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Show Your Family Some Love this Valentine’s Day
By Bramble Heidt

This Valentine’s Day, instead of going out to dinner and leaving the kids with a sitter, find a way to celebrate as a family. This day is about more than just romance; everyone should be included in the love-fest that is Valentine’s Day. 

Many schools give a mid-winter break in February and you should take advantage of this to plan a family-themed Valentine’s Day. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “One of your most important gifts as a parent is to help your child develop self-esteem…Loving him, spending time with him, listening to him and praising his accomplishments are all part of this process.” Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to come together as a family and reinforce feelings of love. 

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like chocolate, and no one does chocolate like Hershey. For an unforgettable family Valentine’s Day head to the Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pa. A town founded by chocolatier Milton Hershey. Chocolatey fun isn’t just limited to Hershey bars, warm hot chocolate at check-in, and mouthwatering chocolate deserts in the restaurant, your family can spend the whole day working with, thinking about, and tasting chocolate. Begin the day with a chocolate character breakfast, and later play one of many chocolate themed games like chocolate trivia and bingo. There are also Hershey kiss hunts, chocolate Play-Doh, and you can even make your own Hershey product complete with name and jingle. 

Hotel Hershey and the surrounding town of Hershey participate in a month long celebration known as “chocolate covered February” and offer a variety of chocolate-themed activities. At Hershey’s Chocolate World learn chocolate lore while participating in a chocolate tasting guided by a chocolatier. On the weekends they offer chocolate crafts and a chocolate parade with the Hershey park band. This year, back by popular demand, the Hershey Museum will host a chocolate themed magic show with Mike Rose.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, head up to Wilmington, Vt. for family fun, New England style. The featured activity is a sleigh ride over the 100-acre farm, pulled by Belgian and Percheron draft horses. Over hill and dale, the beautiful scenery and tinkling German sleigh bells on your 1880s vintage sleigh are sure to set the tone. The ride ends at a log cabin in the woods where your family can warm up by the fire, sip on hot chocolate and sing along with a player piano. The whole trip is about an hour and a half, and both day and evening rides are available. 

Other activities available on the farm are an Indoor Livestock Visit, where you can feed, pet and cuddle with the animals, milk a goat and hunt for chicken eggs. The nearby Kitzhof Inn is a perfect place to stay with family sized rooms, and tutors if your child has schoolwork to complete. Other fun activities that can be arranged through the Inn are snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and mountain activities at the nearby Mount Snow.

If you’d rather use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to bask in the sun, Royal Caribbean has cruises through the Bahamas with great Valentine’s themed activities. Why just go to Florida when you can cruise? Make the most out of your plane tickets this Valentine’s Day and visit Florida and the Bahamas. There are tons of different cruises to choose from, different lengths of time to stay onboard, and an island cruise can be just as affordable as a hotel in Florida. The price includes almost all activities and dining options.

Popular games your family can play on the ship are Love Trivia and Romance Name that Tune. A Battle of the Sexes and Valentine’s Day dance just for teens keeps your older ones busy. Or you could make cards and gifts as a family during arts and crafts, or croon together at Love Song Karaoke. There are also Valentine’s themed movies and parties. For good old-fashioned family fun there is an ice skating rink, miniature golf course, and rock-climbing walls. These are all great family-bonding activities that promote teamwork and togetherness.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reminds everyone, “Don’t forget to say, ‘I love you’ to children of all ages.” Use this holiday to remind your family how much you love them. 

Bramble Heidt is an editorial assistant at Curious Parents.