Share the Love
A selection of our favorite (and least conventional) gifts, services, and destinations, lovingly selected to put the passion back into gift giving.
1. Pitch a Tent for Two
Harold Shoeffler, past chair of the Acadiana chapter of the Sierra Club and a Lafayette-area scoutmaster since 1980, has spent a lifetime introducing people of all ages to the majesty of the South Louisiana outdoors. But he acknowledges that finding the right spot to pitch a tent for a night under the stars isn’t easy. “There’s a lot of public land out there, if only you know where to look,” he observed. These are three of his favorites:
On a pretty evening, Shoeffler loves Burns Point Park & Recreation Area for its campsites beneath oak trees with unobstructed views out over Cote Blanche Bay. Shoeffler says there’s fine fishing for redfish and speckled trout if you have a canoe or kayak; and if you’re lucky, you might hear the haunting cries of loons that winter in this area. $1 fee to camp. Highway 17 South, Centreville, La.
Shreve’s Bar is a sand island in the middle of the Mississippi River right by the entrance to the Old River Control Structure locks that control access to the Atchafalaya River. Less than a mile’s paddle from the put-in, Shreve’s Bar welcomes campers with a mile of open sand, willow woods for firewood, and breathtaking views up and down the river. To get to the put-in, cross the river control structure going north on Highway 15 near Lettsworth, then turn immediately to your right. You’ll come to a public put-in and campground. There is no fee.
For energetic couples, Shoeffler recommends the Kisatchie National Forest near Alexandria. “We love the Turpentine Hill and Backbone trails,” he said. Both wind through longleaf and loblolly pine forest, traversing high ridges and rocky overlooks. Beautiful campsites are plentiful; and this being a wilderness area, you can put your tent up wherever takes your fancy.
More Ideas
• Unusual Dinner Companions While Cold-weather Camping at Palmetto Island State Park
• Camping at Grand Isle State Park
• Riding the Wild Azalea Trail: Kisatchie’s thirty-one miles of wild azaleas and forest canopies
2. A Night on the Town
Dinner and a movie is all fine and well, but nothing says “I love you” like a surprise pair of tickets for a live performance. Small and large venues alike have lined up the entertainment; all you have to do is show up.
Honor your lasting relationships with The Pointer Sisters, who’ve been together themselves for four decades. They’ll bring their energetic hits to L’Auberge Baton Rouge on February 18 at 8 pm. lbatonrouge.com.
On the more subdued side, Brazilian-born guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad will create an international soundscape at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Performing folk and jazz tunes, Latin rhythms, and baroque classics, the versatile brothers perform on February 15. 7:30 pm. acadianacenterforthearts.org.
Mystery and intrigue or on order when the touring company Aquila Theatre presents Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile. This whodunit will play in Hammond at the Columbia Theatre on February 17 and in Baton Rouge at the Manship on February 19. manshiptheatre.org. columbiatheatre.org.
To see all the theatre and music events scheduled this month, visit our online calendar of events.
3. Love Blooms
Sage Foley, executive director of Baton Rouge Green, might be biased, but we think she’s right: “Planting a tree in honor of a loved one or a relationship might be one of the most appropriate and under-appreciated acts of love I can imagine. A well-selected and -placed tree can literally live on for the ages as a representation of that love. As luck would have it, February is prime planting season in Louisiana!” Foley recommends the long-lived Live Oak or Louisiana’s state tree, the Bald Cypress.
But if you can’t give up the floral part of Valentine’s Day, then opt for a flowering plant. John Grady Burns at Natchez’ Nest offers what he calls “living compositions,” arrangements of hydrangeas, orchids, ivies, and ferns providing a showy display that can be planted later.
Another green option: sculpt a miniature tree with your loved one at a Bonsai Workshop offered through LSU’s leisure program. Three classes—held January 28, February 11, and February 25—will teach how to nurture a bonsai … and maybe, by extension, your relationship. outreach.lsu.edu.
