The Ogden Wire Group Chat | Ogden Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

A transcript of the podcast can be found below:

Shaylee Stevens: Welcome to the Ogden Wire Group Chat Edition. I'm Shaylee, and I'm here with my co host, Sydney. During these special segments of the Ogden Wire, think of us as your friendly Ogden tour guides. Sydney and I are going to be giving you our recommendations on how we like to hang out in Ogden, we'll be covering different topics. So this month, we are diving into all things Valentine's Day. We've got date ideas for couples and some awesome Galentines ideas mixed in with some gifts, all the things. So Syd, should we start on some date ideas for the couples?

Sydney Pace: Of course, we got to have some good dinner recommendations on that, because we love a good food. We have Hearth on 25th Shaylee, have you been there before?

Shaylee Stevens: I have. So, Hearth on 25th is this really cool restaurant that is actually like upstairs right on Lincoln and 25th, so you get to look out across 25th when you're up there by the windows. And their chef there is just amazing. He does these custom tasting menus. So for Valentine's Day, specifically, they do this really elaborate. It's anywhere from like five to like nine courses of a tasting menu with just the most unique flavors everywhere, like you'll find anywhere in Ogden. If you are looking for a fancy date to take, like for an anniversary, Valentine's Day, whatever, this is the place to go. Especially on Valentine's Day, that experience is just going to be unlike anywhere else. So yes, hearth on 25th, highly recommend.

Sydney Pace: Maybe catch me there. Next we have Table 25, also on 25th Street. I've eaten here all different types of seasons, and I love that their menu is just constantly changing and flowing with what's in and what's out, and it's just a nice place to go that's elevated, quiet, and like their windows are also big, so you can look and see all downtown activity while you're at your dinner.

Shaylee Stevens: And their service is also just amazing. Just shout out to their staff. They're always so friendly. I personally have dietary restrictions, so I'm constantly asking waiters a ton of questions, and they are always so nice to me and help out. And as somebody who loves a fancy cocktail, their seasonal cocktails are so good. And speaking of cocktails, if you have not heard about the new winery in Weber County, please check out Purple Sky Winery. It is in Pleasant View. We recently went there on a little visit, and they're just the coolest new addition to Weber County. They have both the wine bar where you can get some like chill charcuterie. They have both a savory charcuterie, so more what you're used to with some meats, cheeses, crackers, that kind of thing. But then you can also do a sweet charcuterie board, which is like kind of a chocolate tasting type of thing, which pairs really well with their sweeter wines. And then they also have a full service restaurant that offers upscale cuisine that they will like walk you through what pairs well with certain wines. They have both local wines that they've curated from Utah, as well as some from California. So for all of the wine people in your life, this is the place to take a date.

Sydney Pace: And the vibes there are perfect for those Instagram pictures.

Shaylee Stevens: Beautiful. Immaculate. And we all want Instagram pictures for Valentine's Day, right?

Sydney Pace: We do. Up next, we have All About Tacos, and there's two locations in Ogden, so wherever
you're feeling. But they have really good deals going on always: buy three tacos, get three free. And it's just a place where you can go that's pretty chill, low-key, order what you want, make it what you want for more of a relaxed chill going out.

Shaylee Stevens Yeah, because I know I personally don't always want the fancy night out. Sometimes, like, I just want a chill night with some tacos or pizza. Speaking of pizza, our favorite pizza place ever:
Lucky Slice.

Sydney Pace: Oh, I go there every day. It's the best. You can get like a drink, bread stick, and a slice for like $8, or you can get a whole pizza. You can get their desserts too. Their wings, salads, all so good. And they're very unique.

