Consumer Report: Dating in Decorah

When love is abundant and cash is not, what are you to do when you take your special someone on a date? Fortunately, Decorah has plenty to offer for the frugal dater. As they say, you can’t buy love, and with a little creativity a perfect date can come together with little or no money.

•Take advantage of the snowy weather to spend time with your date and reconnect with your childhood at the same time. Devote an evening or afternoon to making snowmen, building forts, having snowball fights, and sledding. Finish off the date with mugs of hot chocolate.
Cost: $0-$4, depending on where you acquire your hot chocolate.

•Decorah’s parks and trails are beautiful regardless of the temperatures. Bundle up and go on a walk, and be sure to bring a camera. Couples could try the trail that loops through the bluffs behind Baker Village, the one that runs along the river, or the trails running through Twin Springs Park. Cost: $0.

•If it’s a Friday or Saturday night, stay up wandering through the sleeping town or see how Phelps Park looks at night. When the sun rises, get to the bakery downtown to get the first Ole Rolls or lefse of the morning, then walk back to campus and sleep in!
Cost: $4-8, depending on how much tasty bread you buy.

•When it’s too cold to brave the outdoors, couples can venture to the bowling alley and date Big Lebowski-style for cheap—a little competition is good for any romance.
Cost: $6, and that includes shoe rental!

Whatever you decide to do, remember that it’s not the things you buy or the places you go that make a perfect date. If both daters go in with a fun attitude and an open mind, they are bound to have a good time.