A cozy area of the Crosstown Arts Bar. See #7 below.
Memphis is making come-hither eyes. From the heart of downtown out to the suburbs, the city pulses with intriguing places for connection, this Valentine’s Day or any day. February may be the shortest month of the year, but we offer 28 ways you and your someone can maximize the month’s 28 days and nights. (All photographs are by Justin Fox Burks.)
Active
1 – Climb at Memphis Rox.
The indoor rock-climbing gym featured in the Hulu series Memphis to the Mountain offers a bouldering room with a softly padded floor, so you can reach new heights without trepidation. More avid climbers can don harnesses to reach up to 45 feet, but need a trained belayer partner. Talk about trust. Cool down afterward with a fruit smoothie from Juice Almighty, the in-house cafe with a nonprofit twist that turns no one away for an inability to pay. If guests cannot afford a meal, they “pay” by volunteering at the gym or assisting with neighborhood cleanups. To date, they’ve served more than 48,000 meals to the community.
2 – Step out at the Rumba Room.
Dance is about communicating through movement rather than words. Group lessons help break down the anxiety of learning something new with salsa on Tuesdays, bachata on Wednesdays, and both on weekends. Like the blend of Latin dances, the menu also features dishes from Guatemala to Cuba. After a no-commitment taco flight and a couple of mojitos, the rhythm will get you grooving.
3 – Meet the challenge at AMUSE.
Beat the crowd with a late-morning visit to a vast maze of various rooms with timed challenges. Solve a mystery in an escape room, crawl through a bungee-cord tunnel, and power up on a see-saw. After playing for an hour, walk around the corner into Chickasaw Oaks. The mood transitions from modern motion to a sweet main street recreated indoors and leading to La Baguette for the best bread in the city. That perfect crunchy crust surrounds a soft, airy center with tiny pockets to soak up their signature tomato soup or savory French dip au jus.
4 – Rage against the machine at CRAZE Memphis Rage Room.
Release life’s frustrations in tandem with your date with therapeutic destruction at CRAZE Memphis Rage Room, an unassuming suburban building where defunct office equipment and televisions find new purpose at the business end of a sledgehammer. With provided safety gear in a plywood-walled room, you can finally show that old scanner/copier/printer what you think of error messages. Then, regulate all that adrenaline with a short stroll (0.2 miles) along the edge of a park to Ragin’ Cajun for the relaxed vibe of Louisiana. Made from the owner’s family recipes, the boudin balls with house-made rémoulade, creamy Gouda grits, and seafood gumbo emit authenticity.
Artsy
5 – Make a mug at Belltower Pottery.
In the back of a homey coffee shop, the pottery studio offers a two-hour class on Friday evenings. Arrive early and enjoy a cup of coffee — the approachable Golden Hour house blend or the more nuanced Tanzanian peaberry. Then, channel your inner Ghost at the wheel. From a ball of clay, throw a cylinder shape, make and attach a handle, and choose a final color. Staff will glaze and fire afterward. Option to make a second date for pickup three weeks later.
6 – Get crafty at Five in One Social Club.
From goldleaf taxidermy, to making drinking glasses out of old wine bottles, create a unique memory in a crafting workshop. After you book the class online, order a small charcuterie box from Feast and Graze with customized selections like prosciutto and herb-roasted turkey or aged cheddar and hot honey goat dip. You and your date can snack together on the selections, to be delivered right before class time. BYOB is encouraged. Back at home, you’ll smile each time you pass your new mounted golden T-rex head or unload your new glassware from the dishwasher.
7 – Spark the senses at Crosstown Arts.
Follow the iconic red spiral staircase to the top and peruse the 7,000 feet of modern exhibits from murals to sculpture. Find a nook in the fanciful Art Bar to have a cutting-edge cocktail and discuss which pieces spoke to your soul, or at least seemed kind of cool. Check the event calendar for a variety of live performances in the Green Room next door that range from “Simply Jazz” to “Folk All Y’all.”
Playful
8 – Roll the dice at Board 2 Beers.
Back after a hiatus and in a bigger space, check out new and classic board games by the hour while sampling from a rotating craft beer and cider selection. The munchies-only menu ranges from Goldfish to wings.
9 – Get a room at Game Nite Lounge.
Double-date and choose team mode for an hour-long interactive gameshow experience set in a private, comfy living room within the Overton Square establishment. Then grab burgers around the corner at Boscos, Tennessee’s first brewpub.
10 – Up the ante at Southland Casino and Hotel.
Games of chance involve a little risk, a little know-how and a lot of luck. Whether you win big at the high-stakes table or stick to the slots, don’t play through dinner. Feast on all-you-can-eat crab legs on the weekends or get fancy at upscale Ignite Steakhouse for a prime cut that matches the call against others in the city proper.
11 – Aim your (Cupid’s) arrow at Cooper House Project.
Behind the front door away from the bustle, a whiskey barrel serves as a table to hold your glass of artisanal small-batch brew while you throw classic darts in a single lane cozy enough for two.
Musical
12 – Step up to the mic at Sun Studio.
After standing in the exact spot where Elvis sang “That’s All Right,” follow the murals on Marshall Ave. to Bar Limina for specialty cocktails and mocktails made by a rotating roster of inventive bartenders.
13 – Spin some tunes at Memphis Listening Lab.
