Date Nights with my husband are something I value highly and sometimes are hard to come by with busy schedules and arranging childcare. I’ll take any date I can get, no matter how simple, a cup of coffee, a hike, dinner and a show, a game of Catan at home over a new craft beer.

But I’m always on the lookout for unique and memorable experiences around where we live in southwestern Pennsylvania. So I’m providing of these extra special date activities as I come across them. I imagine all of these events are subject to change, but perhaps they can serve as a reference for making some date night plans for you and your special person.

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Touchstone Center For Crafts Date Nights

Located in the Laurel Highlands in Farmington, PA, Touchstone Center For Crafts is a craft school offering a variety of workshops and experiences.

I hadn’t been to Touchstone since I was on a junior high field trip. My husband is a closet artist. I just called to see if they offered some sort of couples art session when I learned they offer Touchstone Date Nights June-September.

Date Nights offer a choice in a variety of classes such as glass, blacksmithing, ceramics, drawing/painting, and more. We enjoyed a two-hour glass workshop session with materials provided, instruction from friendly and talented artists for even the least experience like myself, and delicious appetizers and wine afterward. Then, we were able to leave with the art we created.

We returned in 2022 for the blacksmithing workshop. It was another wonderful experience and date night.

We created hooks and a bottle opener. For blacksmithing, we needed to wear long jeans, a cotton shirt, closed-toe shoes, and I needed to have my hair pulled up.

Keep an eye out for these date night registration to open up anytime between Black Friday and into the New Year. These classes fill up fast. Follow Touchstone’s Facebook page, Instagram, or visit the website and sign up for the newsletter for the most up-to-date information.

You can also consider purchasing a gift card for Date Nights and other opportunities Touchstone has to offer. This makes a great gift.

The grounds are tucked away in a beautiful, natural setting and there is also a gift shop and gallery on site. Touchstone can easily be paired with other nearby attractions such as Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Fallingwater, Ohiopyle State Park, or stays at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, or many campground and vacation rentals nearby. You can also check out a nearby hike in Quebec Run Wild Area and The Wharton Iron Furnace. If I were looking to grab dinner beforehand, I might look to The Historic Summit Inn, The Stone House, Braddock’s Inn and Tavern, and several restaurant options in downtown Uniontown such as Marilyn’s or Caporella’s. There’s so much to explore in the Laurel Highlands!

Our experience at Touchstone was such an enriching experience. We can’t wait to go back and try a different class.

Local Staycation

We all need a break from our routines sometimes. And vacations are great, but they can be expensive. And I think many people think they have to be a week long. You can stay home and take a day trip somewhere, or you can stay overnight somewhere close to home eliminating the time and costs of extensive travel.

I have to admit, this idea was not my own. I probably would have never thought to do this if it weren’t for a good friend of mine who gifted me and my husband a gift certificate for a stay at the Historic Summit Inn Resort as a wedding present.

We used the gift certificate at what seemed like the perfect time when our kids were very young and we were new parents. It really helped empower us to leave the kids for the night which I truly feel is something both parents and kids benefit from. I didn’t feel like I was overburdening my childcare since it was just one night (as always thanks Mom and Dad). And the fact that we were about 10 minutes away gave us peace of mind to knowing that if we had to leave for some reason, we could.

During our stay at the Summit, we enjoyed delicious food, live music, and a round of golf at this charming and historic hotel. And although I have been here before (not as an overnight guest), staying overnight felt like a completely different experience. It was a neat experience talking to other guests and feeling like a tourist in my hometown.

We enjoyed another overnight staycation (sponsored) at Deer Creek Winery and Watson Estate Bed & Breakfast in Uniontown, PA. Click here to view a full post about our experience.

The property is beautifully rustic and historic providing a peaceful, relaxing, and quaint atmosphere. We loved wine tasting, delicious food, and live music. This place is also open to everyone, even if you aren’t staying the night.

I’m now hooked on staycations and there are many other local bed and breakfasts, resorts, and cabins I’d like to stay at including:

Click here for more ideas of local places to stay in the Laurel Highlands.

Pittsburgh Curling Club – Learn To Curl

My husband and I try to soak in as much of the Olympics as we can as they come around, and we’ve always wanted to learn more about curling. When we drove back to Pennsylvania from Alaska, we knocked on the door of a curling facility in Canada just so we can watch people play, but we were bummed it was closed.

It’s always been a bucket list item for us, so I was completely surprised and thrilled to learn that we could give it a try so close to home in Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh Curling Club.

We took my sister and brother-in-law for a double date. Because we didn’t have the time to wine and dine, we grabbed a quick dinner at My Thai along the way. Thai food is one of our favorite cuisines and we don’t have Thai food in Uniontown, so we grab it when we can. It was delicious and we’d love to go back.

The Club’s Learn to Curl Session was the perfect way to surprise my husband on his birthday. The two-hour session offered a nice introduction to some basics of the sport, and by the end, we were able to actually play a few rounds of the game. It didn’t take long for all of us to get a little competitive as we naturally tend to do.

Because I had questions in my mind about what to wear, I figure I would mention what we ended up wearing.

  • Footwear- A comfortable shoe like a tennis shoe or sneaker is recommended. They will give covers to put over your shoe to reduce your chance of slipping on the ice.
  • Bottoms- You want to wear something comfortable that allows for movement, so I might avoid jeans. My sister went with leggings. My husband and I are obsessed with our prAna pants and we wear them everywhere (golfing, hiking, casually, and now curling I guess). I wore the women’s Halle pants (REI), (Amazon) and my husband wore the Brion pants (REI), (Amazon). I might have also considered my winter Hallena pants (REI),(Amazon) for warmth.
  • Tops- We all ended up wearing a long sleeve layer with a vest in case we needed to shed layers. It was chilly, so the vest stayed on and provided enough warmth. Others had on some lighter jackets like a fleece. Again you want to allow for movement, so I’d probably avoid a big bulky winter jacket.
  • Gloves/hat- My sister is a little bit more cold blooded and ended up with light gloves and a hat. I did fine without gloves and a hat.
  • Phone- You can put your phone down while you play and take pictures/videos at the end. If you insist on having your phone with you, I’d probably make sure you have a secure place for it like a zipper pocket.

The facility was beautiful and the members of the Pittsburgh Curling Club were so funny, friendly, and welcoming. This was such a fun double date night. I think it would be a lot of fun to take a big group of friends or family members. We had such a fun time and can’t wait to go back.

Other Date Ideas

I have a few other date ideas on my radar that I’d like to try next.

I am definitely looking to grow this list. If you have any ideas of where we should go next, please share.

If you found this helpful and try out some of these date nights, I want to see or hear about it. Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram (@adventureswkelly).