Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate love and connection, and if you’re in Macomb or Oakland County, there’s no shortage of fun and unique experiences to enjoy with your special someone. Whether you’re looking for a cozy night out, a hands-on adventure, or a peaceful retreat, this list has something for every couple.

Savor a wine tasting experience

Where: Filipo Marc Winery, 39085 Garfield Road, Clinton Township

Wine lovers will adore a romantic evening at Filipo Marc Winery, where you can sip on expertly crafted, custom-blended wines in an intimate setting. Elevate your Valentine’s toast with a special bottle to take home. Filipo’s has a pre-Valentine’s event on Feb. 10. Visit filipomarcwinery.com for details.

Where: Michigan by the Bottle Wine Tasting Rooms, locations in Auburn Hills, Royal Oak and Shelby Township

Combining events like trivia, calligraphy classes, live music and more with tastings of fine wines, wine lovers can enjoy an evening of tasting and fun. A full schedule is available at mbtbtasting.com.

Where: OPC Social & Activity Center, 650 Letica Drive, Rochester

If you prefer an intimate dining experience, attend a wine pairing dinner with expert sommelier Christel Gaillard from Woodberry Wines from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20. This event features paired wines and gourmet dishes in a cozy, romantic setting. Tickets are $40 for OPC members and $45 for nonmembers. Call 248-659-1029 for reservations.

Enjoy a live show together

Where: Meadow Brook Theatre, 378 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester

Immerse yourselves in the magic of live theatre with a Broadway-style performance at Meadow Brook Theatre. This professional venue offers an enchanting date night experience, from musicals to dramas. Starting Feb. 12 is “The Angel Next Door.” It’s “a screwball comedy … about people in love with theater, who know that, sometimes, even reality needs a rewrite to reach a happy ending.”

Where: Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township

From musical performances to plays to dance, The Macomb Center for the Performing Arts is often referred to as the cultural hub of Macomb County, and is a provider of year-round cultural enrichment experiences. Check out February attractions by visiting macombcenter.com.

Where: OPC Social & Activity Center, 650 Letica Drive, Rochester

Enjoy “A Night with the Stars: Rod Stewart & Elton John Tribute,” a high-energy tribute show featuring the singers’ legendary sounds. This romantic and lively event will have you singing along to timeless classics. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased by calling 248-659-1029. The show is 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 13.

Take a cozy winter stroll

Where: Stony Creek Metropark, 4300 Main Park Drive, Shelby Township

Bundle up and embrace the winter wonderland with a serene walk through Stony Creek Metropark. Enjoy the snow-covered trails, frozen lakes and peaceful wooded paths — perfect for a romantic escape into nature.

Get hands-on with a cooking class

Where: Sur La Table, 2801 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 264, Troy

Why go out for dinner when you can learn to cook a gourmet meal together? Sur La Table offers hands-on cooking classes where you can master everything from pasta-making to decadent desserts. Visit surlatable.com/cooking-classes.

Where: Mirepoix Cooking School, 1203 S. Main St., Royal Oak

A full schedule of February classes, including a Valentine’s Wine Pairing, can be found at mirepoixcookingschool.com. Both in-person and virtual events are held.

Unwind with couples’ yoga or meditation

Where: Your favorite studio

Find your Zen with a couples’ yoga session or meditative Tai Chi experience. These activities promote relaxation and wellness and strengthen your bond through mindful movement and connection.

See a classic movie on the big screen

Where: Your favorite theater

Transport yourselves back in time by catching a throwback movie screening at a local theatre. Many cinemas feature romantic classics or cult favorites around Valentine’s Day, making for a cozy and nostalgic date night. Emagine theater’s Flashback Cinema airs favorites such as “Casablanca,” “Gone with the Wind” and “Moonstruck.” A different movie is presented each week. Visit emagine-entertainment.com/flashback-cinema.

Try a unique artistic workshop

Where: Local artisan studios

Get creative with a painting, sculpture or even a glassblowing class, where you and your partner can craft a one-of-a-kind keepsake. Many studios in the area offer hands-on workshops, allowing you to create something memorable and personal. Check out Painting with a Twist, which has multiple locations throughout the area, or Hawaii Fluid Art, 1426 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, for Valentine’s special deals.

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By Andrea Sachs
The Washington Post

When skiers and snowboarders return to the slopes this season, they will find a flurry of new developments at U.S. mountain resorts.

Speedier chairlifts with heated seats and protective shields. New terrain for all skill levels. Lift-ticket technology that allows guests to keep their gloves on and their parkas clutter-free.

The ski industry has been booming. The 2022-23 season set a record with 65.4 million people visiting nearly 440 resorts nationwide, according to the National Ski Areas Association, and last winter ranked as the fifth-busiest since the group started collecting data in 1978.

To accommodate all that interest, ski areas are pouring millions of dollars into projects that will shorten lift lines, improve access to trails and disperse crowds with additional acreage. The goal is less time standing in line, more runs down the mountain.

“Resorts dealt with a lot of capacity issues,” said Erik Mogensen, managing director of Indy Pass, a ski pass with more than 200 resorts, “so we’ve seen a lot of capital investment in a lot of places.”