4. Sunset Under Sail
There’s something about watching the sun sink beneath the waves from a boat deck that’s pretty romantic, no matter what the season. “We’ve had eight or ten proposals on the boat just in the past year,” noted Rick Delaune, a licensed captain who has been offering Lake Pontchartrain sunset sailing cruises on his forty-two-foot center cockpit sailboat for decades. Setting out from Bayou Castine in Mandeville, tours begin three hours before sunset and include time spent under sail in Lake Pontchartrain when the wind is cooperating, or a motor cruise through the swamp when it’s not. For parties of up to six people, sunset cruises cost $420. delaunesailingcharters.com.
Read our related article:
Sailing Lake Pontchartrain: It isn't just for the yacht-club set
5. It Takes Two to Two Step …
Dancing is an exercise in cooperation and requires a laying down of words. What better model for relationships than that? Show up at one of these regularly scheduled Cajun dance events—several of which come with free lessons beforehand.
The Cajun French Music Association hosts its Cajun Dance and Fais-Do-Do on the third Saturday of each month at the UCT Hall on Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge. Free lessons from 7 pm; dance follows from 8 pm–10:30 pm. $10 adults, $5 students.
On the first Saturday of every month at the Abita Springs Town Hall, the Northshore Cajun Dance club members teach free two-step and waltz lessons at 7 pm, with live music and dancing from 8 pm–10:30 pm. $6 members, $8 non-members. northshorecajundancers.com.
Lafayette’s Vermilionville offers a Sunday dance series called Bal dau Dimanche, with live entertainment from area musicians. Family friendly and smoke-free, you can even bring the kids if the babysitters are all booked up. 1 pm–4 pm. vermilionville.org.
6. Visit a Brewery
One way to dazzle your suds-loving loved one: Introduce them to the inner workings of their favorite craft brew line.
Many a Louisiana beer enthusiast has driven (or, more sensibly, been driven) to the taprooms of Parish Brewing in Broussard or NOLA Brewing in New Orleans to not only see where the malted magic happens but to taste varieties that will never go beyond the brewery doors. It’s a bit like the Wonka chocolate factory, though we assure you that the NOLA Blueberry IPA, exclusive to the onsite taproom, has never mutated anyone into a blueberry. parishbeer.com. nolabrewing.com.
Here are some other ideas:
Bayou Teche Brewing: Enjoying a Saturday at the Arnaudville brewery
The Avenue Pub: Elite beers and humble trappings on St. Charles Avenue
7. Stretch Body and Mind
Mary Singleton is a licensed yoga instructor who teaches at Yoga Path and One-Heart yoga studios in Baton Rouge. But beyond the studio, Singleton sees increasing demand for private yoga instruction, teaching couples in the privacy of their own home. “Yoga’s great at teaching you to listen to your mind, your emotion, and your physical body, all at once,” she said, noting that a private setting enables an instructor to learn about a couple’s physical and spiritual needs and customize a series of poses accordingly. “Sharing something difficult, while taking the time to listen to your body, strengthens the bond between partners,” she observed. “Because how’re you going to be a good partner to someone else if you can’t listen to yourself?” santoshayogabr.com.
Painting with a Twist—the instructional-art-class-cum-social-night-out concept started by two Mandeville-area friends and now grown into a national franchise—is great fun. Guided by spirited art instructors and armed with paintbrushes and bottles of wine, participants gather to paint reproductions of Monets and Van Goghs in a good-natured group environment. Although locations host classes all year round, Valentine’s is especially popular for couples, when “Date Night” offers aspiring artist couples a chance to collaborate. Valentine’s couple’s classes are scheduled on February 13 and 14 at locations in Baton Rouge and Prairieville. paintingwithatwist.com.
8. Walk It Out
The pressure is on to find the perfect spot for your Valentine’s Day meal. Or is it? A romantic evening will go unharried if you drop down in the right neighborhood.
A Magazine Street stroll in New Orleans gets you drinks at SukhoThai ($8 average, sukhothai-nola.com), oysters at Casamento’s ($15 for a dozen, casamentosrestaurant.com), and—if you can fit in the door—dessert at Shaya ($9 a plate, shayarestaurant.com).
