DATE NIGHT BUCKET LIST The 25 Things Every Couple Must Experience At Least Once

1. Victoria & Albert’s No list of Orlando romantic experiences can be complete without this legendary dining experience set inside the haughty Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World Resort. Guests can select either the seven-course prix-fixe menu in the Dining Room or ten to twelve course experience in the Queen Victoria’s Room. Those yearning for a front-row seat to Chef Hunnel’s culinary magic should consider opting for the Chef’s Table, where a personalized menu of up to 13 courses awaits. Regardless of which option you choose, this will be a meal you will never forget.

2. Farris and Foster’s Famous Chocolate Factory Talk about an aphrodisiac. Farris and Foster’s Famous Chocolate Factory, located on Bladwin Park’s New Broad Street, hosts chocolate date nights every Friday at 7pm and 9pm. These fun and romantic evenings give budding chocolatiers the chance to whip up some yummy treats—like truffles, peanut butter cups, and chocolate dipped strawberries—while sipping their BYO wine.

3. BarJme Adventurous foodies looking to take their next night out to a whole new epicurean level ought to check out BarJme, the innovative chef’s table experience in Winter Park. The brainchild of Jamie McFadden, BarJme happens inside the celebrated chef’s Cuisiners Catering headquarters, where 10 to 12 diners settle into raised bar stools at an L-shaped table overlooking the kitchen. From this venerable vantage point, guests watch as McFadden and his team create and serve a seven to ten-course tasting menu unveiled newly at each intimate event.

4. Sushi Date Night at Sushi House Couples participate in a two-hour, hands-on event each month at Sushi House’s location by Florida Mall. Part cooking class, part sake seminar, part culture lesson, and part etiquette tutorial, the experience gives couples the chance to make five different items. Be forewarned, these events sell out months in advance.

5. Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens Located on beautiful Lake Osceola, the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens was once the retirement home of celebrated sculptor Albin Polasek. You’ll be hard pressed to find a prettier or more peaceful place to laze away a few hours. $5 per person will give you access to the three- acre oasis, which is almost always in bloom with roses and camellias. Find a shady spot under a majestic live oak, unpack your picnic, uncork your wine (it’s allowed), and enjoy the ultimate ‘do nothing’ date day.

6. Blue Man Group This cleverly funny and slightly zany live show lives in its permanent theater on CityWalk and was recently revamped (no more toilet paper finale). While a few of the segments have been altered slightly, the hour and 45-minute show is still packed with enough quirky theatrics and goofy tricks to make the time fly by. Guests can now upgrade their tickets to include entry in the Bluephoria VIP Lounge, a $20 perk that gives guests a comfy place to wait for the show to start, two complimentary cocktails and a photo meet-and-greet with a member of the Blue Man Group.

7. The Table Part dinner party, part chef’s table, The Table brings 22 guest together at one communal table for a multi-course mystery menu that’s not revealed until arrival. Inside the lavish dining room located on Sand Lake’s Restaurant Row, the foodie festivities feature five courses, each paired with wine and stories from chefs leaving the kitchen to tell tales and dote on guests. What follows are three to four hours of ‘oohs’ and ‘mmms’ as one dish after another is delivered to the table. Advance reservations and payment of $125 (inclusive of tax and gratuity) per person are a must for those up for this epicurean escapade.

8. The Wine Room in Winter Park Wine lovers flock to the DIY wine tasting experience at The Wine Room, a Winter Park favorite featuring the Enomatic Wine Serving System. With a debit card loaded with dollars, you can self-serve a sample or full glass of over 150 different types of wine simply all with the touch of a button. Gourmet cheese plates, a huge selection of craft beers, a champagne bar, and plush seating drenched in leather add to the allure.

9. Ritz-Carlton Spa At 40,000 square feet, the Ritz-Carlton Spa on the 500-acre Grande Lakes property is not only Orlando’s largest spa, it’s also the most popular. A self-proclaimed “oasis of pampering,” the spa houses 40 treatment rooms, a co-ed conservatory, two VIP suites, a 6,000 square-foot wellness center and a full service beauty salon. Private locker room feature private Jacuzzis, saunas, and eucalyptus infused steam rooms but the prized perk for couples is the 4,000 square-foot heated outdoor lap pool and hot tub surrounded by cozy loungers that beckon them to order a smoothie and lounge the day away in the sun.

10. Bosendorfer Lounge Romance seems to drip from every inch of the Grand Bohemian Hotel’s lobby, especially in its lounge where plush zebra skin chairs, dark drapes, Italian glass tiles, alabaster chandeliers, and gold leafing on pillars create an air of opulence and mystique. Besides artful martinis, the Bosendorfer Lounge usually features live music nightly and always showcases an impressive collection of original artwork.

11. Leu Gardens As one of Orlando’s most underappreciated urban gems, it’s a shame more Orlando locals and visitors don’t carve out a few hours to visit Harry P. Leu Gardens, the 50-acre botanical sanctuary situated just north of downtown Orlando. With its winding paths meandering through rose gardens, bamboo forests, and under towering live oaks mirrored in Lake Rowena, it is one of the prettiest places to visit in Central Florida. Admission, which is usually $10 per person, is waived the first Monday of each month.

