11 ways to treat your valentine on the cheap in the Twin Cities area

Inflation is eating away at your take-home pay. Gas prices just aren't coming down. What's a romantic on a budget supposed to do? Well, we found some ways to treat your Valentine (and yourself) in style without a hefty price tag.

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I Heart for art

Mia (aka the Minneapolis Institute of Art) becomes the Institute of Hearts through 5 p.m. Sunday. Pick up a free paper heart valentine at the visitor experience desk in the lobby, tour the galleries and place your heart by your favorite piece of art. You can share your choice with the world at @artsmia #MiaHearts or remain a secret admirer.

CONNIE NELSON

Rhyme time

Nothing says romance like a sonnet. Now you don't need to be a poet to write one. Artificial intelligence chatbot websites like ChatGPT can crank out a custom Shakespeare-style poem dedicated to your sweetheart in seconds — and for free. If you want to simper modestly, "Yes, dear, I wrote it myself," we won't tell. Here's part of a poem created by YouChat:

Thou art my one and only dearest love,
My heart will love thee evermore and aye,
Thy beauty doth shine from thy heavens above,
Thy sunshine fills my life with light each day.
[Insert Name], thou art my one and only,
My love for thee will never end or cease.

RICHARD CHIN

Staged for perfect views

The Guthrie Theater offers some of the finest free views of downtown and the Mississippi River. No ticket is required to enter the building. Perch in the amber box on the ninth floor to enjoy views of downtown Minneapolis filtered through a nostalgic golden hue. Stroll down the cantilevered Endless Bridge and pop outside on the viewing deck for a selfie with your sweetie, with the Stone Arch Bridge as a perfect backdrop. You may even want to pick up rush tickets for a show.

LAURA YUEN

Lovers lane

Candlelight can turn a walk in the woods into a romantic stroll — and several area nature centers are doing the work for you. Baker Outdoor Learning Center in Maple Plain is setting up a candle-lit snowshoe trail and serving dinner in the log lodge ($30) on Valentine's Day. You can bring your own bottle of wine. For quirkier couples, Mississippi Gateway Regional Park in Brooklyn Park is hosting a Valentine's evening walk along the river ($10) that includes a trivia game — about Minnesota animal mating habits. BYOB.

ERICA PEARSON

Romance for fur babies

Dogs need dates, too. Escape the cold with your pup at Unleashed Hounds and Hops, a combination taproom, dog park and restaurant in Minneapolis. Watch your dog meet-and-greet while you sip wine and nosh on craft sausages or vegan fare. Who knows — maybe you'll meet someone special, as well. Register your pup online, upload vaccination records, and reserve your time. A daily pass is $9 (or $14 for two dogs).

L.Y.

When rom met com

Can men and women just be friends? Get closer to discovering the answer at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis on Feb. 16 Enjoy live music by Leslie Vincent and Ted Godbout, followed by a showing of the classic rom-com "When Harry Met Sally." 6:30 p.m. $9 in advance, $12 at the door.

MARY ELLEN RITTER

Tea for two

Relax and spend some face-to-face time without distraction at Northeast Tea House in Minneapolis. Take in the soothing music, comfy chairs and aquarium while enjoying a cup of tea made with the restaurant's freshly milled matcha. Phones and screens usage are discouraged. Drinks start at $5.

ALEX CHHITH

Rub-a-dub

While $54 might sound like a lot of money for a bath, at the Watershed, a new communal bathhouse in Minneapolis, the fee includes an opportunity to luxuriate in a hot soaking pool, relax in a sauna, loosen up in a steam room and wake up in a cold plunge pool as many times as you want during your three-hour reservation. Your fingertips might get a little pruney, but you'll leave clean and relaxed.

R.C.

Dine in, in style

Steakhouse prices have hit triple digits, so stay home and cook your own. Harrison Wood, a journeyman meatcutter with Everett's, recommends a tenderloin for its melt-in-your-mouth texture and simplicity to prepare. If the $30-something a pound is too steep, buy a flank steak, at less than half the price. Slicing it into strips at a 45-degree angle makes for a lovely presentation (it's great for steak salad). And there's no need to fuss with sauces. "I'm a big proponent of just using salt and pepper," Wood said. "Let the meat speak for itself."

RACHEL HUTTON

Champagne taste

Topping a potato chip with a schmear of sour cream or creme fraiche, adding a pinch of chopped chives and crowning it with caviar is a traditional highbrow/lowbrow luxury snack. But a 1-ounce jar of sturgeon caviar from the Caspian Sea could set you back $80. Instead, Coastal Seafoods in Minneapolis carries hackleback roe, from a domestic sturgeon, for $39.99 an ounce. Even more affordable: rainbow trout roe for $14.99 for 2 ounces. Spend the money you save to wash it down with the traditional accompaniment: Champagne.