This past weekend was Valentine’s Day and let me tell you, love was in the air! Starting Friday everyone was in the Valentine’s Day spirit (or anti-Valentine’s). Valentine’s Day is always a controversial holiday because people put so much emphasis on the holiday that it kind of makes people sick. It's like as soon as February hits, all the stores are on Valentine's overload. You can't go anywhere without seeing something red or pink. I used to be an anti-Valentine’s day person myself. I just didn’t understand all the hype, I hated all the tacky decorations, but I loved the chocolate. What’s funny is that majority of the time I had a Valentine but it was still more fun to dislike it. I never wanted to be that girl who gave into the hype so I often opted for a "Girls Valentine's" with my Mom. This year I completely indulged in everything that was Valentine’s Day and loved it. My boyfriend and I decided to celebrate all of our big holidays (Christmas/birthdays/anniversary) all at once and we decided to celebrate this past weekend. We began our celebration on Friday at Court St. Diner. This got me thinking about all of my favorite date spots in Athens and I thought I would share, so here are my top three date spots in Athens. 

1. Court St. Diner I’m biased to this place because this is where my boyfriend and I had our first date, but it really is the perfect date spot. If you're fan of Johnny Rockets you'll love Court St. Diner. As soon as you walk in, it takes you back in time. The best time to go is in the middle of the day because it’s typically not too crowded which creates an atmosphere of perfect intimacy. The food is good at any time of the day, the staff is great, and it’s affordable! My favorite dish is their Bacon Blue Burger and a chocolate milkshake. Here’s a link to their menu: http://courtstreetdiner.com/Court_Street_Diner/Diner_Menu.html

2. Rollerbowl Lanes To be honest, I am a terrible bowler. I actually don’t even care for bowling itself but I do love the idea of bowling. It’s the cutest date idea! Helping each other bowl on a date is just adorable to me. For the longest I had no idea that we had a bowling alley in Athens until I happened to drive past it one day. Rollerbowl has has 16 lanes, and has a full snack bar. What’s best about this place that it’s really affordable! They have daily specials such as Quarter Mania on Mondays and Cosmic Bowling on Friday nights. More information on Rollerbowl here: http://www.rollerbowllanes.com/default.asp?Page=Home

3. Athena Cinema Athena Cinema is such an underrated movie theater. When I first got to Athens this theater was the first thing that stood out to me. I thought it was so cute, but what was most interesting about it was the selection of movies that they carry. Athena Grand on State St. has all the big current movies but Athena Cinema carries a lot of smaller independent films, Oscar nominated movies, classics, and documentaries. I love the Athena cinema because it’s never crowded and every movie I've  watched there has never failed me. Currently it’s the 100th anniversary of the Athena Cinema so make sure you check it out soon, they have a great line up of movies throughout the year: http://athenacinema.com/

These are just a few of my favorite date spots in Athens and I hope you all find this useful when looking for something to do with your special someone. 

-The Lone Giraffe