12. Lake Eola Swan Boats A couple of hours can easily drift away while strolling around Lake Eola Park and watching the white and black swans paddling across the lake, but the ideal vantage point of this 43-acre urban park and its iconic fountain is from your very own swan boat. For $15 per half hour, you can rent these paddleboats from the swan dock located across from Relax Grill until 7pm Sunday – Tuesdays, and until 10pm Wednesdays – Saturdays. Reservations are not required.

13. Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Rising before the sun, a hot air balloon ride might be the earliest adventure you have in Orlando, but it also might be the most memorable. Weather permitting, hot air balloons lift off daily carrying you off into the still, morning sky for an hour-long flight over the Orlando area landscape. Once on the ground, you will be treated to a champagne breakfast complete with fruit and snacks.

14. SAK Comedy Lab Get a healthy dose of hilarity at Sak Comedy Lab where a troop of actors unfurl a screwball series of improvisational sketches reminiscent of the show Who’s Line is it Anyway. Located in downtown’s CityArts Factory, this completely off-the-cuff show is presented from Tuesday through Saturday each week in their 200-seat theater. Tickets from $5 per person depending on the night.

15. Friday Night Live Settle into the stadium-style seating at the Eddie Rose Amphitheatre, which hosts local bands for Friday Night Live, a weekly live music every Friday beginning at 7 or 8pm, depending on the time of year. Free and open to all music lovers, the outdoor concert features an ever-changing line-up of musical styles—from calypso to rock to jazz—with Cranes Roost, Uptown Altamonte’s 45-acre park, providing a pretty backdrop and post-concert strolling ground.

16. Full Moon Paddle Explore the Winter Park chain of lakes via kayak on a full moon paddle courtesy of Adventures in Florida. This monthly outing, typically scheduled when the moon is at its fullest, boasts a moderately challenging, two-hour excursion onto Lakes Virginia, Osceola and Maitland. At its completion, paddlers make a stop at Dog Island to toast the moon with a glass of BYO wine and enjoy some fireside snacks. The tour, which includes all equipment, departs right before sunset from Dinky Dock Park.

17. Date Night at Leu Gardens A mostly coupled crowd, wine and dinner baskets in hand, attends Date Night at Leu Gardens, scheduled the first Friday of each month at the 50- acre botanical oasis just north of downtown. Admission is $6 and movies begin around sundown.

18. The Enzian This dine-in, art house theater serves up an ongoing line-up of documentaries, independent and foreign films inside the single-screen venue. Besides a full menu of everything from flat breads to pastas, the venue also features a full bar as well as a wonderful outdoor lounge, Eden bar, outside. It’s also the site for the annual Florida Film Festival and monthly Cult Classics screening.

19. RDV Ice Den Pack sweaters and socks if you’re planning a visit to RDV’s Ice Den; Maitland’s Olympic size ice-skating rink is kept at a chilly 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The best time to hit the rink is on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7-9:45 pm when the giddy swarm of skaters glide to the tunes spun by the resident DJ. Skate rentals, as well as hot chocolate, are available on site.

20. Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba Set inside the massive, white 1671-seat theater perched over Downtown Disney’s West Side, La Nouba presents a mix of music, dance and acrobatics that is something totally unique to Cirque du Soleil…. and something everyone should experience at least once. Expect a ninety- minute show featuring dozens of trapeze artists, dancers, clowns, and acrobats from all over the world. Nothing is predictable or ordinary. No doubt, you will be awed by its beauty and quirkiness.

21. Wednesday Night Pitcher Show at Enzian The movie shown on the giant outdoor screen adjacent Eden Bar is actually more of a backdrop than the focal point at Enzian’s Wednesday Night Pitcher Show, where a laid-back crowd sips happy hour cocktails and partakes in Jell-O shot movie trivia. This weekly event is free to attend and always showcases a fun film.

22. Friday Night Flights at K Slip into the twinkling kitchen garden behind K Restaurant on the last Friday of each month when Chef Kevin Fonzo and his team of wine aficionados serve up an al fresco wine tasting. Chef Kevin selects a vineyard or region each month to highlight and then serves 5 or 6 different wines alongside cheese and various charcuteries. On many nights, the backyard milieu has the added perk of live music. Afterward, head inside for a gourmet feast or order dinner out in the garden. This monthly event begins at 6:30pm and goes until, as Chef Kevin says, “whenever.”

23. Harbor Nights at Portofino Bay Hotel When a weekend trip to Italy just isn’t possible, get a taste of the real thing at the Harbor Piazza at Portofino Bay Hotel. With its cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafés, strolling musicians, and gondolas anchored in the harbor, you can’t help but feel transported to the Mediterranean. Quarterly Harbor Nights events are the perfect time to check out the hotel thanks to the unlimited wine and food tastings included in the $45 per person admission ticket.

24. Popcorn Flicks in the Park Winter Park host’s Enzian’s Popcorn Flicks in the Park, a free outdoor movie screening in Central Park. Expect a diverse selection of films, such as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, throughout the year’s calendar. Lots of couples bring chairs or blankets, as well as food baskets and a discrete bottle of wine.

25. JW Griffin Cooking School Held inside the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes, the Griffin Cooking School presents an ongoing series of hands-on cooking classes that will thrill all cooks of any experience level. From pasta making to sushi rolling, these interactive events are lead by JW chefs and typically include a sit- down meal or tasting.