Shaylee Stevens: And I will note: I would recommend Lucky Slice, especially like for the broke college students. We've been there. I teach college classes now, I still relate to it. Who doesn't want a cheap date
sometimes? And you can catch the OGX straight from Weber State downtown. And also group dates: I think Lucky Slice is like the perfect vibe for a group date, because you can order a whole pizza, share with the table. So chill, and just have fun with some drinks, some breadsticks and pizza. Circling back to a slightly more upscale but like slightly off the beaten path option, I personally like Sonora Grill. They are some of the freshest food you can find anywhere. The owner, Steve Ballard, also owns Ogden Produce Company, which produces fresh lettuce in these like hydroponic crates. It's a really cool process. Look them up, please. And then they serve that produce at Sonora Grill, along with just some really interesting Mexican inspired flavors. Their queso—yes—do the cheese pull on it. It's amazing. It's so good. And if you're like me and you like a margarita, their house made margarita mix is divine, genuinely one of the best margaritas I've had. So please try it. And then their whole menu—you can't go wrong with it. It's so good.

Sydney Pace: Something I love about all of these restaurants is that they're always like mixing and matching different types of ingredients that I would never think to put together. But somehow it works, and they're so good. Very delicious. And their menus, like with the change of every season, keeps you coming back.

Shaylee Stevens: So right, because you never get bored when they're constantly changing their menu. Like, I love every season when Table 25 drops their new seasonal option.

Sydney Pace: Yeah, like I'll be back again and again. And then, of course, it's Valentine's Day. But also, everyone needs a good sweet treat after they eat. So for some dessert options, you can go to
Lene' Marie Chocolates or The Cupcake Shoppe, both with very fun, unique, different options: caramel apples, chocolates, cupcakes with all sorts of flavors.

Shaylee Stevens: And fun fact about Lene' Marie's: they make all of their caramels in house. You can literally watch them making it just the old school way, with the giant metal bowl. And they're just
stirring away. It's so good. And then they have fudge and truffles and all the things. And then I love a good cupcake. So I'm a sucker for The Cupcake Shoppe. Their cupcakes are so good, so reliable. Definitely try them out. And they have gluten free options, right? Yes. Circling back to dietary restrictions: if you're someone like me who cannot always find sweet treats, check out The Cupcake Shoppe, because they do the most amazing gluten free cupcakes anywhere. They're so good.

And that leads us to some date ideas outside of dinner, because maybe you don't want to sit down
over a meal, or maybe you want to do something after a meal. So what do you do in Ogden?
We're going to start with some unique ideas. One that I personally like, because I like to bird watch and also just be out in nature, is the Natur Center on 12th Street. It is a little hidden gem in Ogden that I think is around like 15 acres It might be bigger, don't quote me on that one. But they have awesome trails that are open year round. They're not difficult trails either, because they're lower elevation. They're not in the mountains. So anyone can do them, really. And so you can take a little romantic stroll and just be in nature
and listen to like the birds and everything, and feel like you're not in the city while also still being in the city. So it's a lot of fun. So that's one of my favorite ideas.

Sydney Pace: Next, another one of my favorites is: I love skiing, and Powder Mountain has some good chill vibes. You can go hit the Powder Keg at Powder Mountain.

Shaylee Stevens: Powder Mountain. Yes, Powder Keg at Powder Mountain.

Sydney Pace: And then if you're at Snowbasin, Cinnabar. You can go have fancy lunch and hit the slopes,
and that's just fun, different to hang out with you and your loved one.

Shaylee Stevens: And the Cinnabar has fondue, so that is a fun little feature of their menu. Highly recommend trying that out.

A fun new one this year: the Marshall White Center, the newly remodeled building with all of their
fun features. They're hosting a date night on the wheel on February 14. So this is new, so we have
not tried it out, but this sounds amazing. They have this incredible pottery room, and they are hosting
a class you can go as a couple, group, whatever. They have different pricing options. But yeah,
that is February 14. So check it out on their website. They still have registration spots open,
and it sounds like a great time. Like, who doesn't want to have their little ghost moment over pottery?
It sounds like a perfect romantic night.

