When Tavarious Linzer was crafting the all-important first date with crush Karess Grant, there was one place he absolutely knew they were going first.
Discovery Green at dusk. What could be more romantic? Plus, the park was one of Linzer’s favorite Houston spots.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Discovery Green. I’ve gone to concerts and spent time walking through the park. It’s a special place to me,” Linzer said.
He wanted to share that same enthusiasm with Grant, who is an author, blogger and choreographer. She too, had spent time at Discovery Green, but as a performer on the Anheuser-Busch Stage. Previous to that experience, she signed with a talent agency with locations in Los Angeles and Atlanta, where she traveled as a contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop dancer and choreographer.
The couple connected on a July night in 2018, sitting on the deck overlooking Kinder Lake.
“It was right up my alley. I love being outdoors,” Grant said. “We sat there, looking at the water and sharing life experiences.”
The two talked about how exciting it would be for Linzer, who is a performing artist, to play Discovery Green one day. Linzer’s musical background is rooted in contemporary Christian music, but he performs across all genres of music.
“On that first date we prayed about one day me leading worship up here and Karress dancing,” Linzer said.
After a romantic stroll and some heart-to-heart conversation, the two left for the next part of the date, but the Discovery Green memories had been made and set the tone for the nature-loving couple. Fast forward to September 2019 and Linzer, ever the romantic, returned to Discovery Green with a video camera and a buddy to film a video as part of his proposal plan.
“Discovery Green was an important part of our story and recording the video there made it much more meaningful,” Linzer said. He unveiled the video at one of his concerts, and of course, Grant said yes.
The couple are planning a 2020 wedding, and continue to visit to the park, with plans for more in the future.
Discovery Green is known as a place for health and wellness, music and art, but it’s also an excellent place for a first date.
Just ask Karress and Tavarious.
Karess Grant is a dancer, choreographer, life coach and author. Karess describes herself as a Jesus-loving, women-empowering, writer, choreographer, and dancer who loves to help young adults and women plow through their different seasons of life.
Tavarious Linzer is a singer/songwriter, worship leader, musician, and speaker. He released his single My God (Safe) in 2019 and is the worship leader at Pilgrim Lutheran Church. He is a native Houstonian and credits the city with his love and appreciation of cross-cultural music.
