express your affection just as beautifully. Take your date to Tulipmania at Pier 39, happening on February 10 to 18, and be dazzled by around 39,000 colorful tulips and other blooms on display. Unearth (or enhance) your green thumb together by learning gardening tips on a free guided tour.
…or with orchids
Spend a day at the 66th Pacific Orchid Exposition in the Golden Gate Park Hall of Flowers. Happening on February 23 to 25, this exhibition is billed “Curiouser and Curiouser, Orchids in Wonderland,” a take on its “Alice in Wonderland” theme. Marvel at the exotic blooms on display and be taken to another, more magical world with your special someone.
Turn Valentine’s Day into New Year’s
The month of love doesn’t start and end on Valentine’s Day. Welcome the new lunar year with your significant other as San Francisco celebrates Chinese New Year with fun and exciting events from February 10 to March 4.
Celebrations include a street fair, a fun run, symphony performances, concerts and lion dances. And don’t miss the exciting Chinese New Year Parade on February 24, taking off at Second and Market Streets at 5:15 p.m.