Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift but want to avoid the last-minute dash to the drugstore, or the overpriced flowers? Here are some ideas for Valentine gifts with a local twist. Celebrate your Valentine, while also celebrating Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and the other towns and cities in the Triangle.
Read on to learn about local flowers, local chocolate, local art, and much more.
Local Flowers
Instead of buying an overpriced bouquet, treat your Valentine do a day of picking flowers at Hillsborough’s Firefly Farm. U-pick flower season will start around May. You can buy a ticket now for a U-pick session for $20.
Or buy a flower subscription. Pay $75 for a large arrangement once a week for five weeks during flower season. You might pay that same amount for just one bouquet from a flower delivery service! Or pay $100 for five weeks of large bouquets, delivered. Learn more and purchase here.
Local Chocolates
If you’re going to buy chocolates as a gift, don’t buy waxy mass-produced chocolates. There are so many wonderful chocolatiers in the Triangle! Learn about 9 chocolate makers in the Triangle, and plan a delicious splurge!
Local Art
Buy some art from a local artist that celebrates your favorite part of the Triangle. Local photographer Matt Robinson sells reasonably priced prints of his stunning Raleigh skylines.
Check out the robot art of local artist Mike Slobot! He even has LoveBots prints available for Valentine’s Day.
Or look for art at a local art gallery. You can find prints, jewelry, ceramics and more. (Some have online stores too.) Here are just a few to get you started in your search for local art.
- Triangle Cultural Art Gallery, Raleigh
- Cecy’s, Durham
- Frank Gallery, Chapel Hill
- The Cotton Company, Wake Forest
- ArtSpace, Raleigh
- Cary Gallery of Artists, Cary
Local Cats
Book a visit to a cat café. You can just enjoy a coffee and socializing with the cats. Or maybe you’ll have a love connection and adopt one.
- Purr Cup Cafe, Raleigh
- Cat Tales, Chapel Hill
Sports
Get the sports fan in your life some swag from their favorite team. (Or a ticket to a game if available.)
Here are the online stores for some teams in the Triangle.
Entertainment
Buy tickets for an upcoming concert or theatre performance. This is obviously not a comprehensive list of all the live music and theatre in the Triangle, but it’s a good place to start.
- Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), Durham
- Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh
- Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh
- Carolina Theatre, Durham
- Carolina Performing Arts (Memorial Hall), Chapel Hill
- Garner Performing Arts Center, Garner
- Halle Cultural Arts Center, Apex
- Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh
- Raleigh Little Theatre, Raleigh
- Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
- Motorco Music Hall, Durham
Local Drinks
The number of distilleries in the Triangle has grown of late. Take advantage and give the gift of local whiskey or other spirits. Some distilleries also offer tours.
These are just a few options:
- Mystic Farm and Distillery, Durham
- Old Raleigh Distillery, Zebulon
- Raleigh Rum Company, Raleigh
- Oak City Amaretto, Raleigh
- Graybeard Distillery, Durham (makes Bedlam Vodka)
- TOPO Distillery, Chapel Hill (vodka, gin, rum, whiskey)
There are also a large number of wineries, cideries and breweries in the Triangle. What’s your Valentine’s favorite drink? You can find it made locally.
Shop at Museums
Museums have the best stores! Shop for interesting and unique items at museum stores.
One of the best is North Carolina Museum of Art. At their museum store they have a mission to promote community artists across the Carolinas.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science’s store features jewelry, puzzles, apparel and much more, all inspired by science.
And North Carolina Museum of History’s store will please anyone who has an interest in North Carolina. Besides the many books about North Carolina, it also features pottery made in North Carolina and delicious foods from North Carolina (including Chapel Hill Toffee, Escazu Chocolates, Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts, and much more.)
