Valentine's Day can be an incredibly romantic day to spend with your special someone or to chill with your friends or alone. It's a day to appreciate those who you love, whoever that may be. So if you should find yourself hitting the streets of Bowling Green, Ohio this Valentine's Day, here are the absolute best places to take a date or have a date night with yourself or with your friends this year.
1. Kermit's
Kermit's is hands-down the best place for breakfast in BG. It's off campus and an incredibly affordable and delicious place to get a lot of good breakfast food. If you go for breakfast instead of dinner as well, you can avoid all of the Valentine's Day traffic in the evening and stay in for a nice night of movies or other festivities.
2. Grounds For Thought
There is really no one who can find a better coffee shop in Bowling Green than Grounds For Thought. It's got great beverages and it's a great environment. There's plenty of places to hang out and who doesn't love a good book store? Take your date here and you won't regret it.
3. Plastic Shatners Show
This is actually on Friday, February 15th, but you certainly shouldn't miss it! The Plastic Shatners are "BG's premiere short-form improv comedy group" and they're hilarious. Come with a date or come alone; you'll have a great time as long as you go! It's their first show of the semester, it's free and in Education 115 at 7 p.m. on 2/15/19. Don't miss it!
4. Easystreet Cafe
Easystreet Cafe is a tasty little spot downtown that offers great food in an interesting atmosphere. It's a little on the pricier side, but it's still a very affordable place to take your date this Valentine's Day.
5. A saxophone recital by a BG student
At BG, we are lucky enough to have concerts year-round presented by our very own students in the Musical Arts department. Student Jake Smith will be performing a saxophone recital this Valentine's Day in the Bryan Recital Hall in the Moore Musical Arts Center at 8 p.m. Come support a fellow Falcon and check it out!
6. Sam B's
Sam B's is a really great restaurant across the street from Grounds For Thought. It's pretty expensive, but the food is great. If you're really looking for a fancy place to impress your date this year, Sam B's might be the place for you.
7. Cinemark
One of BG's most hidden gems is the Cinemark. It's located inside BG's rather unique mall. While the mall at its former glory was probably a great place to hang out, it now stands mostly abandoned except for a seemingly empty daycare and some kind of heavy metal church that now reside inside. The Cinemark is undoubtedly the best part of the remaining mall. They offer pretty good movie rates and special discounted days. Grab some tickets and come see a movie this V-Day!
8. Black Swamp Pub
This is BG's only on-campus sit-down restaurant. The food is incredible and they accept our meal plan's Falcon Dollars as payment. If you're on-campus, you don't even have to break the bank for the holiday this year!
9. Karaoke Night at 149
Karaoke Night is probably the best night of the week at 149 downtown. If you're looking to get more into the nightlife scene this Valentine's Day, go to 149 for good music and good karaoke to follow.
10. Stone's Throw
Stone's Throw is closer to campus but is by far my favorite restaurant in BG. It's an Irish restaurant with tons of good food and a bar. It's moderately priced and certainly worth checking out this Valentine's Day.
11. Go for a walk around campus
BGSU's campus is beautiful, and as long as weather permits, taking a walk is a free way to spend some time with someone meaningful. My favorite path is out by the pond by the rec and the field house. In the early evening, it's really pretty.
12. Al Mar bowling alley
Al Mar is BG's bowling alley. If you want to have a classic date that throws back to all those birthday parties from your childhood, order a pizza and knock down some pins at this BG hotspot.
13. Ice skating
On Friday, Feb 15, there will be public skating at the Slater Family Ice Arena starting at 7 p.m. Ice skating is such a cute date and it's so much fun. This is a super fun on-campus activity for the night after Valentine's Day.
14. University Seal
If you're really ready to commit to your falcon flame, you can try and uphold BG's Falcon Flames tradition at midnight on Valentine's Day. One of the traditions of the seal says that if you kiss your Falcon Flame on the seal at midnight, you'll soon be married. However, be careful! If you are holding hands and let go to walk around opposite sides of the seal, tradition says that you'll soon break up.
Whatever you do this Valentine's Day, I hope that you have a lot of fun with someone who means a lot to you (even if that's yourself)!