A number of big and small resorts, run by conglomerates or independent owners, debuted upgraded equipment and new trails last season. Visitors can expect plenty more this year.

Records being set in Michigan

Michigan’s Boyne Mountain, in its mission to become “the most advanced lift infrastructure in the Midwest,” celebrated its 75th anniversary last season with a new 400-foot covered conveyor and a three-person chairlift deemed the fastest in the region.

“Boyne Resorts is installing some of the most advanced lifts in the U.S. right now,” said Kelly Pawlak, the outgoing president and chief executive of the National Ski Areas Association.

For the 2024-25 winter season, the resort has increased its snowmaking power and is returning the “Lights in the Sky” on SkyBridge Michigan. Available through April 30, Lights in the Sky features over 100,000 twinkling lights strewn across the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge. SkyBridge Michigan is a 1,200-foot long, 118-foot high pedestrian bridge positioned between two peaks, overlooking Boyne Valley.

Deer Valley opening massive expansion in Utah

The most anticipated reveal is Deer Valley’s East Village and terrain expansion in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. All told, the ambitious plan will add 3,700 new skiable acres (no snowboarding allowed), 16 lifts, 130 runs and a summit day lodge. Off-slope amenities will include restaurants, an ice-skating rink and hotels.

The opening of the first phase started in December, bringing three new chairlifts, 19 ski runs and 500 parking spots. The second phase, which will include six new chairlifts, 100 runs and 700 parking spots, is slated for the 2025-26 ski season.

“This expansion will facilitate even better access to the resort for our guests while offering a substantial increase in world-class amenities consistent with the resort’s original vision,” said Todd Bennett, president and chief operating officer of Deer Valley Resort, which celebrates its 43rd season.

Steamboat becomes Colorado’s second-largest resort

Steamboat Ski Resort has wrapped up the initial three phases of its “Full Steam Ahead” redevelopment project, which spanned several years and cost more than $200 million. With the expansion, Steamboat supplanted Aspen Snowmass as the second-largest ski resort in Colorado.

Steamboat’s additions include 650 acres of challenging terrain with double-black trails and steep cliffs. It also refashioned an area for beginners called Greenhorn Ranch, which relocates newbies from the frenetic base to the more immersive midsection of the mountain.

“More people are retreating to the mountains for adventure, so it’s important to welcome all levels and interests,” said Maren Franciosi, a Steamboat spokesperson.

To transport thousands more people up the mountain per hour, the resort last season unveiled the second section of the Wild Blue Gondola, the longest and fastest 10-person gondola in North America, according to Alterra Mountain Company, which is overseeing the project.

Steamboat also opened a food hall with local eateries named after ski trails and areas, plus a second-story bar where guests can perch and watch the action.

Rolling out speedier chairs and more terrain

Other resorts are also expanding and upgrading, though on a smaller scale than Deer Valley and Steamboat.

Elsewhere in Colorado, Copper Mountain replaces a four-person chairlift with a high-speed six-person lift, and Snowmass will swap in its old Coney Glade chair for a high-speed quad that will extend to the base area. At Aspen, the Hero’s expansion increases the mountain’s lift-accessible terrain by 20 percent. Keystone is adding more than 500 acres of high-alpine terrain and an express chairlift that eliminates the need to hike to Bergman and Erickson bowls.

Hunter Mountain Resort, in Upstate New York, is making similar changes, replacing a four-person lift with the high-speed, six-person Broadway Express, which will more than double capacity. As part of Big Sky Resort’s 10-year plan, that Montana ski area swapped a six-person lift for the Madison 8, which features heated seats and a bubble that protects riders from the waist up. The lift, which began operations in December, will nearly double capacity, to 2,745 riders per hour; lower ride time by 30 percent; and set the world record as the longest eight-person lift, according to the resort.

Freezing prices and scanning tickets faster

The combination of high lift-ticket prices and packed slopes means that some guests may be paying more for fewer runs. In response, several ski areas have introduced initiatives and technological innovations to limit costs and wait times.

Starting in late December, Arapahoe Basin, west of Denver, will roll out a parking reservation system that requires visitors to book a spot for arrivals before 1 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Vail Resorts is aiming to streamline the ticketing process with its mobile lift ticket and pass technology at its North American properties. Guests can purchase daily tickets or passes on the free My Epic app, and a scanner will read their ticket from inside their parka or pants pocket.

To curb escalating costs, meanwhile, Pacific Group Resorts’ ski areas have introduced Mission Affordability pricing. The company’s destinations, which include Wintergreen Resort in Virginia, Wisp in Maryland, Ragged Mountain Resort in New Hampshire and Jay Peak in Vermont, are freezing or reducing ticket prices. They’re also offering special packages, multi-resort passes and free learning programs.

Purgatory Resort in Colorado is bringing back demand-based pricing; for the second year, visitors can score $9 tickets on quiet days, nearly 10 times cheaper than peak dates. And, on the gear front, Killington in Vermont is renting Gore-Tex pants and jackets, saving guests from having to purchase pricey sports apparel.

“Prices have been going up pretty dramatically for all four seasons, but we have been seeing pricing resistance at a lot of the independents,” Mogensen said. “They cater more toward families, so this is huge.”

Jason Alley contributed to this report.