The most romantic date destinations at Duke

Finding the right location for Valentine’s day can be tricky. Luckily, we attend a school with ample romantic locations to profess your love to your significant other.

Or your coffee. Whoever your date is this year.

Perkins Library

Whether you have a hot date with an MCAT study guide or an actual human in mind, the library offers a scholarly undertone to your romantic pursuit. The stacks contain sections of love poetry from which to quote, silent spaces in which to avoid conversation, and the opportunity to complete that unofficial graduation requirement.

As an added bonus, on the first floor of Bostock, you can really take each other to The Edge.

Au Bon Pain

For authentic French cuisine and a sensual atmosphere, many students crowd the familiar tables of ABP. Your Valentine may delight in a decadent baked good or a steaming cup of coffee that you’ve purchased on Food Points, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself watching someone else toss her salad.

Wilson Gym

If you and Bae want to get your sweat on together in public, a romantic trip to the gym can satisfy your urges. Dance together in Zumba, run side by side to test the strength of each other’s hearts, and prove to everyone else that you really are the most athletic couple on campus.

The Dorm

The sweet scent of contraband Glade candles, leftover Chinese food, and sheets that your lover hasn’t washed in two months intermingle in the love den where Netflix and Chill was born. Kick your roommate out, make awkward small talk until one of you makes a move, and use protection.

The Gardens

Cupid, maybe?

You know the gardens in their spring splendor, but an uncomfortably cold walk, mittens clasped, through the dead shrubs awaiting their revival will undoubtedly awaken the romantic in your Valentine. If an armed robbery doesn’t interrupt your picnic, settle in for an intimate stroll while you seek the cover of scarce foliage to fulfill that other graduation requirement.

Marketplace

In all its renovated glory, Marketplace boasts the most coveted brunch on east campus, the premier and only eatery for big meal-swipe spenders on Valentine’s Day. Cozy up in a booth for the kind of intimacy only a massive dining hall can provide, and gaze into the eyes of your lover over a plate of lukewarm French toast.

Few Tower

The most romantic vista on west campus not currently under scaffolding. Lavish chaises and wall-length windows await you in this precious, secret study space. The room was recently treated for pests, so take comfort amidst only corpses of stink bugs as you serenade your swooning sweetheart high above the bus stop.

Just be warned: the room doesn’t lock.