Students often feel the pressure to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day date. If dinner and a movie are the only ideas that come to mind, below are some nontraditional ideas to make this Feb. 14 a day to remember.

White Castle:

For students looking for a fancy restaurant feel with fast food prices, White Castle is the place to make reservations for Valentine’s Day. From 5 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 14, White Castle’s typical dining room is transformed into a romantic sanctuary with tablecloths, candles, silverware and a maitre d’ to greet and seat customers. With a waiter to take orders as well, the only difference White Castle has from a real restaurant is the prices. While frugal couples may think this is an ingenious date, others don’t feel the same way.

“I don’t think I could pull that off,” said Kyle Fitzpatrick, freshman zoology major. But the event has grown since it first began in 1991, and now more than 150 White Castle restaurants now participate in the Valentine’s Day dinner.

“If she didn’t take it seriously, maybe I’d take her,” said Spenser Ford, sophomore chemistry major. “You’d have to have something really good to back that up.”

But with 10 sliders, two 21-ounce sodas and fries for just under $11, what more could a couple want?

Vice, Virtues and Contraband: A History of Conception in America:

Not only educational, but also a good way to heat things up on the date. This exhibit at the Dittrick Medical History Center at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, features more than 700 contraceptive items. From the earliest forms of birth control to the crudest forms of condoms (a candy wrapper), this exhibit has it all.

“We wanted to show contraception within the framework of American life, from its very beginnings from the 18th century and going forward,” said Chief Curator James Edmonson.

Edmonson said that while the exhibit deals with the subject matter in an adult-way, it’s still informative and entertaining.

The Dittrick Medical History Center is open Monday through Friday, from 10 to 5 p.m. and is free to visitors.

Ice Skating at Kent State Ice Arena:

The Ice Arena is another option for people who are not afraid to look like a fool and want a cheap date activity. The rink is open for public skate throughout the weekend. Public skating sessions for Valentine’s Day weekend are Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

“It’s pretty cheap, $5.50 for general admission and then $2.50 for skate rental,” said Chris Hourigan, an Ice Arena employee.

Hourigan said couples regularly come to open skate and that it’s an easy date idea since the rink is right on campus.

Email credit: Contact off-campus entertainment reporter Brittany Schmigel at [email protected].