by Carla Caruso

Local card maker Unseasoned Greetings has come up with a list of romantic date spots to enjoy in our city – including in your Adelaide Park Lands.

Whether you’re loved-up or single, there are plenty of options for hanging out in the CBD, solo or otherwise, this Valentine’s Day.

A few ideas from Unseasoned Greetings’ list are below. (We’ve added some additions of our own at the end.) But over to the card designer to begin:

A picnic in the Botanic Garden

Fun fact; the Adelaide Botanic Garden [in Park 11] is open ‘til 8pm every night from December to March – and almost no one has cottoned on yet, so it’s super-quiet in the evenings!

You don’t even need to pack a picnic these days either. Uber Eats and Menulog will deliver right to the North Terrace gate. You can literally select from hundreds of city-based restaurants.

[APA note: you can also order a Valentine’s grazing box from Evergreen Deli, within the garden. For other picnic ideas in your Adelaide Park Lands – like at the sunken rose garden in Park 21’s Veale Gardens – also check out our earlier blog article and video here.]

A glass of pinot gris in the garden

There’s not much better than a balmy February night in The Garden of Unearthly Delights [in Rundle Park / Kadlitpina - Park 13]. Simply pull up a chair, order a drink, and sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.

This year, the Garden opens on February 15, making it the ideal location for a belated Valentine’s Day celebration.

River Torrens paddleboat ride

Check out Captain Jolley’s Paddleboats. If you’ve lived in Adelaide your whole life, I can just about guarantee that you have never done this.

It’s a great way to see the city from a different perspective and get up close and personal with the resident pelicans. Please note: Jolley’s Paddleboats operate only open on weekends, school holidays, and public holidays, weather permitting.

[APA note: for other fun modes of transport in your Park Lands, check out our earlier (2021) article. Think kayaking, BBQ Buoys, Segways, the Popeye, and gondolas.]

A day at the zoo

You don’t have to be a kid to have an absolute ball at the Adelaide Zoo [in Park 11], you just need to be young at heart.

There’s something special about spending time with animals – and I particularly adore the giraffes and the fairy penguins.

Adelaide Zoo is also home to world-famous lovers Wang Wang and Fu Ni, who get to spend a whole 36 hours together each breeding season – a benchmark to aspire to. 

A night at the movies

There’s still something special about turning off the lights, pulling up the armrest, and having a snuggle alongside 300 others, right? Well, maybe I’m not selling this well!

Gold-class and luxe cinemas are a great way to feel like you are pampering yourself without breaking the bank.

If you want an outdoor movie experience, check out the Moonlight Cinema in Botanic Park [in Park 11]. They will be playing a week of romance movies leading up to the big day. 

Here are a few more romantic Park Lands ideas from us at APA:

• Add a ‘love lock’ to the Riverbank Love Knot structure in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12) as a permanent reminder of your relationship.

  Back in 2018, the locks that were originally on the University Footbridge were removed and placed on this new artwork. (This followed unfounded fears that the loved-up padlocks might have been compromising bridge safety!)

• Thrill-seeking kind of couple or singleton? Why not try a night tour at the West Terrace Cemetery in GS Kingston Park / Wirrarninthi (Park 23) or a ghost tour at the Adelaide Gaol in Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27)? They’re guaranteed to get your heart pumping…

• Nothing beats getting your creative juices flowing among other people. Join an open-air painting or sketching session in your Park Lands – with a loved-one or alone.

• They say couples who work out together not only enjoy better workouts, but happier relationships too. So, get sweaty on a hike along the Bunyip Trail in John E. Brown Park (Park 27a) or through the untamed wetlands at G.S. Kingston Park / Wirrarninthi (Park 23). Or bring your pooch along for a wander together around one of the city’s various dog parks.

  There’s also a choice of three different parkruns you can join in the Park Lands, every Saturday at 8am. A coffee and cake at a local café afterwards is optional. (I’ve heard that calories don’t count during Valentine’s week…)