Date nights can become quite scarce when you’re a busy parent. Trust me, I know. But date nights are honestly a fantastic way for us to step away from the routine and connect with our partners. Here at Major League Mommy, we decided to come up with some creative date ideas that parents can use whether they’re at home, away for work, or unable to find a sitter.
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There are so many unique date ideas available to you, it may be difficult to know where to start. To make things easier, we are going to break these date ideas into 5 different categories:
Date Ideas at Home
Outdoor Date Ideas
Date Ideas Around Town
Date Ideas When You Have No Sitter
Long Distance Date Ideas
Date Ideas at Home
-Have a Wine Tasting
You can purchase your own wine-tasting kit, pair it with some chocolates and palate cleansers, and enjoy sharing your opinions on each wine.
-Candlelit Dinner
You don’t necessarily have to make the meal yourselves (although that could be part of the date as well). Feel free to grab some carry out, or even hire a professional chef, get dressed up (or not), light the candles, and enjoy your meal right in your own dining room.
-Create Your Own Spa
Grab massage lotions and robes and enjoy giving each other a massage. Optionally, you can hire a professional to stop by and do the massaging for you.
-Painting
Bring out the wine, your favorite snacks, and all your painting supplies. Then, let your creativity run wild.
-Karaoke Night
If you love to sing or visit karaoke bars, why not bring the karaoke fun right into your home? YouTube has a ton of karaoke songs you can use for F R E E.
-Have a Themed Movie Night
Perhaps you will choose to have a scary movie night, “Watch the Franchise,” Classic movie night, or some other theme you choose. You could even dress according to the theme, and don’t forget the popcorn.
-Try a New Craft
Free your creative side while bonding with your partner. Find a new craft on Pinterest that you can both create together.
-Game Night
There are so many directions you can take with a game night. You may decide to pull up some trivia on YouTube, try a game of Twister, play some video games, or try out a series of new board games. The choice is yours!
-Take Professional Photos
In the past, my husband and I have used Life365 Portraits for a photo shoot in the comfort of our own home. The photographers came straight to us, and the process was so simple. The photos also came out absolutely fantastic!
Date Ideas Outdoors
-Visit an Amusement Park
This is an excellent option for a date during the warm seasons. Not only will you get some fresh air, but you will definitely have a ton of fun and can enjoy some yummy carnival treats.
-Go on a Hike
Hiking is a great physical activity and bonding opportunity. You can go hiking locally or make a mini vacation of it. If you are in the midwest, I highly recommend checking out Hocking Hills in Ohio.
-Have a Picnic
You can get as creative as you like with your outdoor picnic. You can go for something super romantic, or keep things simple.
-Go snowboarding or Skiing
If winter sports are your thing, you should definitely take advantage of them during the cold and snowy season. Don’t forget to finish the date with some hot cocoa or coffee!
-Go camping
This idea is for those who really enjoy the great outdoors. Why not go camping for a weekend?
-Enjoy a Hot Air Balloon Ride
I took Hubby on a hot air balloon ride for his birthday one year, and it was truly such a beautiful experience. I highly recommend it if you’re not afraid of heights and have no health concerns preventing you from doing so.
-Go on a Bike Ride
Get a good workout in while you bond with your partner by taking a bike ride through your neighborhood. You could even choose to try out a new biking trail to add that extra bit of adventure.
-Go fishing
Fishing can be another great bonding opportunity, especially if you’re both into that sort of thing. This is a relatively chill activity so that’s an added bonus.
-Go Boating
Don’t want to go fishing but still enjoy being out on the water? Perhaps a simple boat ride is a better idea for you.
-Try an Outdoor Sport
Whether it be tennis, basketball, or another outdoor sport, trying an outdoor sport can make a really fantastic date idea. Not only do you get to enjoy some fresh air, but you can also get a good workout in.
-Visit the Cider Mill or Apple Orchard
If you’re looking for a date idea in autumn, visiting the cider mill or apple orchard is always an option. Apple cider and donuts make the perfect treat for your snack break.
-Attend an Outdoor Concert
If you enjoy listening to live music, an outdoor concert is a good choice during the warmer seasons. The best part is, you can often find free or low-cost outdoor concerts near you making this a cost-effective activity.
-Have a BBQ in the Backyard
Want to stay home for your date? That doesn’t mean you have to stay cooped up in the house. Take a trip to your backyard, fire up the grill, and enjoy some of your cookout faves.
-Stroll Through a Local Farmer’s Market
Visiting a farmer’s market is another chill date idea. This is also the perfect opportunity to buy unique locally-made gifts for one another.
-Help Out with an outdoor Volunteer Activity
Turn a volunteer opportunity into your next bonding activity. In the summer, you will likely find many opportunities to serve your community at an outdoor event.
Date Ideas Around Town
-Listen to Live Music
Have dinner and drinks at a local jazz club. This is actually one of my favorite date ideas on this list. However, it is important to note that this probably isn’t the best idea if you really want to chat throughout your date.
-Visit a Drive-In Movie Theater
Cozy up to a movie at your local drive-in movie theater. You don’t have to worry about noise from other guests and have significantly more privacy at a drive-in theater.
