Different kinds of dates can avoid the romance rut
Valentine's Day is over, but when it comes to keeping the romance alive a few off-beat ideas can add a little spark to keep things interesting.
It's time to explore.
Not sure where to start? We've rounded up ideas for each season, making sure to find one new spot that recently opened up, and another that might have slipped past your radar:
Warm up your winter
1. Sure, dinner and a movie is so cliche. But Muvico in Rosemont, which just opened last September, is no mere movie theater. The 18-screen establishment prides itself on being posh, offering a $15 VIP movie ticket that includes free popcorn and valet parking. Oh, and Muvico also has an on-site restaurant, Bogart's, and lets you sip wine, brews or cocktails during your show.
Where: Muvico, 9701 Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont
Cost: VIP tickets are $15; Restaurant menu items range from $8 to $25.
Info: (847) 447-1030
2. With wine bars popping up all over (even in malls, like D.O.C. wine bar at Yorktown in Lombard), there is still one place that will give you the most for your money: Lynfred Winery in Roselle.
Pop in on any day before 6 p.m. and their staff will give you seven wines to sample for $7. When you've found your favorite, you can browse the gift shop, try their signature breads -- and maybe even pick up a bottle to continue your tasting at home.
Where: 15 S. Roselle Road, Roselle
Cost: $7
Info: (888) 298-9463 or www.lynfredwinery.com
Hot spring
1. It's already hosted legendary (and romantic) artists like Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan, but have you caught a show yet at the new Sears Center in Hoffman Estates?
Even if you're not into old-school crooners -- or you want something less mushy -- this spring the arena will host the Monster Truck Nationals and games for the Chicago Storm and the Chicago Shamrox.
Where: Sears Center, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates
Cost: $13 to $35 for upcoming events this spring
Info: (888) 732-7784 or www.searscenter.com
2. It doesn't matter what the weather because there's always something happening indoors or out at Pinstripes in Northbrook.
The Italian restaurant houses it's own bowling alley and bocce ball courts and when the weather warms up, you can share your spaghetti on the patio (just don't gross everyone out and do it "Lady and the Tramp" style) next to the fire pit.
The patio also has its own bocce court, too.
Where: Pinstripes, 1150 Willow Road, Northbrook
Cost: $5 per game for bowling; $8 per person for an hour of bocce; menu items range from $9 to $23
Info: (847) 480-2323 or www.pinstripes.com.
Summer lovin'
1. Show off your bikini bod or your six-pack and head to Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, which is not just for little kids.
This summer will only be the fourth year of operation for the 100,000-square-foot water park, where you can splash together in the lazy river or even ride in a double-tube down the slides and vortexes.
And admission includes all the rides at Great America's theme park, so you can check out the new Dark Knight coaster set to open in this spring.
Where: 542 N. Route 21, Gurnee
Cost: $54.99 for general admission
Info: www.sixflags.com
2. Take a page from "Grease" and head to the drive-in. We know you'll remember to bring a blanket. But if you actually plan on leaving the car and, you know, watch the movie, make sure to remember mosquito spray.
There's not many of these relics left in the suburbs, so pick the one closest to you.
Where: Cascade Drive-in, 1100 E. North Ave., West Chicago
Cost: $8
Info: www.cascadedrivein.com
Where: McHenry Outdoor Theater and Drive-in, 1510 N. Chapel Hill Road, McHenry
Cost: $6
Info: (815) 385-0144 or www.mchenrydrivein.com
Fall ... in love
Scaring her into your arms at a haunted house may be the oldest trick in the book, but there are always new haunts popping up around the suburbs.
The newest haunt to scare the suburbs last fall were the Palatine Jaycees Hometown Haunt and, just two years ago, the privately-owned X-treme Hauntings came to Fox Lake.
Most haunts change locations from year-to-year, so check below where you can find these spots come fall 2008.
Where: Palatine Jaycees Hometown Haunt and X-treme Hauntings in Fox Lake (sites may vary)
Cost: about $10 to $12 per haunt
Info: hauntedillinois.com
Have one of those dates that feels like you've jumped into a picturesque greeting card and trek through the Morton Arboretum's Fall Color Festival, which runs from late September through the end of October.
Of course they've got beautiful autumn foliage (duh), but throughout the season they also host theater hikes, professional pumpkin carvers and even a fall 5K, in case you're that fit couple who works out together, too.
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle
Cost: $9 for general admission
Info: (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org