For Valentine’s Day or any time, solutions for treating your sweetie are numerous in Faulkner County.
If it’s a dinner date you desire, Conway has plenty of restaurants with excellent food and atmosphere for a romantic evening, including Mike’s Place, Michelangelo’s, Oak Street Bistro, Fuji or Outback Steakhouse.
Kim Williams, executive director of the Conway Downtown Partnership, said, “There are great places for dates in Conway. You can start with happy hour at Michelangelo’s, then go to dinner at Oak Street Bistro or U.S. Pizza. You can end up now at the dueling pianos for entertainment. It’s just great. It’s such a great complement to our restaurants – after dinner now you have something to do, you don’t have to just go home.”
On the other hand, for a quiet night at home, pop some popcorn and enjoy a “just out on DVD” pay-per-view from Conway Corporation. Many of Conway Corp’s on demand movie selections come out 28 days prior to their release on DVD.
However, if you crave fine arts entertainment, Conway has much to offer year-round.
Top-notch shows within driving distance can be found at Reynolds Hall Public Appearances at the University of Central Arkansas. Go to www.uca.edu/publicappearances to purchase tickets. Upcoming performances include an exhibition of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming called “The Art of the Drum” on Feb. 27 as well as Broadway shows “Doubt” on March 1 and “Stomp” on March 27.
The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre presents its festival of plays each summer in June. Audiences have several opportunities to enjoy a Shakespearean comedy and a tragedy, each driven by the director’s creative vision. Also, the festival presents children’s classics and well-loved plays by other authors.
Throughout the year, the Conway Symphony Orchestra delights audiences with its concert series of classical music, including a free concert in Simon Park in downtown. Anyone looking to please the music lover in their life need look no farther.
Or -- why not have a totally new experience with the love of your life?
Branch Out Paint Bar and Boutique offers date night events where couples, led by an instructor, can paint their own artwork with no prior painting experience.
Couples who recently attended a date night said they found the experience romantic and very spontaneous and one that had the ability to reawaken passion in a relationship.
The newest thing to do in Conway is listen to the dueling pianos play at Kings Conway.
Owner Dustin Botsford said, “It’s the most fun place in town and by far the best entertainment. We have three players nightly, and each of them can play pianos, guitar, bass and drums.”
Kings is on Front Street, and next door in the same building is the Ford Theater, which will host various bands and artists in addition to serving as an event center.
Then again, perhaps when you get an evening with that special someone, you prefer the comfortable and familiar.
Always popular for date night is a trip to the movie theater, and Conway’s Cinemark Theater is just the place. Open for just over a year, the 12-screen theater offers comfortable stadium seating, all-digital projection and 3D. It is located in the Conway Towne Centre on Skyline Drive, near several restaurants and places to shop.
For couples who love to play or compete, Conway Family Bowl might be the perfect place for a date. It is open until midnight or later every day of the week except Sunday, when it closes at 8 p.m. Prices are reasonable and there is a snack bar.
On a sunny day in a beautiful state, you might as well go outdoors and call it a date. Take a picnic lunch to Laurel Park or ride bikes on the Tucker Creek trail. Woolly Hollow State Park has hik