Valentine’s Day is dodging the snowstorm this week, so there goes your excuse to stay in and make do with Netflix and bubbly. Instead, here’s a Cheap Dates road map. The idea is not to park your keister at one place all night; rather venture out on a whirlwind tour of the Midcoast and all it has to offer.

Start with a warm up and do some Creative Art Journaling for Adults at the Camden Public Library with “Miss Amy” from 4 to 5 p.m. Seriously, this is part of your adventure. Force your mate to get creative for one hour!

Then, pop on over to the Vintage Room in Camden for an Oyster & Wine Pairing from 5 to 7 p.m. This is kind of a one-shot deal. It’s $5 for an oyster on the half shell and a tasting of one of their new Greek wines. So do a slurp-and- sip and then move on to your next adventure.

A number of restaurants are doing something special for the big V Day and we can’t list them all, but one notable is El Ancla, which is hosting a restaurant takeover by the art-and-food pop-up, Maine Moonlight Dinners with a special Valentine's Day five-course menu featuring winter produce from local farms. Seatings are from 5 to 9 p.m. $75 pp and reservations required.

For those who don’t like their V Day to be mushy, Barstow Farms in Waldoboro is deciding to scratch the record back and bring you Thanksgiving instead of Valentine’s Day. From 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. they are quashing all the love hype. A turkey, mashed, squash, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, boiled onions, gravy and a yeast roll dinner is $18 per person and includes a dessert. Pre-orders encouraged.

A bit further down the coast, St. George River Cafe is in the mood for love with a Valentine’s Day music jam from 6 to 8 p.m. with no cover charge.

At 7 p.m. FOG Bar and Cafe is hosting the smooth and soulful music of The Whitehead Dean Group until 10:30 p.m. featuring Mike Whitehead on Trumpet/Flugelhorn, Jason Dean on drums, Glen DuBose on Bass and Mitch Markowitz on guitar. And, if you squeak in there just before 7, you’ll get to $2 off all house signature cocktails, wines by the glass and draft beer and cider.

And for a Killer Road Trip, the new Waterville Brewing Co. is hosting an Art Date Night ($40 pp) from 7 to 9 p.m. With supplies hosted by by Common Street Arts, this is a creative after-dinner date for you, your sweetie, and/or your friends! Make a flower arrangement with flowers from The Robin's Nest florist shop; decorate a vase with mosaic designs and sample Christopher Hastings Confections treats. Refreshments and beer will be served.

Lastly, if you are celebrating with all your girls and wearing black to commemorate all that is dark and unholy in your heart that day, there’s no better way to put those all-black outfits to use than a Midcoast Escape Room jewelry heist, as featured in my story: What to get your BFF for Galentine’s Day.

Whatever you do, know that we ♥ you at Penobscot Bay Pilot!

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com