It’s February and while that can be all about skiing and snowboarding, I’m also very much into one of the greatest holidays ever invented – Valentine’s Day!
OK, I know that you’re thinking that most guys don’t usually get all that excited about a day that’s dedicated to cupid, hearts, and romance – but y’all know that I’m not MOST guys. While I like finding something special to give my girlfriend and a great place to take her for dinner, I’m also very much into seeing what she comes up with for me.
With that in mind, I thought I’d give all the ladies some ideas for really cool things you can do with and for your significant other right here in Kingsport. Trust me, if they’re anything at all like me they’re gonna love these…
I love breakfast so a great way to start off any Valentine’s Day for me would be to head over to Betty’s Stockyard Cafe for what is the absolute best food you’ll ever eat. Seriously, your taste buds will be spoiled after having her biscuits, gravy, and country ham. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And the menu is pretty big so if you’re in the mood for eggs, pancakes, whatever, you’ll find it at Betty’s. Trust me on this, ladies, your guy will love it! People always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach…I couldn’t agree more.
Next up on my Valentine’s Day bucket list in Kingsport would be a trip to one of those old-fashioned barbershops. I know lots of people like to go to salons but for me, a barber is the only way to go. You can get a good trim and in some shops, like Wampler’s Barber Co., you can get a really great shave too. A trip to the barbershop always starts my day out on a high note!
If you’re determined to buy a gift for your man (I know we might act like we don’t care but we really do like them) I’ve got a couple of suggestions there too. Mercantile on Broad is a cool place to buy some great stuff, not just for women but for men too. They’ve got all kinds of cool leather goods, key chains, koozies, UT items, etc., and I know you’ll be able to find something different that your guy will really like. And by the way, they also have dog treats, which King loves!
I know women catch a lot of grief for loving chocolate – especially on Valentine’s Day – but I gotta tell you ladies that guys go crazy for sweets too! And for those, there’s only one place to go – Bellafina Chocolates. That candy is amazing and they usually do some special around Valentine’s Day too. Best of all though is that they use a lot of local ingredients in their chocolates and 100 percent of all sales go to children’s charities. That’s reason enough to go there but believe me, that candy has no equal! And order early because this place really gets busy.
Something else that I think would be a lot of fun would be to do a Valentine’s Day Pub Crawl. You can head out to Sleepy Owl Brewery, hit up Hook and Ladder and Model City Tap House, venture over to Gypsy Circus Cider…and then cap off the night with some delicious wings at Hokie Smokie. In my mind, there’s no better way to finish off a great Valentine’s Day evening. We have Uber in Kingsport so have a good time and let someone do the driving… and if you just want to get away for the night, you can always book a room at Meadowview Marriott!
So, there you go… some pretty darn good Valentine’s Day ideas for you ladies if I do say so myself. Women may not always listen to me but this is one time they’ll be glad they did – and you guys out there will be happy about it too!