Best Spots to Bring Your Date This Spring in Montclair

With Valentine’s Day in the rearview mirror and daylight savings just around the corner, it can only mean one thing—spring is here! Finally, we can look forward to warmer days and longer time with sunlight but more importantly, we can plan those amazing outdoor dates with our significant other. Reader, I know you might be thinking to yourself “but I enjoy my nights in, just Netflix and Chilling.” Who doesn’t enjoy that? But what I treasure more is being able to share laughs and memories outdoors with that someone special. That is just priceless.

Now I know you’re starting to think, “well all the activities that are fun and outside either 1) cost too much money or 2) are too long of a drive for me.” Trust me, both of those reasons are reasonable, but what if I told you by continuing to read this article, I would show you activities that will eliminate both factors. Would you reconsider pausing your Netflix series?

Ah, I see you have continued, and do you know why? Because unlike life, those Netflix series can be paused and watched any day of almost any week. The memories you create in real-life, are once in a lifetime. Below I highlight a couple of my favorite date spots in the Montclair area that helps lead me to that goodnight kiss.

The first two spots are ones I love to bring my dates to and helps me stand out from the rest of the crowd. Those two spots are the Turtle Back Zoo and The Mini Golf Safari Course (which is located a few feet away from the zoo). Let’s first start with the Turtle Back Zoo. Although this zoo is nothing compared to the Bronx Zoo, it still offers some great features for everyone to enjoy. Admissions is very reasonable, only costing adults $12 and children $10. The zoo has all types of animals ranging from alligators to giraffes. If you want to “up” your game a bit, the Turtle Back Zoo offers special behind the scene tours for certain animals like the giraffes, sea lions, and penguins. All the tours take around 30-45 minutes and will cost you anywhere from $38 to $50, depending on what animal you choose to see. You get to learn more about the creatures, such as where they live, what they eat, and even how they play. The best feature about this tour is that you get the chance to interact with the animals!

For the readers who do not want to pay for the tours, there are still plenty of other things to do. For example, a personal favorite of mine is going to the touch tank. While learning about these animals, you get the ability to put your hand in the water and touch the sting rays and sharks! Don’t worry, they don’t bite or sting, they just want to be shown some love.

But the date does not stop there! While you’re at the zoo, why not make your way down to the Safari Mini Golf Course and find out who’s the best golfer in the relationship. The price to play is $12 for adults and $10 for children. Let me just say the course is definitely worth it. Safari Mini Golf is not just your typical mini golf course. It has all the elements you can think of, from elevated holes to holes surrounded by water. The course stays aligned with the zoo theme by offering three different sections—the Desert, Grasslands, and the Congo. Each section is themed with elements from each environment, which adds a unique spin to the course. All in all, it’s another fun, inexpensive way to make memories with someone special to you.

Don’t you worry, I didn’t forget about one of the most important date ideas—FOOD!! Let’s not deny it, we all love to eat. Especially at places that allow us to dine outside, either in the sun or under the stars. When it comes to exciting outdoor local places in the Montclair area, you can never go wrong by eating at Cuban Pete’s. With an authentic Cuban feel and the ability to eat outdoors, Cuban Pete’s offers one of the best dining experiences in Montclair. All their food is amazing and large enough for you to walk away full and happy. Cuban Pete’s does not only have marvelous food, they also make delicious drinks! They are a BYOB restaurant but, all you need to do is bring your favorite liquor and they do the rest for you. They have all type of juices and mixers, freshly made so you can pick what kind of mojito or margarita you want to drink with your dinner. What’s better than great food and tasty drinks? Oh right, those memories you just made by eating and enjoying each other’s company at Cuban Pete’s!

Without giving up all my date spots, I hope the ones I mentioned help you plan some phenomenal nights with your significant other. If all goes right (and I know it will), not only will you have those incredible memories you just created, but you might also walk away with that goodnight kiss you’ve been hoping for all night.