Finding new and innovative ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, can be fun and romantic. Most “date ideas” that I share can be done with children and friends too, rather than just a romantic partner, and this one is no different. This is a fun and creative way to spend some time on Valentine’s Day.
It is one of my most favorite ideas, and I cannot remember where I learned about it.
First, you will need to come up with a lock box with a key. You will also need to make several contacts first, to be sure everything is set up correctly.
It all begins by you taking your partner for a walk somewhere. The park is fine too, but woods by your house or somewhere nearby is a good idea. You will need to place a treasure map in a bottle. The treasure map should be drawn to show a local coffee shop or cafe or even a favorite restaurant. Soak thick card stock in a tea bag and water mixture (should be much stronger than regular tea). Allow to dry completely, and then draw your map. Burn the edges of your treasure map to make it look more authentic.
When you are on your walk, have the bottle in your pocket. Stop somewhere along the way to kiss your partner romantically and sort of drop or toss the bottle off to the side, unnoticed. (or you could try to set this up before hand, but it might not be there when you return!).
Continue walking a little further, and then turn back and begin walking back and low and behold you stumble upon the bottle with the treasure map. She may not notice it at first, so you might have to point it out to her.
She will see that it directs her to a local cafe or restaurant, depending on what you chose. Since she won’t know what to look for when you arrive, suggest to her that you stop for a cup of coffee or tea at a cafe or dinner at the restaurant. When the server brings the coffee to the table, the server will need to have a small key (to the lock box I mentioned earlier) taped to the bottom of the coaster. Or if you decide to do dinner, it might be on the bottom of her dinner plate. You will need to call ahead of time and ask the server to then suggest to your partner that she will find what she is looking for under her coaster or dinner plate. She will flip the coaster over or lift the plate up to find a key and perhaps a message written on the bottom of the coaster or a note taped to the bottom directing her to another location that you have chosen before hand.
Enjoy your coffee together, speculating what the key might lead to.
When finished, it is time to go to the next location (maybe a shop or the gas station or somewhere like that), you might even wish to catch a movie first or grab some ice cream at an ice cream parlor, and you could have the concession stand worker provide her with the next clue. When she goes to the counter at the place you chose, they will hand her a plastic sand shovel with a note attached. Inside the note, it will then direct her to the final location. Enjoy your movie, all the while she will be totally thinking about the next location.
At the last location, she will search until she finds an X on the ground made by dowel rods, sticks or red duck tape. Beneath the X, she will dig to find the lock box.
You can try burying the lock box in a sandbox, but if it is a public sandbox, it might not be there when you get there. When she unlocks the lock box she will find her gift. If you cannot find a lock box, you can use a shoe box or other box and create a cardboard shaped key that “fits” a lock you create in the box. If you decide to take in a movie first, you might ask a friend to bury the lock box for you, so it’s not there for two hours or more.
Imagine how much fun this treasure hunt will be for your partner. This can be done with a child as well, but you might wish to change the locations to McDonald’s for a bite to eat and perhaps a toy store or video arcade or something like that.
Have a good time and have a great Valentine’s Day.
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