Valentines Day For Dummies

Well THE weekend is finally here, and all of you cupid fans out there probably have already made your big plans for Valentines Day. Now, if you are a purist, you will probably quip me by saying, Valentines Day is not until Monday, but many of us will take advantage of the weekend that immediately precedes the big day of love and choose from a plethora of options to entice our sweetie(s).

In the Lowcountry there is never a shortage of parties and events on the weekend, and Valentines Day Weekend is certainly on par. For my Lowcountry Friends, I will do my level best to give you some ideas, for my friends elsewhere, it's not to late, come on down and enjoy the romance of Charleston.

If money is no object, try The Woodlands Inn, one of only six hotels in the world who have won 5-star Diamond Hotel Awards for both food and lodging located here in Summerville. Or if you prefer the seaside to the pines, The Sanctuary at Kiawah awaits the "well-healed" lover.

Choosing a dining option in Charleston is alot like going to a Nascar Race and trying to pick out a beer drinker, no matter which one you choose, it's probably gonna be right. In perusing the Post and Courier's weekly social magazine, Charleston Scene's Love Issue some righteous choices caught my eye. 82Queen is offering Valentine Specials that include Lobster and Roasted Corn Cakes or Coffee Seared Filet of Beef with Sunday Brunch times as well as dinner times.

J. Paulz is providing a four-course Valentines Dinner Menu with an Amuse Bouche to get things off to a good start and a "liquid shot of love" to compliment the fourth course of Banannas Foster or Chocolate Mouse.

If you and your sweetie are not looking for dining options but are interested in a more active way to celebrate your love for one another, an abundance of action packed and interactive offerings abound this weekend. The inaugural Go Red! Heart Run is kicking it's heels up over in Mount Pleasant at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina Pavillion. Or if you are not content with running with your sweetie, you can always learn to fly a helicopter at Charleston Helicopter. (50% off coupon on an introductory lesson in Charleston Scene)

Maybe breakfast in bed is the order of the day for your Valentine. Charleston Cooks is holding a Breakfast In Bed cooking class Saturday morning at their downtown location.

If you are more of a traditionalist, and you are a man with a heart beat, you know that lingerie for the love of your life is the ticket. A trip down to King Street to Bits of Lace is probably a good stroke most days, not just Valentines Day. Or, maybe you're looking for tradition but not necessarily the steamy version on display at Bits of Lace, well there are many great local chocalatiers waiting to satisfy your sweeties sweet tooth. I like Savannah's Candy Kitchen on Market St. or Charleston Sweet Gourmet in the South Windermere Center. Of course, Caviar and Bananas stands out as a great one stop shop for everything gourmet, a little time in this oasis of delight and you can be the chef at home and skip the middle man altogether in your quest for being the sweetest sweetheart to your sweetie.

Hope that helps, or at least gets you on track. What do I plan to do for my wife? We are participating in a Valentines Night Out with our Sunday School Class at The Sweetwater Cafe in Summerville, and I have a little gift picked out and wrapped for her. No it's not from Bits of Lace, but I think she will like it just the same.