Chocolates, wine and an expensive dinner feeling clichéd this Valentine’s Day? Take your love into the wilds of Charleston instead. Pack a picnic lunch (or have a great place like Ted’s Butcherblock do it for you!), lace up your hiking shoes and get outdoors.

We’ve put together a few of our favorite ideas to get you started:

BULLS ISLAND FERRY
Take the passenger ferry to this 5000-acre barrier island and explore the trails on a fun adventure.   A few highlights?  Seeing American alligators in their natural habitat.  Picnicking at Boneyard Beach.  Beach combing for the perfect shell as a memento of the day.

SUNRISE KAYAK TOUR AT THE ISLE OF PALMS
Get a Coastal Expeditions guide to take you out to the edge of the continent before daybreak to watch the sun rise over the horizon.  You’ll experience the salt marsh waking from its nightly slumber as dolphins feed in the estuary and birds call to greet the day.  Afterwards, linger over a big breakfast at Sea Biscuit Café or Acme Lowcountry Kitchen and plan what to do with the rest of the day.

Want to make it a truly memorable weekend? Make plans to stay at nearby Wild Dunes Resort

WALK THE GARDENS AT MIDDLETON PLACE
There isn’t a more romantic place in Charleston than Middleton Place–and there isn’t a better time to visit than in February.   After your garden walk admiring the flowering camellias (some as old as the 1780’s), have lunch or dinner at the farm-to-table restaurant on site.

RENT KAYAKS AND EXPLORE ON YOUR OWN
Paddle down Shem Creek and into the Charleston Harbor with your love to take in the views of the Holy City by kayak.  This is the quintessential way to explore the Lowcountry, giving you a chance be together in nature.  Dolphins breaching nearby, pelicans gliding overhead and the brisk salt air….it doesn’t get any better.