Even in the traffic-stricken Baton Rouge, the pedestrian oasis of the Overpass puts you in reach of gastropub The Overpass Merchant for cocktails ($9 average, theoverpassmerchant.com), the tiny, candlelit Pinetta’s to split the panzerotti appetizer ($7), and the sleek new Kalurah Street Grill (entrées run $18–$26, kalurahstreetgrill.com; don’t miss our interview with Chef Kelley McCann). All those burned calories call for a chocolate martini at Duvic’s, wouldn’t you say ($8, duvicsbar.com)?
Visit our cuisine section for lots more ideas.
9. Take a Cooking Class
Are there not enough cooks in your kitchen? Up the culinary power of your household with a gourmet cooking class and learn to work in tandem with your partner to put a delicious dinner on the table.
At Red Stick Spice Company, the upcoming all-senses-loaded Valentine Date Night course on February 11 will school a couple on smoked tomato shrimp-spiced curry with zhug-spiced naan, pork tenderloin with cilantro-date relish, and other aromatic eats. redstickspice.com.
For a more intimate evening, Chef Steven Diehl (co-owner of Twine Meat Market) will pay a visit to your kitchen for a night of edible education. agooddiehl.com.
Or maybe you could just cook at home. Visit our recipe section for some ideas.
10. Keepers of the Flame
Valentine’s falls in mid-winter, so even in our part of the world there’s a reasonable chance it’ll be chilly enough for an open fire. What better time to slip away to one of these intimate, secluded hideaways, which welcome visitors with rural solitude, crackling fires, and a few moments’ respite from the helter-skelter of daily life?
Little River Bluffs is a magical place amid thirty acres of pine forest along the Little Tchefuncte River. Owners Blaine and Loretta DuBose welcome guests to two upscale cabins: The A-frame River Chalet stands on a forested riverbend and features twenty-five-foot windows, a cantilevered deck, jacuzzi tub, and soapstone fireplace. The cozy Meadow Cabin stands by a forest pond and offers a cypress interior, screened deck, and open fireplace, too. Walking trails crisscross the property; there are kayaks for river trips; and if all that solitude gets a little too, well, solitary, the excellent restaurants of historic downtown Covington are ten minutes away. littleriverbluffs.com.
No phones, no TV; just birdsong and the chatter of stream water to entertain guests at The Forest Retreat in Gloster, Mississippi. Two artfully designed “treehouses” set high on forested ravines ensure complete solitude since the property is surrounded by 99,000 acres of Homochitto National Forest. Treehouses are furnished in Adirondack style and equipped with kitchen facilities since there’ll be no one around to make you breakfast. Wood-burning stoves keep the winter chill at bay; if it’s warmer, a clawfoot tub set on the lower deck of the Thunder Ridge cabin provides a bird’s eye view out into the forest canopy. forestretreat.com.
No fewer than five of Butler Greenwood’s eight romantic bed-and-breakfast cottages feature open fireplaces. Two historic dependencies—the circa 1796 Old Kitchen and nineteenth century Cook’s Cottage—retain their original fireplaces; three more cottages keep the home fires burning with box fireplaces. Firewood is supplied and the fireplace laid when guests arrive to this St. Francisville landmark, so all you need to do is strike a light and settle in for the night. butlergreenwood.com.
Brand new and situated on the banks of scenic Bayou Liberty, Bayou Haven B&B in Slidell offers luxurious suites named and decorated for Louisiana native birds, and accommodates all sorts of warm-weather activities including kayaking, paddleboats, fishing (from pier or guided excursion), a day spa, Sunday Jazz Brunch, and bayou cruises. In chillier weather, the home hearth glows bright, with three open fireplaces in its public areas and a fourth in the Egret suite. bayouhavenslidell.com.
Other Outdoor Adventures:
• The Blue Heron in Mandeville: Hospitality runs in the family