If it was recorded on vinyl, odds are the album is nestled among the vast collection donated by the founder of Ardent Records. Find a couple of cozy chairs near one of the turntables with a dual adapter and let shared music in the headphones transport each of you to a memory, while forming a new one. Depending on the mood, then linger on dinner downstairs at mellow coastal restaurant Briza, vibrant Vietnamese eatery Bao Toan, or a symphony of international options at Global Cafe.
Tad Pierson Tours outside the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
14 – Savor the soul at Stax Museum.
Immersed in the venue where recognizable greats like Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding made hits, learn the true meaning of soul in 12 different exhibits where domed speakers play music that carries only a few feet, so get close. Peruse the hall of records, spin on the dance floor, and pause in the lounge to play your favorite STAX tune on the free jukebox. F1 is “Let’s Stay Together.” Across the street, Johnnie Mae’s Soul Cafe serves up Southern cooking all week and the best Friday catfish special in town: a crunchy fried fillet, sweet cornbread, spaghetti as a side, and turnip greens so good you’ll want to slurp the potlikker.
Classic Memphis
A detail of the mural inside Chez Philippe
15 – Dine after the duck march at Chez Philippe.
Dress to the nines and make reservations for the quintessential Peabody experience. In the hotel lobby, find a seat near the fountain to watch the mallards ceremoniously march the red carpet at 5 p.m. Then step behind the bar through golden gates and into the quiet luxury of a grand palace ballroom. Indulge in a journey through the chef’s seven-course tasting menu and wine pairings.
16 – Breakfast at Graceland.
If you’re from here, you may never have visited the city’s most famous house. Sound like you? This month, you and your sweetheart should stop resisting and visit the most Memphis place you’ve never been. The best food on the property is pre-tour at Delta’s Kitchen, because it’s Southern breakfast and seasoned as such.
17 – Watch the sunset from the Lookout.
Next time you see a silhouette of the skyline, you can point to the top of the Bass Pro Pyramid and reminisce about the sunset you saw there together. Whether bowling on the main floor in the Fishbowl or wandering the lifelike swamp with all its creatures, you must visit the top. Have a specialty drink at the bar with its mesmerizing 10,000-gallon catfish aquarium. As the sky turns pink, step outside onto the glass landing to see the city — and your date — from a different perspective.
18 – Cheer the home team at FedExForum.
Memphis is a basketball town, win or lose. Show some love at a Grizzlies or Tigers game where the fare of local favorites is scattered between snack bars on the Plaza and Terrace levels. At the quarter buzzer, grab TacoNganas street tacos, a Rendezvous sausage and cheese plate, or a “slice of the match” from Rock’n Dough.
Smarts
19 – Castle your queen at Memphis Chess Club.
Not just for members, the historic Toof Building, full of wooden tables with inlaid boards, offers plenty of space for a match. Pizzas from the cafe are fired to order and made with scratch dough and sauce.
20 – Share some knowledge at trivia night.
Lively mid-week games happen Wednesdays at WiseAcre Downtown and Celtic Crossing.
21 – Browse for books at Novel.
You can tell a lot about your date by what they like to read. Have an analog afternoon perusing the shelves to discover mutual interests, travel aspirations, and which covers catch the eye. At Libro, the light-filled restaurant tucked inside the bookstore, have a drink and nibble on bruschetta or indulge in handmade pasta from the Italian owner’s family cookbook.
Gourmand
22 — Pair up at Grey’s Fine Cheeses.
Learn what cheeses amplify certain grape varietals in a wine-and-cheese pairing class. Featuring a different country every Wednesday evening, discover the balance of tannins with aromas in four wine tastings paired with cheeses.
23 — Mix things up at Muddy’s Bake Shop.
From scones to biscuits, learn to pat, flip, and roll out dough in a three-hour cooking class with treats to take home.
24 — Go grain to glass at Old Dominick Distillery.
On a guided tour, learn firsthand how Memphis water plus corn transforms into fine bourbon. Follow the process from mash to moonshine, and learn how distillation and aging make for key ingredients in a good toddy. Sample a curated portfolio of spirits in the tasting room and exit through the gift shop.
Old Trusty
25 – See a movie at the Powerhouse.
Find the happening happy hour at Bar Hustle in the acclaimed ARRIVE Hotel with drinks and pizzas from Hustle & Dough, timed perfectly for a 3-minute walk to the stately Malco Powerhouse Cinema and Grill (with comfortable reclining seats).
Outside the Box
26 – Get a reading at Lucyja Hygge.
First, people-watch from the lunch counter at Kwik Chek, a bustling place that’s equal parts deli and convenience store. Get a spicy sandwich or quickly stir and savor the sizzling Bi Bim Bap served in a hot stone bowl. A couple of doors down, step into the metaphysical (walk-ins are welcome, or book a reservation) for a 15-minute tarot reading to uncover each other’s hidden truths or ponder the unknown future.
27 – Rev up to Edge Motor Museum.
Trace the evolution of American sports cars through a collection of preserved classics in eras of history from the 1929 Ford Model A to the 1981 DeLorean. Next door, stop into Hard Times Deli for a glass-bottled Coke and a hearty sandwich almost too big to handle.
Lovers’ locks at Overton Square.
28 – Lock it down with petals and candy.
Like the famous bridge in Paris, a heart-shaped public art installation in the alley of Overton Square is covered in lovers’ locks. Park in the garage and cut through behind the massive chimes (fun to ring, if you can find the rope), to petals of a Peony. Taste the Michelin-mentioned Sichuan dishes, but skip dessert and instead visit the candy jars at Sweet Noshings. On the way back, stop for a romantic moment and add your own love lock to the heart.
