Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Denver 2023: Romantic Dining, Family Fun & Gift Ideas

Valentine’s Day in Denver 2023

GIFTS

Denver has plenty of  Valentine’s Day gift options. Sound of the Rockies Chorus will deliver a Singing Valentine to serenade your love by quartets formed from an award-winning chorus in the Denver area. Explore The Mile High City’s vibrant art districts, which are filled with galleries, boutiques and craft stores. For stylish boutiques, head to Larimer Square in Lower Downtown or to the nearby Denver Pavilions on the 16th Street Mall.  In February, Dairy Block will Celebrate Lovin’ on the Block with a heart installation for those selfies, live music and decadent dinners.  Cherry Creek North is Denver’s premier shopping and dining neighborhood, boasting hundreds of independently owned shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants and spas. Add to that the upscale Cherry Creek Shopping Center, with an additional 160 brand-name stores, and together they create the largest, most diverse shopping district between Chicago and San Francisco.

Still looking for ideas? Our popular  75 Best Gifts for the Holidays and Holiday Gift Guide has 50+ ideas that also work fabulously for Valentine’s Day (yes, Colorado-based Enstrom Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee, we’re talking about you). Other local favorites include Colorado Crafted’s custom gift boxes and Phunkshun wear, a Colorado-based company that is committed to sustainably developing lightweight balaclavas and protective neck tubes that are all made entirely from recycled bottles that deliver uncompromising performance and protection for adults and kids.

Amazon has some great ideas if you prefer to shop online like a Homesick Scented Candle (with varieties in a number of cities you may long for from across the nation), a silicon pancake mold flipper to make heart-shaped pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns and even omelets, socks customized with something they love (like kids or your pet) and, on my wish list, a charcuterie board to make a beautiful Valentine’s Day spread (see our instructions below). 

DINNER FOR TWO

Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse for an intimate, candlelit dinner. Almost every type of cuisine is available in the city; choose from traditional steak houses, tres chic French bistros, adventurous fusion menus and much, much more. Lower Downtown (LoDo)  boasts countless great restaurants, but you might also want to check out the offerings in some of Denver’s other neighborhoods, including the buzzing Highlands and the cozy Washington Park district. Here are a few of our favorite picks.

Romantic Events & Activities

Valentine’s Day Rose Cordials and Halva 

WHEN: Feb. 7, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Come and enjoy some heart-themed herbal brandy cordials and treats. In this class, you’ll create a rose cordial and a rose halva. A cordial is a drink made from a brandy tincture infused with herbs. Halva is a buttery treat made with spices. Get a hands-on experience making these treats and the recipes to take home, along with time to sample and enjoy together in class. You’ll also discuss the herbal significance of rose as it is traditionally used in Ayurveda, an Indian form of Indigenous medicine. botanicgardens.org

Heartthrob 5k 

WHEN: Feb. 11, 2023
WHERE: Johnny Roberts Memorial Park, Arvada
Grab your running buddy and come on out to Johnny Roberts Memorial Park on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day! Celebrate the ability to get your heart pumping by cruising through this flat and fast 5k run (or walk) runsignup.com

Downtown Denver Rink 

WHEN: Thru Feb. 14, 2023
WHERE: Skyline Park
Enjoy some romance on the rink! The Downtown Denver Partnership invites you and your loved one for a spin around the Downtown Denver Rink presented by Southwest Airlines. winterindenver.com/rink

Loveland’s Annual Valentine’s Day Group Wedding 

WHEN: Feb. 14, 2023
WHERE: The Budweiser Event Center, Loveland
2023 brings a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get married on the ice at The Budweiser Event Center prior to an Eagles hockey game! Experience a romantic ceremony with music you vote on, a customized ceremony, keepsake photos, a lock couples can use to “Lock their love” on the famous LOVE or HEART sculptures in Loveland, gift bags, signature wedding cupcakes, and a chance to win a huge gift basket. What an original way to celebrate your love on Valentine’s Day!

Love Bites: A Valentine’s Haunted House 

WHEN: Feb. 17–19, 2023
WHERE: 3400 E. 52nd Ave.
13th Floor Denver is getting a Valentine’s makeover! Horrific vampires stalk you in the dark. Terrifying monsters lurk around every corner. Love Bites is the perfect experience to spice up this Valentine’s weekend. Whether you want to ditch the same old dinner and a movie date, observe Singles Awareness Day, or celebrate with your Galentines, 13th Floor Denver is sure to get your heart pumping. All blood types are welcome. 13thfloorhauntedhouse.com/lovebites/

Orchid Showcase 

WHEN: Thru Feb. 20, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
See hundreds of exotic blooms, including rare orchids from the Gardens’ collection. The Showcase is a great idea for a Valentine’s Day activity and is included with admission to the Gardens. botanicgardens.org/

Couples Spa Escape

Unwind together! The Ritz-Carlton‘s Couples Spa Escape offers two hours of relaxation with your partner, including side-by-side massages and full, private access to all spa facilities.

