The best alternative date ideas for geeks in Singapore

If you and your partner are huge science nerds, then the ArtScience Museum is the ideal date location. The stunning lotus-shaped building is where art, science, culture and technology meet, featuring 21 gallery spaces that have seen large-scale exhibitions by giants of the art world alongside those exploring big data, particle physics, paleontology, marine biology, cosmology and space exploration. Its current showcases include digital interactive exhibition Future World: Where Arts Meets Science, a journey through the work of inventor Buckminster Fuller, an art exhibition based on the dark fantasy manga Attack on Titan: The Exhibition, among others. 

This underrated gem of a museum will delight the geeks among us who have a love of toys and figurines. Belonging to Mr. Chang Yang Fa, this private museum is considered to be the largest collection of its kind in Southeast Asia, housing a collection of over 50,000 pieces of vintage toys. Get lost in the rows of rare, one-of-a-kind pieces from more than 40 countries – some of which date back to the mid-1800s. It'll take a good few hours if you really stop to admire each display – after all, there are five-storeys to this shrine to toys. 

Reading might sound like an antisocial activity, but bookstore hopping certainly isn't. Independent bookstores are few and far between in Singapore, but the ones that we have are cosy gems worth visiting for a browse. These bookstores line their walls and displays with a wide range of print publications including second-hand gems and specialty books and magazines to cater to niche readers. Take your partner along to peruse the shelves at Huggs-Epigram Coffee Bookshop, Grassroots Book Room, Littered with Books, and more – and stay for a cuppa where you can. 

We're not sure how skating got a geeky reputation, but that's just how things roll. Thanks to TikTok, it's ever so slightly cool again, so bring your date our for a spin at HiRoller Indoor Skating Rink. Show off your fancy footwork to the beat of groovy funk music, or just hold hands and make some lazy rounds around the rink. It doesn't matter if neither of you has experience on skates either – the four-wheeled skates are much more stable, and you can have a good laugh if either of you take a fall anyway. A two-hour session starts from $17, and a full-day session starts from $40. Due to its capacity limit of 50 persons, it's highly recommended to book a slot in advance. Check out the rink schedule at hirollersingapore.com and pencil in your date.

Do you and your partner go gaga over anime? Then it's time for a day trip down to the newly opened Hakken!, Singapore's first experiential anime retail store at Plaza Singapura. Browse over 2,600 official goods, including accessories, collectibles, figurines and plush toys from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World and Sword Art Online. Commemorate your geeky, romantic day out by snapping a picture at the themed feature section. Currently, a flashy LED screen and life-sized standees highlight star scenes from Demon Slayer.

Arcades are a classic geek hideout, but Zero Latency takes it to a whole new level with virtual reality (VR). This is where you and your partner can live out your Mr and Mrs Smith fantasy – the part where they finally join forces and defeat a common enemy that is. With just a controller and 2K resolution headgear, lay waste to zombies, battle aliens in pursuit of new wealth, join an interstellar shootout or solve physics-based puzzles in a dystopian world. For the price – which ranges between $48 to $70 per person – this multiplayer VR arcade is one to check out for a fully immersive V-day activity. 

Nothing screams 'geek' like board games, and The Mind Café has at least 500 of them. Make it a double date (the more the merrier), order some obligatory café food and sit yourselves down for some old school fun. The Mind Café is well-stocked with all sorts of classic, trivia and strategy games, including recent favourites like Catan, Sushi Go and Arkham Horror. 

Park Lane Shopping Mall is an unlikely place for a Valentine's Day date, but it's well worth the trek for comic book lovers. Amid rows of dark LAN shops in the basement of this shopping centre, Comics World sticks out with its brightly lit storefront. Geek out with your fellow die hard comic book fan, and pick out rare and limited edition titles. Comics World regularly updates their Facebook page with a comprehensive list of new titles available in store, so do check that out before heading down. 

The sad thing about bouquets is that they...well, die. For a love that lasts forever, get a LEGO flower bouquet from the company's brand new botanical collection instead. You can spend Valentine's Day at home with your loved one piecing together the LEGO blocks into a stunning centrepiece for the living room or bedside table. The LEGO pieces are hued in vibrant greens, pinks, yellows and oranges, and shaped to perfectly mimic leaves and petals. It's a great bonding activity for you and your boo, and at the end of it all, you won't even have to water the bouquets to keep them fresh and alive.

Are you a geek about words, and a homebody to boot? Sometimes the perfect date night doesn't require you to go out. When you've completed your Wordle for the day, there are still tons of word puzzles and games that you can play together online (our favourites are the word puzzles by The New York Times), or bring out a jigsaw puzzle from the likes of State of Matters and Cat Socrates to work on as a team.