Tis the holiday season, where friends and family gather to eat, drink, and be merry! There’s no shortage of events and holiday activities that Orange County has to offer this season, but one must have plan on your list is outdoor ice skating! I recently met up with some friends for a triple date and we were looking for a place that offered a fun activity as well as a variety of food options to check out and the Tustin District was the perfect choice with their outdoor Ice Skating Rink and Union Market!

So what’s the plan for your date night?

1. The District Freeze: Grab your skates and hit the ice! You can enjoy some outdoor ice skating this season at Orange County’s largest outdoor ice rink at 5,000 square feet open 7 days a week until January 15th! Prices are $19/adult (includes skates) and $16/child (includes skates) for a 90 minute session filled with music and lights on fresh ice!

The District Freeze is Located on the Valet Side of the Tustin District

2. Grab a bite at Market 2 Plate: After you’ve worked up an appetite, chow down at Market 2 Plate located inside the Union Market. Serving up freshly made pastas and salads, there’s a variety of options for everyone in your party. You can build your own pasta (which most of us opted for) or pick an original entree from their menu. Even with a large party, seating wasn’t too hard to find and the owners were very accommodating in arranging a comfortable spot for us.

Build Your Own Pasta at Market 2 Plate

3. Satisfy that sweet tooth at Churned Creamery (Union Market): A couple steps away from Market 2 Plate, satisfy that sweet tooth with a scoop of churned ice cream served in various flavors such as Italian Espresso Bean, Nutella, Irish Mint, Sorbets, and more. They also offer Croissant Ice Cream Sandwiches and teas.

Ready to Dig In at the Churned Creamery

4. Take a shot at The Dirty Cookie (Union Market): A lot of the group was so amazed at this concept and loved picking out their cookie flavors such as Red Velvet, Chocolate Chip, Matcha and more. After you’ve picked your cookie, you have the option of selecting a filling for your shot like their Cold Brew Coffee, Vanilla/Chocolate Cream, Almond Milk (for all my lactose-intolerant readers out there), etc. Finally, after picking your cookie and filling, you can request any of the candy characters to personalize your shot!

Special Holiday Characters at The Dirty Cookie

5. Sip on some teas at Milk Box Bar (Union Market): Finish the night off with some refreshing teas from Milk Box! One of my personal favorite shops for boba (I recommend the Matcha Milk Tea), they specialize in quality teas made with natural ingredients and dairy-free organic milk. Not sure what to get? Ask for samples!

Cheers at the Milk Box Bar

6.Pack some cheese tarts to-go at Bear Cheese Tart (Union Market): One of the newest additions to the Union Market, Bear Cheese Tart offers teas, coffee, and of course, cheese tarts! Some of the flavored cheese tarts they offer are: Original, Mango, Blueberry, Chocolate, and Strawberry! Perfect for a late night snack later on.

Matcha, Strawberry, and Mango Cheese Tarts from Bear Cheese Tart

Everyone had a wonderful time ice skating and enjoying all the eateries located inside the Union Market and what makes it even better is that they’re all conveniently located in the same area so you won’t have to waste time driving around and can focus more on having a good time! There’s also more stores than I mentioned (such as The Kroft, Hatch, Crepe Coop, etc) but this was just one suggestion for your holiday date night plans (another option is to watch a movie at the Edwards Theater located in the same plaza).

If you check them out this season, I’d love to hear what your date night plan was in the comments below!

Location: 2437 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782

Contact: OCfoodfiend@gmail.com

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Experience provided by Union Market Tustin.