PAINT AND SIP

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Partner Paintings ‘Hearts on Fire.’ You’ll laugh at your artistic abilities (or lack thereof), loosen your conversation with wine and come away with two memorable pieces of art after a paint-and-sip evening at Sipping n’ Painting Hampden (6461 E. Hampden Avel, Denver). 

Valentine’s Activities for Kids

Prairie Pup Adventures: Prairie Valentines 

WHEN: Feb. 7, 2023
WHERE: Plains Conservation Center, Aurora
Come create loving Valentine’s Day gifts using natural materials like mud paint and plant flowers! Prairie Pup Adventures offers a hands-on, fun way for preschool-aged children to learn about the animals, plants and people who call the prairie home. https://www.botanicgardens.org

Be Mine! – Clay Valentine Family Class

WHEN: Feb. 5, 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Boulder Pottery Lab

The instructor will lead students in a fun Valentine’s Day-themed clay project. Learn new clay skills and decorate together with your family. Pieces can be decorated with textures, designs, and painted with underglaze. studioartsboulder.org/

Paint Your Pet for Valentine’s Day

WHEN: Feb. 12, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Painting with a Twist

Email them a picture of your pet, and their artist will pre-sketch the canvas. Please send a high-resolution photo – the better the quality of your photo, the better the sketching will be! paintingwithatwist.com/studio/denver-lakewood/event/3259297/

Family Make and Take: Garden Valentines 

WHEN: Feb. 28, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Flowers and plants are used year-round to send messages of love, happiness and joy. Explore the different shapes, textures and colors of dried flowers, leaves and seeds and use them to decorate a Valentine’s Day ornament. Family Make and Take programs offer a space for children and their grownups to connect with natural materials and create together. These self-guided and self-paced programs are designed to provide a creative environment that sparks imagination. https://www.botanicgardens.org/programs/family-make-and-take-garden-valentines

ROMANTIC HOTELS AND EATS IN DENVER

TRADITIONAL TEA AT THE BROWN PALACE HOTEL & SPA 

Experience a touch of elegant, Old World charm at the historic Brown Palace Hotel & Spa. The Traditional Afternoon Tea takes place between noon and 4 p.m. in the hotel’s gorgeous atrium lobby and includes freshly made scones, pastries, sandwiches and a wide variety of teas.

DIVE LOUNGE AT THE DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM 

It’s not 20,000 leagues under the sea, but it’ll do. An upscale getaway in a truly unique setting, the Dive Lounge is located on the first floor of Denver’s Downtown Aquarium, offering the chance to sip cocktails with your sweetheart while surrounded by beautiful marine life.

GAYLORD ROCKIES RESORT ‘LOVE YOU MORE’ PACKAGE

The resort’s Love You More overnight package features a wide array of pampering including breakfast for two at Vista Montagne, a lovely sparkling wine and dessert amenity, a relaxing 50-minute soothing Couples Massage, as well as resort fee and self-parking.  The Love You More room package starts at $679 per night.

THE CRAWFORD HOTEL LUXURIOUS VALENTINE’S GETAWAY

Enjoy a luxurious Valentine’s weekend stay like no other at one of Denver’s most romantic hotels. The package includes a floral arrangement from Picletown Flower Co., champagne, dinner at Ultreia or Stoic & Genuine, shopping at A Line Boutique with a personal stylist and more.  They are also offering a Galentine’s Day with wine, blowouts and quality time together. 

THE OXFORD HOTEL

Originally opened in 1891, The Oxford Hotel features 80 luxurious guest rooms, along with the Urban Farmer steakhouse and the Cruise Room, Denver’s quintessential Art Deco martini bar. Their Romantic Escape includes overnight accommodations, credits for The Cruise Room and Urban Farmer, an in-room floral arrangement and more. 

PEAKS LOUNGE AT HYATT REGENCY 

Located on the 27th floor of the Hyatt Regency Denver, the Peaks Lounge offers swoon-inducing views of the Rocky Mountains and downtown, along with 40 wines by the glass and a menu of appetizers and desserts.

D BAR DENVER 

Does your sweetie have a sweet tooth? The upscale D Bar Denver, owned by Keegan Gerhard, one of the nation’s top pastry chefs, is just the ticket, with a menu filled with sinful treats like Cake and Shake (three-layer chocolate cake, manjari frosting, and a vanilla or chocolate milkshake or malt) or a Chocolate & Hazelnut Sitting in a Tree (chocolate soufflé, chocolate sauce, Nutella beignets and praline ice cream). Need we say more?

BLANCO COCINA + CANTINA

CITIZEN RAIL

FUR-EVER LOVE AT 9th + COLORADO