101 Date Ideas

101 Creative Date Ideas
(Those with a * indicate can be free or done for very little cost)

Active/Outdoors Date Ideas

Go for a swim, just the two of you*
Go rock climbing at a rock gym
Rent paddle boats
Tube a local river
Kayak a river or lake
Go hiking*
Train for a 5k to run or walk together
Go camping (just the two of you)
Rent or borrow a jet ski
Go through a corn maze
Set up a tent in the backyard and order takeout*
Have a campfire with s’mores*
Go horseback riding
Ride bikes (try renting a tandem)*
Ice-skating (even more fun in summer months)
Roller skating
Go bowling
Build a snowman together*
Go sledding*
Put on some boots and go country line dancing
Pick fruit together at a local farm
Learn to skateboard or longboard together*

Romantic Date Ideas

Make fondue together
Read The 5 Love Languages and discuss what you can do better to help your spouse feel loved*
Go stargazing*
Watch the sunset*
Watch the sunrise*
Pack a picnic basket and go to unique location*
Make a nice dinner together
Look on Yelp, find a high rated restaurant and recommended meal for a type of food you’ve never tried before, share dishes for a new culinary experience
Enroll in a cooking class for 2
Have your own cooking class at home with YouTube or Food Network video demonstrations
Rooftop picnic at home or a building you have access to*
Give each other massages at home*
Find a hill or mountain in your area and go to the top at night to look at the city lights. Enjoy a “dessert picnic” while you look at the lights. *

Intellectually/Culturally Enlightening Date Ideas

Go see a play
Go to the symphony
See a concert of any type (favorite band, school, etc) *Many are free
Watch TED lectures on your computer and discuss your thoughts on what you learn (I love this one and this one)*
Take a city class together; most city websites list offerings (photography, dance, etc.)
Make a bucket list of things you want to together, with kids, independently, and share*
Find a lecture at a local University or community college and attend*
Watch a foreign film together (rent from library for free)*
Download a vintage radio program podcast, go listen to it in a unique location (think horror story in the woods at dusk)*
Rent a documentary (try Fast Food Nation, Waiting for Superman, or Grizzly Man)*
Read a novel/short story/play together (I’m happy to recommend some J)*
Borrow a guitar or other instrument, watch YouTube videos teaching you how to play, take turns and be sure to perform a song for each other.*

At-Home Date Ideas

Play board games for 2*
Buy a cheap canvas and paint portraits of each other
Build an adult fort and watch a movie*
Buy Pinewood Derby kits from BSA and build/race your carts at home
Buy a bunch of popsicle sticks at a craft store, have a competition who can build the best structure out of the popsicle sticks and glue*
Build “gingerbread houses” out of graham crackers and frosting (be creative)*
Bake sugar cookies and decorate to look like people you know (deliver them after)*
Draw a cartoon of how you met in sidewalk chalk on your driveway*
Rent or borrow a Wii and play games together*
Do “Dinner and a Movie” with a theme (like watch The 3 Amigos and make Mexican food)*
Do a puzzle together*
Build paper airplanes, make sure to get fancy and look up several different types, then have a flying competition*
Get on Spotify and make a playlist of your favorite songs from high school. Take a trip down memory lane and share your favorite songs while telling a memory attached to each one. *

Group Date Ideas

Host a dinner party (themed, formal, or casual)
The Amazing Race Dates (tasks for couple to complete at various locations)
Host your own murder mystery (you can buy games online)
Couples game night (charades, catch phrase, whatever group games you enjoy)*
Build a marshmallow gun out of PVC, have a fight
Play “Bigger or Better” and compete which couple returns with the best item*
Karaoke out on the town or at home*
Have a scavenger hunt taking pictures or retrieving items, compare findings after*
Have white elephant gift exchange (no need to wait for the holidays)*

Places to Go on a Date Night

Art Museum (often free one day of the month)*
Art walk (usually held as summer festivals in college towns or state capitals)*
Musical Instrument Museum (BofA card members can get in free at certain times, check websites)*
Improv comedy show
NBA game
MLB game
NHL game
Visit an aquarium
Local high school sporting events*
University sporting events
Visit the Zoo
Visit the nearest rodeo
Go to the circus
Ride go-carts at a Raceway
Visit a home décor store (like Pier 1 or Crate and Barrel) and each of you takes a turn design a dream room in your house or apartment separately, pretending money is no object. Meet up and give each other a “tour” of the items in your room. *
Paint pottery at a paint your own pottery shop (like Color Me Mine or As You Wish)
Miniature golfing
Arcade games (like Dave and Busters or Gameworks)
Ride the light rail and enjoy people watching*
Go to a drive-in movie
Visit a car show (like Barrett Jackson) when they are in town (score points with your husband)
Walk through IKEA, it’s an experience all its own! (and there are cheap Swedish meatballs)*
Go to a bookstore and share your favorite books with each other (you can even read your favorite children’s books to each other)*
Go to a bookstore and look at the travel section. Plan your dream vacation on your own and then present yours to your spouse and listen to their ideas too.*
Volunteer at a soup kitchen, nursing home, or women’s shelter*
Visit your local “Movies in the Park” during spring or summer offering (usually free)*
Visit a planetarium and learn about the solar system
Visit your state’s science center*
Test-drive cars you have no intention of buying*
Go look at model homes or home shows and pretend you’re in the market*
Go see lights at Christmas, just the two of you*
Watch a local band’s show (often free)*

Beyond Dinner and a Movie

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Active/Outdoors Date Ideas

Romantic Date Ideas

Intellectually/Culturally Enlightening Date Ideas

At-Home Date Ideas

Group Date Ideas

Places to Go on a Date Night

Beyond Dinner and a Movie

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