The classic dinner and movie date starts to get boring after a while, but what else is there to do in Corvallis for people who want out of that routine? It turns out there’s a lot.
Geocaching
Geocaching is like a scavenger hunt using a GPS. Go treasure hunting with your date in and around Corvallis – there are hundreds of geocaches in the area. and once you get the hang of it you can try making and hiding a geocache together. Be sure to bring small items to trade with if you want to take anything from the geocache. To start, download the free app ‘Geocaching,’ and create a free account.
Participate in a Queer Climb Night
If you and your partner(s) are part of the LGBTQ+ community, the Valley Rock Gym welcomes you to join their Queer Climb Night that occurs every first Friday from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Shoe rental, an intro bouldering class, a raffle, and lots of climbing are included in the $5 event pass.
Escape Rooms
Solving an escape room together can be a fun way to solve puzzles and work as a team – as long as you and your partner do well under pressure. Escape Room Corvallis, located at 301 SW 4th St, has five different rooms at varying levels of difficulty. All but two of the rooms require a minimum of four guests – so make it a double date!
Go Dandelion Picking
What sounds like a children’s activity could be a fun way to bond with your partner. Dandelions are edible and have a variety of uses in cooking. Pick fresh flowers with your date – perhaps after a picnic – and head home to make some tea together. To make a batch of dandelion tea, put 2 cups of loosely-packed dandelion petals in a quart of boiling water and steep for 20 minutes before straining.
Attend a Music a la Carte Concert
Meeting for a lunch date? Turn it into a lunch and music date with Music a la Carte. Oregon State University hosts a 45 minute concert in the Memorial Union almost every Friday at noon during the school year. Music a la Carte features a variety of local, regional, and national musicians and ensembles, and makes a relaxing date night out. The event is free and open to the public, but due to COVID, the live audience is only open to OSU students, staff, and faculty for the time being. For those who can’t attend in person, feel free to pour a glass of wine for you and your partner and watch the livestream from the comfort of your own home.
Go Fishing… But Use a Magnet
Maybe you and your partner want to do something good for the planet and pick up some litter, or maybe you’re both looking for some treasure. Either way, magnet fishing can be a new way to experience the rivers around Corvallis. Using a strong magnet tied to a rope, fish for metal objects and see what you can find. Who knows, maybe your partner hid a wedding ring in the Willamette and is waiting for you to fish it out. Just kidding. Gloves are recommended in case you catch anything rusty.
Challenge Each Other to Participate in an Open Mic Night
Show off your poetry or comedic genius to your partner at one of Bombs Away Cafe’s open mic nights – even if your jokes aren’t funny, you’ll at least have one fan in the crowd. Preparing for and attending an open mic night can open up a side of your partner that you have yet to see.
Take an Art Class Together
There is the classic wine and paint date, but OSU offers much more to choose from at their craft center. You can learn a variety of crafts from making a stained glass sun catcher, to making a wooden pen on a lathe. Some classes are just a few hours long while others include four class sessions over four weeks. If you need more convincing, one study says taking an art class with your partner releases oxytocin, a.k.a. the ‘hugging hormone.’
Bird Watching at the Finley Wildlife Refuge
As long as you don’t get pooped on, birding with your date at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge will be a rewarding experience. Sometimes a break from our busy lives in town is needed to rejuvenate, and this wildlife refuge will do just that. Surround yourself with wildlife and native plants and admire nature with your partner just 12 miles outside of Corvallis.
Archery
Working on your shooting skills with your date doesn’t sound super romantic, but it can be an exciting new experience as a couple. The E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area has an archery range that’s open to the public seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. The archery range is free to use as long as you have a parking permit and your own equipment.
Food Trucks & a Comedy Show
Common Fields food truck pod hosts a live, outdoor comedy show on the first Friday of every month at 8:30 p.m. The shows are 21+ and require no cover charge. Common Fields has heated seats, fires, and covered areas so you can enjoy a laid back dinner date even when the weather tries to stop you. Plus, you have lots of food options to choose from if you and your date have conflicting cravings.
Rockhounding on the Willamette
If you say you didn’t collect rocks at some point in your life, you’re lying. Take your partner on a rock-collecting date and find the rock of their dreams. Gem-quality agates and jaspers may be found on the banks of the Willamette river that runs through the south of Corvallis. The Calapooia River near Sweet Home has even more fun rocks to find, like blue and carnelian agates, geodes, jaspers, and petrified wood. Public access to the Calapooia is limited, but you can follow the river along Upper Calapooia Drive and find small pullouts to park then walk to the river. Find more details on specific rockhounding sites here.
Whatever you decide to do, remember that Corvallis can be a fun place for every interest. So go out there and be romantic wherever you see romance.
By Momoko Baker
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