Valentine’s Day happens to coincide with some of Tucson’s best weather. Although the holiday happens to fall on a Monday this year, we found a bouquet of activities to celebrate this special time of year with your loved one, friends or family.
Here are our recommendations on what to eat and what to do during Valentine's Day weekend.
What to eat
WEEKEND
Take a picnic to the mountains
Tucson has a bounty of upscale markets to get picnic supplies from: Time Market, Five Points, Flora's Market Run, Gallery of Food... any would be a great option to grab a couple sandwiches or a baguette, some luscious fruit, fancy cheese and perhaps some champagne? I like getting mini splits (quarter bottles) from places like Rum Runner because it's just enough for a toast for two. For dessert, perhaps order a sweetheart mini pie from Sydney's Sweet Shoppe (Note: they’re limiting to 200 orders).
Get cozy around the picnic tables at Madera Canyon or Mount Lemmon, but in case those are snow-packed, lower-elevation options with amazing views include the Agua Caliente trailhead, Gates Pass or Catalina State Park.
The patio area at Edna's Eatery features lots of natural shade trees, and lush plants.
Botanical brunch
Tucson's wealth is in its patios. To make the meal even more special than a sunny patio in February, I'd look at places set in botanical gardens: a weekend brunch at Tohono Chul's Garden Bistro or Edna's Eatery in the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
MONDAY
Set the scene at home
I'm a sucker for a cozy dinner at home. Set the table with some candlesticks, hang some fairy lights from the ceiling, grab a bottle of wine from one of our local sommeliers, play some of your favorite instrumental music and grab takeout from your favorite place. Some couples have a place that's their own — I like red sauce for the red day, so somewhere Italian.
Readers recommend places that make fresh pasta in-house, like Ceres or Locale, but they are both closed on Valentine's Day this year. Readers also gave shoutouts to old-school Tucson institutions like Mama Louisa's and Caruso's. I encourage you to pick what's most sentimental for you! For me, that would be Renee's.
Make sure, wherever you go, to check their hours in advance. (For instance, I found out too late that Stancato's Culinary is temporarily closed due to a move.) Many restaurants, like Renee's or Locale, are closed on Mondays.
If you'd rather spend Valentine's Day eating your feelings with your best friends at home, visit any of your favorite taco carts and pick up a few tacos to indulge in while you binge-watch your favorite movies. Rollies Mexican Patio offers a family pack that includes three potato tacos and three chicken tacos, queso fries, a quesadilla and beans and rice for $26.99.
Patio ambiance
If you'd rather have a dinner night-of, looking out at the twinkling city lights, try the outdoor seating at restaurants of resorts like JW Marriott Starr Pass or the Ritz Carlton, Dove Mountain. The Cup Cafe and The Coronet are charming downtown options with live music. The Coronet has a prix fixe menu for the holiday, while the Cup Cafe has specials.
Plan ahead! For reservations:
Caruso's — While Caruso's is typically closed on Mondays, they are taking reservations for Valentine's Day this year. Call 520-624-5765 to reserve a table on their patio (or indoors).
The Coronet — Call 520-222-9889 or use Resy, which allows you to reserve either indoor or outdoor tables.
Cup Cafe — Call 520-798-1618 or use OpenTable.
Mama Louisa's — Call 520-790-4702 or use OpenTable.
Ritz-Carlton —
- CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar: Call 520-572-3000 or use OpenTable.
- Cayton's Burger Bistro: Call 520-572-3530 or use OpenTable.
JW Mariott Starr Pass — Primo: Call 520-791-6071 or use OpenTable.
What to do
FRIDAY
Watch a movie in the park
Saraya Cervantes sketches while enjoying the afternoon at Reid Park in Tucson, Ariz. on April 23, 2021.
If the drive to a mountainous picnic location is a bit out of reach for you, there are options a little closer to home. The Tucson Parks and Recreation Department is hosting the "Sweethearts in Reid Park" event on Friday, Feb. 11, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event includes an outdoor movie showing of "50 First Dates," where you can share snacks and drinks while getting cozy with your significant other beneath the stars.
The event is $25 per couple and is limited to the first 100 couples to register and pay, according to the Parks and Recreation department's website.
The $25 ticket price includes games and activities at the Reid Park Outdoor Performance Center prior to the start of the movie, a blanket to sit on during the movie, popcorn, a charcuterie box, hot drinks and a four-pack of passes for Reid Park Zoo (which must be redeemed on a different date).
Registration closes Friday, Feb. 4. For more information, visit the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department's website.
Other places to see movies for Valentine’s Day include The Loft Cinema and Roadhouse Cinemas.
SATURDAY
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
A cougar keeps an eye on things from a cave in its enclosure in 2019 at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
After you finish a delectable and maybe an overfilling brunch in the city, take a drive out west and visit one of Tucson's most iconic spots: the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the museum is the perfect place to take a midday stroll with your significant other. Check out the rugged mountain lion, a river otter so cute you'd want to take it home (no, you cannot take the river otter home) and a fit jackrabbit that could outrun you any day. The museum showcases the best of the Sonoran Desert, so why not show the best to your best?
General admission to the museum is $24.95 ($21.95 if you're an Arizona or Sonora resident).
Tip: It takes at least two hours to get through the museum, so plan accordingly! For more information about the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, visit their website.
Other outdoor activities to share with your significant other include hiking in Sabino Canyon and checking out Saguaro National Park.
SUNDAY
The Tucson Museum of Art
Visitors look over the art displayed on multiple levels at the Tucson Museum of Art where ramps lead to the lowermost galleries located below ground level.
Valentine's Day doesn't have to just be about spending time with your significant other. Instead, the holiday can be about spending time with whomever you love, whether that's your kiddos, gal pals or whoever means the most to you. Fortunately, the Tucson Museum of Art has the perfect event for a pre-Valentine's Day celebration — the Second SundAZe: Family Day on Sunday, Feb. 13.
The museum will offer art-making activities, like making shape collages and paper weaving, and feature a performance by the Ballet Rincon Ensemble.
The best part? Admission is free that day, thanks to the museum offering free admission every second Sunday of each month.
But if you aren't feeling the family vibe, you can check out the museum on Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you don't plan to visit on family day, adult admission is $12.
For more information about Second SundAZe or the Tucson Museum of Art, visit their website.
Other museums to check out with your Valentine include the Pima Air & Space Museum, the Arizona State Museum and the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures.
MONDAY
Tucson Botanical Gardens
The Tucson Botanical Gardens located at 2150 N. Alvernon Way is the perfect location to take a romantic stroll.
Unfortunately for all of the night owls and party animals, Valentine's Day falls on a Monday this year, which makes it difficult to enjoy some late-night snacking or dancing. But fear not, there are plenty of things you can do during the day. Plus, if you checked out Edna's Eatery for a Valentine's Day brunch, this is the perfect spot for you.
Plan a romantic stroll through the luscious Tucson Botanical Gardens and check out one of their most immersive exhibitions to date: "Seeing the Invisible."
This augmented reality exhibition displays 13 virtual AR artworks from dozens of international artists throughout the gardens. The art touches on themes of "nature, environment and sustainability," according to the Tucson Botanical Garden's website.
The exhibition is included with the botanical gardens' $15 adult admission.
The Tucson Botanical Gardens is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but they have four different time blocks to choose from for your ticket reservations. For more information about the Tucson Botanical Gardens and all of their exhibits, check out their website.
Other nature-centric places to check out on Valentine's Day include the Reid Park Zoo, Tohono Chul or Agua Caliente Park.
