With its many restaurants, movie theatres, parks, hikes and scenic viewpoints, Castlegar is an excellent city for date night (and date days). You can stroll along a beach or go for a wintery snowshoe followed by aprés drinks at a craft brewery and then finish the date with a delicious dinner or an entertaining movie, or both!
Below we’ve listed eight other ideas for date night (or day) in Castlegar. Whether your preference is a romantic indoor activity or a fun outdoor one, you’re sure to fall in love with the city, and your loved one, all over again.
Dine Out
There are no shortages of places to eat for date night in Castlegar. In fact, there are close to 30 establishments where you can get drinks, food to go, or enjoy a sit-down meal. And if your preference leans towards day-time dates, there are also a lot of places to grab a coffee (we’ve listed our favourite cafes here) breakfast, lunch or brunch. Three different restaurants where we’ve enjoyed date night in Castlegar before include:
- Lions Head Smoke and Brew Pub – A great neighbourhood pub with dozens of beers on tap and taste barbecue.
- The Grand Buddha Bistro – A quaint eatery with delicious Asian food and the best peanut sauce in the city.
- The Grateful Table – An intimate spot with authentic Greek cuisine.
Go to the Movies
There’s a reason the de facto date night includes dinner and a movie and the great thing about date night in Castlegar is you can do both within close proximity of each other. The conveniently located Kootenay Centre Cinemas are intimate yet modern with just a touch of down-home hospitality. Grab an extra large popcorn and then commit to the challenging task of deciding between a rom-com or action-adventure. Closer to downtown is the Old Theatre, which showcases old movies and new in n amazing historic setting. Find out what’s playing by visiting theoldtheatre.com.
Go Bowling
The best part about bowling for date night in Castlegar is it’s perfect for double dating. You and another couple can enjoy pitting your skills against one another at the Castlebowl bowling alley while enjoying the great licensed lounge. It’s just like how people dated 40 years ago except with a few modern flourishes including black lights and laser shows.
Visit A Museum
If you’re wondering what to do on a date during the daytime, consider visiting a museum in town, such as the CPR Station Museum, in downtown Castlegar or the The Doukhobor Discovery Museum near the airport. The latter is a wonderful place to learn more about the culture that has so profoundly shaped what the city is today. There are 10 historical buildings on site and you’ll get to learn how the Doukhobor lived in the first half of the 20th Century. The CPR Station Museum, or the Railway Museum as it has come to be called, is also an excellent step back in time. This century-old station recreates what it was like for passenger travel in the early 1900s and the most popular onsite attraction is the perfectly-preserved caboose. A visit to the Railway Museum is an excellent way for you and your partner to reminisce about a time when travel was far more romantic. The two are open regular hours during the warmer months from March to October and available to visit via appointment during the other months.
Visit An Art Gallery & Butterfly Garden
The Kootenay Gallery of Art History and Science is located on the grounds of the Doukhobor Discovery Museum near the airport. It is a public art gallery that offers a variety of programming, displays and rotating art exhibitions. It also boasts the only Butterfly Gardens, which is a beautiful, romantic spot to hang out for an hour, and the Gallery has movies nights on set evenings that typically show more independent titles than the blockbusters you’ll find at the more commercial movies theatres.
Go For a Hike
If your preferences veer towards enjoying a date outdoors then there are plenty of options for you to do in Castlegar. One activity is to go for a stroll or a hike. There’s no shortage of trails in the area and you can partake in everything from a romantic walk by the beach and through Millenium Park to a more vigorous hike that culminates in a beautiful view of the Columbia or Kootenay Rivers and the valley. For more ideas of where to go for a walk, visit our article, “Best Hiking Trails in Castlegar.”
Go Play in the Snow
If you’re looking for something to do on date night in Castlegar in the winter months, consider a moonlit cross-country ski to a trail-side hut where you can enjoy a romantic picnic meal. Or a night-time skate or day-time tobogganing. Just because there’s snow on the ground doesn’t mean you have to plan an indoor date — bundle up and go play in it! Besides, it’ll make you appreciate the drink by the fire afterwards even more. You can find more ideas of what to do in the wintertime in our “5 Things To Do In The Winter” article.
Visit the Spa
There are over half a dozen massage clinics and spas in Castlegar and a different way to enjoy a date in the city is to book a couples massage. For example, the Silver Birch Clinic offers a session called “Couples Bliss” that lasts two hours and includes a a foot-soak followed by grooming/massaging your feet to ease muscle tension and a 45-minute registered massage. Talk about a relaxing way to spend a date!