Valentine’s Day is a special holiday centered around love, flowers, candies and romance for couples around the world.
Not that romance is necessarily always traditional.
In 2015, “50 Shades of Grey” viewers filled cinema seats across the United States on Valentine’s Day. The novels and movie alike allow one to indulge in romance and fantasy.
According to a survey conducted by National Today, the number one most popular Valentine’s Day date is dinner and movie.
For those looking to fulfill date-night with a romantic movie this weekend the sequel, “50 Shades Darker” was released. A movie is playing at Creekside Cinemas, with tickets available for $10.50 per person.
Also, “Valentine’s Day” the movie will be playing at The Historic Earle Theatre Feb. 10-13, as well as on Feb. 15.
In a series of interconnected stories, various Los Angeles residents wend their way through the highs and lows of love during a single day. As the holiday unfolds, they experience first dates, longtime commitments, youthful crushes and connections to old flames, according to a release sent out by Jenny Smith, manager for the Mount Airy Visitor Center. Admission is $6 per person.
The second on the list for most popular Valentine’s Day date activities is a walk outdoors. Mount Airy has at least one way to accommodate those looking to venture outdoors for the holiday, the Granite City greenways.
Emily Draughn, of Dobson, plans to spend her weekend hiking at one of the surrounding state parks and carrying a picnic to enjoy with her significant other. “It’s as close as we can get to having a little getaway.”
The weather should be fitting as well, with daytime temperatures not dropping below 50 degrees during the week until Thursday, according to www.weather.com.
Finally, the third most popular Valentine’s Day activity, according to National Today, is a fancy dinner for two.
Putters at the Vineyard, in Dobson, is also offering a weekend-long dinner for two, in light of the holiday. Their special includes two steaks of your choice, one side or salad, two glasses of premium wine with a slice of red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.
According to Putter’s Manager, Joseph Correll, reservations are strongly recommended. However, he doesn’t foresee an elongated wait time if folks happen to forget.
Old North State Winery will be offering two opportunities to take that special someone out for dinner, on Saturday, Feb. 11 and the afternoon of Feb. 14. Chef Chris Wishart, has planned a four-course menu, paired with Fish Hippie wine.
This is the first year since Wishart has been with the winery that they have planned a Valentine’s special.
Some of the items planned on the menu include oyster bisque or tomato bisque, shrimp and edamame spring roll with a ginger dipping sauce, pan seared sea scallops, grilled angus beef tenderloin with au gratin potatoes and a duet of ganache torte and crème brulee.
The cost for the four-course without wine is $55 or $70 per person with wine pairing.
According to Wishart, reservation are still available for both nights of dining.
Another popular trend during the holiday is the giving of gifts. In North Carolina, the fourth-most-desired gift is a bouquet of flowers, according to www.Offers.com.
Steve Scott, who owns and operates Airmont Florist and Gift Shop in Mount Airy, said the most popular is roses, and has been the go-to flower throughout the years.
Roses are a hot commodity, so much so that Scott says he has to order what he believes he will need a month prior to Valentine’s Day.
Having to base the orders he places on last year’s sales, it takes some time and planning, explained Scott as he prepared a ribbon to accompany a vase for a bouquet.
According to Scott, flower wholesalers take advantage of Valentine’s Day. “We have to pay at least two-and-half times the normal cost for roses,” Scott said, so consumers should expect the same.
Scott explained how much time it also takes to prepare the bouquets.
“At the end of this week I will have worked around 65 hours. We can’t staff the shop just for the holiday, so each of us has to pull the extra time, even if it means staying until 2 or 3 in the morning.”
The never-fail color trend through the years is red, explained Scott. “It’s our most popular color,” in both flower and vases.
The remaining top gifts for the survey include a teddy bear, chocolate diamond ring, a gummy bear and lingerie.