Sydney Pace: I'll be there with who I don't know, but I'll be there. I think always, just like experiences are
always fun for dates, instead of just like, you know, food. So to add more to that is just going to Social Axe Throwing. That's always fun or tried and true. You know, get your anger out if you're single and you're with the girlies or the boys, or even just like a date. Then it's fun, then you just have a good time together. The vibes at Social Axe are fun. Always music playing. There's a little bar. You can order some food and drinks too.

Shaylee Stevens: So another fun idea that I will fully give credit where credit is due: I thought of this because of TikTok. Shout out to the random people of TikTok.

There is this cool place on 25th street called Color Me Mine. They're in other cities as well, but ours
is really awesome because it's right on 25th Street. So you can grab some dinner and then go paint
each other a plate. Go to Color Me Mine. Have you and your date pick out a plate and then paint
a plate for each other. I think this is such a fun idea. It's really—I've never thought about it before.
And then you have something to take home and remember the date by. So I think that would be
so fun.

And then, if you're like me and you're kind of scared of the idea of actually making pottery and
touching the mud, this removes that middleman, and you just jump straight to the painting of the pottery,
yeah?

Sydney Pace: So you can only mess up a little bit of it.

Shaylee Stevens: Exactly. There's more room for error.

Sydney Pace: Yeah, exactly. Painting is like one of my favorite hobbies. I love it. There's an art class at Ninth and Muse in the mall or Local Artisan, and you just go take a paint class. It's similar to the vibes of Color Me Mine, but you have to create it what you paint. So that's always fun. Become creative. Very romantic, very peaceful.

Shaylee Stevens And Local Artisan and Ninth Muse, they also offer some other like fun classes. Like Local Artisan, I know they've done various things like journal making, stained glass, yeah. So there's an option for everyone, no matter your interest. And then if you want to spark some romance, why not try some candle making, which, in my opinion, works for both a regular date with someone special and a girl's night. So like Galentine's is coming up. So why not go and make some candles with your friends? We have two great candle making places in downtown Ogden. There's The Wick Lab on Washington and
then there is The Art Box on 25th Street. They are both candle making, but they're completely different
vibes. So I personally love them both for very different reasons. The Art Box is going to be more your laid back vibe candles with like the charms and little things, like very colorful candles, so you can theme it. So if you want to do like maybe Valentine's charms and do like hearts and pink wax and things like that, The Art Box is going to be the place to go. And then if you want more of the like chic, modern looking candles, check out The Wick Lab. I really love their scent selection especially, and then they're right on Washington, so you can look out the windows and enjoy the views of the mountains and everything while making a candle. So both romantic, or one for the girlies.

Sydney Pace: Speaking of the girlies, Shaylee, this is like our favorite time of year. Yes. Get the girls together, go out, have a fun night on 25th Street. There's a new bookstore called Romantics Archive, and they are probably the cutest I've ever been in in my life. I'm not a reader, but because of how they decorated it, I will become a reader. It's so cute in there. And they do a book exchange, and they're always doing events and hosting things you can make, like a book bouquet and other fun events. Like they have a calendar that you can when you go in there, you can sign up and get like notifications and things like that for them.

Shaylee Stevens: I'm so obsessed with that bookstore. And even when they're not hosting an event, like take your friends in there and have everyone pick a book and just swap them around. Like, they have cute little table spaces that you can reserve so you can have a book club there. Like, have done book bedazzling. They're just the coolest store to take your girls.

Sydney Pace: So cute. You can even work on your homework there. Yeah, there's lots.

Shaylee Stevens: And the owner is just amazing. I love her. So go into the Romantics Archive and chat with her and get book recommendations from them as well. They always love to give book recommendations. And then right across the street is one of my favorite places ever: The Mercantile. She goes there every day. I am there so often, and it one thing that I love to do is go with some of my best friends on the weekends for brunch and a mimosa flight. Their mimosa flights are so good. They do like the really unique flavors. They'll have the classic orange juice. But then like one of my favorites is this like basil blackberry one. They'll sometimes have a spicy flavor. It's so good. And then paired with their brunch, it's the perfect girls outing. If you can't make it for brunch, though, The Mercantile is also open relatively late till around like eight or nine, and they also do wine flights. So you can go in in the evening, get a little charcuterie board for the table and wine flights and just chat with the girls. I love it. I go all the time.

