Valentine's Day Weekend In Abilene

Guests houses offer the perfect setting for a magical stay. Sayles Ranch Guesthouses and Stardust on Sayles, among others, are loaded with romantic charm and amenities for a memorable weekend away from home. Abilene hotels also offer a variety of price ranges, too, and some will offer champagne specials for the weekend. Be sure to ask if your hotel offers shuttle service to nearby attractions and restaurants. Let them do the driving.

Abilene’s restored historic spaces downtown offer interesting spaces for lunch, dinner and drinks, with fun activities nearby and green spaces for canoodling and a hand-holding stroll through the storybook characters, a public sculpture collection of favorite childhood characters that populate downtown.

Cypress Street Station in the heart of the cultural district offers upscale dining in a comfortable setting. Fireplaces add to the ambiance on cold days, and the well-stocked bar keeps local brews on tap. Nearby, the Beehive Saloon & Bar, Vagabond Pizza, The Local, The Pour House, The Roll Shack and the multi-story Grain Theory brewery and restaurant occupy historic buildings and offer both indoor and patio dining among the galleries, shops, museums and public sculpture parks downtown.

In the SoDA District, enjoy shaking up some fun with a Mixology class at KAO Lounge on Feb. 14, or choose the historic Mill Wine Bar & Event Center for its Date Night event, where reservations come complete with wine, finger goods, and flowers on Friday and Saturday night. The Mill’s silos and fire pits are always a memorable place to gather. Catch up with the girlfriends at the Galentine's Pop-Up and Preview Party on Feb. 12.

Follow dinner with a classic film within walking distance. The glamorous Spanish Moor design of the Paramount Theatre is a favorite for starry-eyed lovers and a must-do for visitors. “Star Wards The Empire Strikes Back,” with the iconic Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), will show on the big screen Feb. 11 and Feb. 12. Another downtown venue, Board & Brush, is offering a couple’s craft to create a keepsake for the date. Check out the calendar to find fun ideas and see events as they pop up.

Candies by Vletas is one of Abilene’s oldest businesses, and their handmade chocolates, dipped fruits, candies, and wine have wooed many a sweetheart. The shop was founded in 1912 by a Greek immigrant family who brought their candy-making secrets to Texas to discover sweet success. The cozy shop is now housed in a restored train warehouse nestled in the cultural district, and it’s a must-stop during a downtown stroll. Chocolate lovers visit Abilene from miles away to taste these treats. Open Mondays through Saturdays until 5 pm, the store also offers curbside, local delivery and shipping. Check out the gift sets, too, and these candies will soon be your favorite way to say “I love you.”

Nature lovers will want to explore The Abilene Zoo, a popular site for wedding proposals, or Kirby Lake Nature Center, to see the birds and the bees. Abilene State Park is open for day hikes and overnight stays, while the vast plains of Lake Fort Phantom are a mystical place to enjoy a picnic under the wide open Texas skies. Want to feel like a kid again? Grab dinner and park at the Town & Country Drive-In, where you can watch a movie and sit as close as you like and cuddle.

More Sweet Fun

• Backyard Boys at Potosi Live on Feb. 11
• Daddy Daughter Dance on Feb. 11
• The Self Family at The Ice House at LSDG on Feb. 11
• Davis Brothers at Betty Rose's - Catclaw on Feb. 12
• Boone Dugan at The Ice House at LSDG on Feb. 12
• Cupid's Cornhole Tournament on Feb. 12
• Downtown Abilene Food Tour on Feb. 12
• SoDA District Drinks & Bites Tour on Feb. 12
• U.S.P.F.O. Valentine's Sweetheart Ball on Feb. 12
• Long Monday with Jim & Evan at The Ice House at LSDG on Feb. 14