-Visit a Vineyard
If you have an outdoor vineyard nearby, you can stop by to take in some beautiful scenery and try new wines.
-Take a Dance Class
Couples dance classes can really be a lot of fun (and a really great workout). I have actually tried bachata lessons with my husband in the past. He normally doesn’t like to dance but we both had a blast with our lessons.
-Go on a City Tour
You may be surprised to learn that there are lots of sites that you’ve been totally overlooking in your very own city. For this reason, a city tour in your hometown could be a very eye-opening experience. If you can take advantage of a guided tour, this is an even better option so you can learn about the history of your city.
-Get Some Laughs at a Comedy Club
They say laughter is the best medicine, and visiting a comedy club is one of the best ways to get a healthy dose of laughter.
-Enjoy Dinner at an Improv Theater
If you have an improv theater near you, I definitely recommend checking it out. It is truly such a unique experience and can be so much fun.
-Watch a Broadway Show
If there’s a good broadway show coming to your town, perhaps you and your partner should check it out. That is, of course, if you’re both into that type of thing.
-Try Indoor Skydiving
This one is on my personal date night bucket list. Indoor skydiving centers such as iFLY give you the opportunity to experience what it’s like to fly through the air. Indoor skydiving seems like such a cool activity!
-Visit a Cat Cafe
I just recently learned about the concept of “catfes” and as a cat-lover, I absolutely love the idea! This concept is not for everyone, however.
-Check Out an Immersive Art Display
Experience art in a totally new way by visiting an immersive art display in your town. This is another chill date idea.
-Make Your Own Candles at a Candle Bar
My husband actually brought this idea to my attention recently. There are candle bars that actually let you come in and create your own candle. How cool is that!? I highly recommend looking to see if you have one in your town.
-Try Ax-Throwing
I personally enjoyed ax-throwing with my husband during one of our date nights. It was different and a lot more of a workout than I expected. But it sure was fun!
– Try a Cooking Class
Learning something new together is one of the best bonding activities for couples. You can find a cooking class near you and learn how to make a new recipe for use at home.
Date Ideas with Kids for When You Have No Sitter
-Visit an Escape Room
Escape rooms are better with more people since you’re trying to complete the room in under 60 minutes. Therefore, this is a good date idea to consider when you have kids with you who can help solve the puzzles. It is also a fantastic team-building activity.
-Go Skating
Skating is a fun physical activity that really the whole family can join in on. Kids certainly wouldn’t mind it!
-Host a Family Game Night
If you want to stay in for your date night, you can take the game night idea from above, and let the kids join in!
-Have a Bake-Off
Let everyone put those baking skills to the test with some friendly competition. You may choose to have a particular theme to follow, or just let it be a free-for-all and see what people come up with.
-Camp out in the Living Room
Grab sleeping bags and pillows, maybe even an air mattress, and have a campout in the living room.
-Have a Nerf War
Grab your nerf guns and head out to the backyard (or even a local park), and engage in a little battle. Just a heads up, this usually ends up being a massive workout.
Health is wealth and that’s why engaging in a family workout is such a terrific date idea. You don’t even need to leave the home to pull this one off. You can also make it as fun (or intense) as you so choose.
-Have a Build Your Own Pizza Night
Pull out all of your main ingredients for a homemade pizza, and let everyone choose from a selection of toppings to customize their pizza.
-Enjoy a S’mores Bar
There are so many different treats you can use to create a s’mores bar. The main idea is that you provide a variety of options so that you can build non-traditional s’mores. Maybe you use fudge stripes cookies instead of graham crackers. Perhaps you want white chocolate instead of milk chocolate. There are so many ways to customize s’mores.
-Complete a Puzzle Together
Give your brain a challenge and boost team-building skills by working on a puzzle together. Free online jigsaw puzzles are a simple (and cost-effective) option for couples wanting to try something different for date night. You can even set a timer for an extra challenge.
Date Ideas Long Distance
— Host a Virtual Game Night
You don’t have to be physically in front of one another to pull off game night, there are plenty of fun games that you can play virtually including
Charades
Ask Alexa (or Siri or Google) – try to get your device to say the word you were given without actually using the word when speaking to it.
Building out a vision board is a fantastic way to set your intentions for the future. It can also be a really great bonding activity with your partner. It’s always interesting to see what things people include in their vision boards. You may even learn something new about your partner!
-Enjoy Coffee and a Donut
Keep it simple. Grab some coffee and a donut, and log on for a casual chat.
-Create a Date Box and Have it Delivered
Challenge one another to create a box of date night items within a certain budget and have it shipped to the other. It’ll be a nice surprise when you both receive it.
There are so many creative date ideas out there for couples. And it is my hope that this list kicks off some beautiful adventures for you all.
Please feel free to share more ideas in the comments and I will be more than happy to update this post with fresh ideas.
Briana Marie is a mental health and financial literacy advocate, and founder of Major League Mommy. In her spare time, Briana enjoys yoga, travel, and spending time with her Husband and two daughters.