Sydney Pace: Who doesn't love a good brunch, good flight. You know, Jungle Room is amazing. If you haven't been in there, it's just our plant store on Washington. Pick some plants. They have all sorts of types of plants. They have different vases. They also offer like there's candles that you can buy there, and just a bunch of cute little decorations for your plants. So if you're a plant girly or guy, then this is your place to go. I love the plant. I love the Jungle Room.

Shaylee Stevens: And if you're like me and you struggle to keep house plants alive, they will also help you with all of the tips on how to take care of every plant. They're so knowledgeable. So if you're nervous about plants, they're the place to go, because they will help you take care of your plants. And then another fun option: if you want more of a fancy dress up night or just an excuse to wear that dress that you haven't found an occasion for, check out Sidebar down on B Street. This is Ogden's own distilleries like bar. It is kind of 1920s like prohibition style. It's a super cool vibe. I have done like a birthday night here, where it's girls night out and we all just dressed up. It was so fun. So that would be cool for Galentine's too. Like maybe everyone wears pink or red or black or sparkles or whatever. Just do a theme and go get some fancy cocktails. They have some of the coolest cocktails. Like there's this whiskey one that is served under like almost a glass bell jar that then has smoke under it, and they like open it for you. And it's a whole dramatic thing. So get your Instagram pictures there. And sometimes they have live music there, right? Yes, they do. It's a vibe. Highly recommend. Put that on your list.

Sydney Pace: Another thing to put on your list is to go to Atlas Tea Company, also on Washington. Probably one of my favorite people ever. They all work there, and you can get some afternoon tea. They also host some classes—the sound bath they also do at Atlas Tea Co. So that's really cool, and they have a great selection of tea with different like sandwiches and finger food type of things. And just the energy: really chill, really fun, very esthetic. Again, for your Instagram.

Shaylee Stevens: It's so relaxing. And I'm a coffee drinker, so I was honestly a little bit scared to try teas, because I don't drink tea very often. But the owners, they convinced me, and I love it. They have teas for everyone. Like, I have found that I like more of a florally fruity tea, and they can match that vibe. They have the best chai that I've ever had. It's so good. Amber, the owner, has learned how to make chai. You will not find chai like that anywhere else. It is not a pre bottled chai. It is her recipe. It's so good and super cute.And then if you need some ideas for gifts, but also some fun outings: it is February, so Winter Market is going on every single Saturday in February through the end of the month, including Valentine's Day weekend. And they have free community yoga every week as well. So you can hit up the yoga at 10am, get a little workout with the girls, and then go shopping for some cute gifts. I found some really fun stuff there. Like there's this hummus guy that the hummus is the best hummus I've ever had in the world. It's so good. And they have like candles and produce and like treats and all the things. So Winter Market, if you're looking for an outing while also grabbing some gifts, is fun.

Sydney Pace: There also is another market going on at the Golden Spike Event Center, February 6, the seventh. And something just I love about all these ideas that we've talked about is that it's very locally owned focus, and you're just not going to find any other experiences, any other gifts, anywhere else besides Ogden. Like Ogden is where you can find these gifts that are like meant for your person or your friends, and no other place has them, and it just makes them extra special and unique for this Valentine's Day season.

Shaylee Stevens: I totally agree. I think having these experiences in Ogden is really gonna elevate your Valentine’s or Valentine's Day in a way that you're not gonna find anywhere else. And while this is not nearly a comprehensive list, if you want more ideas for how to spend a special Valentine's Day, check out visitogden.com for more ideas, and we will catch you on the next group chat. Bye.