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9 last-minute date ideas for a fun-filled Valentine's Day in Houston

Take the plunge at iFly.

Photo by iFLY

Valentine's Day is here, which means romantic meals out, intimate evenings in, or, desperation — when realizing that Valentine's Day date hasn't yet been booked.

Not to worry: we're here to help, and have rounded up some fun activities around Houston that include glowing walks with dragons, posh pampering, and even indoor skydiving.

Book an experience, make it a spontaneous event, and see where the day and night ends. (And thank us later.)

Posh pampering at the largest luxury spa in Texas, Trellis Spa

Tell your date to get off work early, and book a few hours — or a day — of pampering at Trellis Spa. Guests are encouraged to experience the water circuit in the outdoor Soaking Pools & Garden, where they can rent a cabana to soak in Vitamin D while enjoying drinks and bites outdoors.

Behold the new Float Pool at the Trellis Spa. Photo courtesy The Houstonian Hotel & Spa

After a massage, facial, or mani/pedi, gather the glam squad to savor a delicious meal, a glass of bubbly, and beautiful wooded views from Trellis Spa's restaurant.

A glowing date at Radiant Nature at Houston Botanic Gardens

A walk-and-talk moment is the foundation of any rom-com, and couples and dates will have plenty of opportunities at Radiant Nature now running at Houston Botanic Gardens. Book an evening stroll through the dazzling and stunning immersive exhibition, which takes inspiration from the Lunar New Year and showcases many Chinese-inspired works: 50 paper lanterns, a Chinese pagoda, and the enormous, 200-foot dragon.

Radiant Nature Houston Botanic Garden The dazzling Radiant Nature at Houston Botanic Garden. Photo via Houston Botanic Garden

Pass through the 100-foot magnolia tunnel, a walk-in kaleidoscope, and a Texas prairie with 10-foot bluebonnets, along with lighted swings, and other interactive exhibitions for perfect IG — and romantic — moments.

Sultry fun and cabaret at Live at the Founders Club,

Be one of the first to enjoy Live at the Founders Club, a nightclub cabaret experience in downtown Houston. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts recently announced the concept and its first performer Holland Vara. The Founders Club at the Hobby Center has been transformed into an intimate cabaret club with tables for four, light bites, and cocktails. A unique night out for friends, Holland Vera will put her own spin on classic love songs, making them into something entirely unexpected. Tickets are available here.

Be one of the first to enjoy the newly opened Founders Club for a night of cabaret. Photo courtesy of The Founders Club

Luxuriate in Texas' only Forbes Five-Star rated spa, The Spa at The Post Oak Hotel

The Spa Post Oak Hotel Tilman Fertitta Pause to enjoy the hydro-thermal experiences. Photo courtesy of The Spa at the Post Oak Hotel

Gift your date spa time to a whole new level at Texas' only Double Five-Star rated hotel and spa and the only Five-Star rated spa in the Lone Star State. In addition to a menu of top-of-the-line facials, massages, and self-care rituals, The Spa at The Post Oak Hotel offers several amenities, including an aroma steam room, tranquility pool, multi-sensory shower experience, and sauna.

The jeans come off at “Fiber in 3D: Indigo Houston” at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

This clever exhibit at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is an ideal talker, as it uses material from 67 pairs of donated denim jeans. Artists Baggs McKelvey disassembled, cut, tied, and spooled the fabric, turning it into nearly 6000 feet of handcrafted denim rope.

Fiber in 3D: Indigo Houston Houston Center for Contemporary Craft "Fiber in 3D: Indigo Houston" uses material from 67 pairs of donated denim jeans.Photo courtesy of Fiber Art Now and the artist

Officially, the installation serves as both commentary on the “fraught social history of denim in the United States” and as a reminder of the history of denim as a material of art and craft, says HCCC. But the idea of deconstructing jeans and what to do with them could lead to some blush-worthy comments and moments.

Unleash that inner 13-year-old at Sloomoo Institute

Designed not just for kids – but for the kids in each of us — Sloomoo Institute features over-the-top installations that engage the senses. Make your own slime at the world's largest DIY Slime Bar; the opportunity to get slimed at Sloomoo Falls, satisfying ASMR experiences with immersive video, sound, and scent, and all-new experiences like Slimey Fossils where guests explore slime imprints.

Total 13 going on 30 vibes at Sloomoo Institute. Photo courtesy of Sloomoo Institute

To celebrate the holiday, Sloomoo will have V-Day decorations throughout the experience, as well as Valentine's Day-themed photo booth, activity sheets, and other fun accessories. Some of the best dates are the messiest, no?

Get in it to win it at Activate

The newly opened Activate provides high-tech games that test your date's physical and mental agility across various real-life challenges. Participants can immerse themselves in realistic arcade games and compete alongside a team of at least two to five others.

Enjoy a bit of friendly competition at Activate this Galentine's Day. Photo by Activate

Activate features 11 activity rooms with over 500 games and difficulty levels, each lasting one to three minutes. Wristbands track participants' scores and progress, making them perfect for some coy smack talk as you two compete for bragging rights later.

Journey underground forHaha Real at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

Link hands and venture underground and view the new multi-media installation in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. Rachel Rossin's Haha Real is inspired by the classic children's story, The Velveteen Rabbit. This very dark installation at the Cistern blends AI animation techniques and video-game engine graphics with traditional art. Couples can enjoy a landscape of holographic figures and an immersive soundscape by Houston-born musician Frewuhn. Tickets are available here.

Haha Real Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern Enjoy the newest installation at Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. Photo by Zainob+Mathew Create

Take the plunge at iFLY

Everyone looks good in a flight suit and goggles, so why not take the plunge at iFLY. For the holiday, first-time flyers can get four flights and two videos shared by two people, making it twice the fun. The exclusive package will be available for purchase online and at iFLY tunnels from February 1 through February 19.

Take advantage of a great flying package at iFLY. Photo by iFLY

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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