What are the best date night ideas?
Well, if you’re anything like most people, “What should we do this weekend?” becomes a repetitive question when Friday afternoon rolls around. Most people like to get out of the house, but they don’t know where to go or what to do. For that reason, we created Date Deck® by life Hack Decks™ to make weekends (and even weekdays) more fun.
In this blog, we offer five different date ideas that will help put the fun back into your dating life. Date Decks® work for first dates, second dates, boyfriends or girlfriends, live-in couples, or those who have tied the knot. It even works for those who have been married a long time and fallen into a rut. No matter your dating status, it is important to focus on having fun together. Having fun together strengthens a relationship and creates shared experiences and connection. This increases the chances for long-term happiness, as well as emotional ties.
I have pulled five cards as examples of date idea prompts from Date Deck®. Remember, these are just examples. Our Date Decks® have 52 card prompts that offer a range of ideas for dates that a couple can enjoy.
Date Idea 1: Breakfast in Bed – Time of Day is Irrelevant
Cooking together is a great way to connect. My husband and I order in a cooking kit two to three nights a week, Blue Apron. Blue Apron has made those few weeknight evenings feel like a date night. We find that we can relax, enjoy a glass of wine together, and talk about our days. Since the grocery shopping is already done (all the ingredients are in a box and pre-measured), all we do is put the meal together. Meals typically take less than an hour and are relatively easy to prepare. The evening lingers on after dinner, and we feel that we’ve talked about the important things from our day. Without this vehicle for conversation and connection, we may miss things about each other that are important.
I’ve been married a long time, and I see my friends feel the same way about connecting with their spouses over dinner. Many of them cook together. The cooking and clean-up are not a chore since both partners pitch in. This repetitive shared experience helps keep their marriage fresh and each partner feels renewed after conversation that makes a difference.
The same can be true for your relationship if you choose this card. Preparing a meal with a loved one brings a couple closer together. Choose a meal that sounds delicious to you, shop a day in advance, and cook. The conversation flows and the night goes from a chore to a joy. Then, hop in bed or grab a comfy place on the couch, and enjoy it. Talk. Watch a movie. Listen to the rain. Whatever works for you will make the day a bright spot in your week.
Date Idea 2: Plan a Weekend Getaway or Staycation
I find that when my husband and I have time to get away, even for one night, our mood lifts. We feel lighter. We find peace in spending time alone. We don’t need to talk or do too much. It’s just the idea of walking around a different city (even close to our home if we choose a Staycation) that connects us. We talk, share a cup of coffee at a sidewalk coffee shop, or sit and listen to the birds. It really doesn’t make much difference what we do. It’s the going away part of it, the doing something different aspect, that creates an increased connection and happiness. It's time alone without distractions.
The ability to get away is often available if you hire a babysitter, take your child to grandma’s house for the weekend, or find reliable help that lets you completely clear your mind. Worrying about care for your child can be a distraction. If you pick this card and decide to take a night away to yourselves, then do it with a clear mind. Enjoy yourself. While you’re away, have dinner out, maybe even try a food that’s a little different for you. Doing something different increases your future willingness to try new things and is good for your mental health. It also helps improve your physical health and connections to happiness in your brain.
Go ahead. Make some plans. It will be a benefit for you and your partner that you’ll share forever. Remember to be flexible in what you do. Having fun is the whole part of being together. It recharges your batteries and helps you become a more connected couple. And, in the end, a better parent. We all need to fill our cup.
Date Idea 3: Visit an Art Museum or Science Museum
I absolutely love going to an art museum, and over the years, my husband has joined in my love for this activity. I find that looking at art in a quiet environment, such as a museum, makes for good conversation after leaving the exhibit. We can share conversation about our favorite pieces, what we found interesting about the artists, and how the exhibit made us feel. Maybe we discuss past museums we’ve visited and recall the enjoyment we felt by doing so.
I used to have to drag him to museums when we were younger. I can remember, though, that he remembers going. And he remembers them with fondness. I can recall going to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena over forty years ago with him, and more recently The Getty. The drive to get there was far, but the conversation home was always happy and upbeat. Typically, we’d stop for lunch or dinner afterward and make an entire day of it.
I now see how excited he is to tell me about a museum he’s found that he wants us to visit. While not everything at each exhibit interests both of us, we find that just spending the time together is a good way to have a different kind of conversation. In fact, sometimes hints of the conversation can last for days. It connects us, which is the point of this Date Deck® prompt card.
Date Idea 4: Visit the Place You Met, or Recreate Your First Date
Even if you no longer live near the place you met, you can still recreate your first date. Mine is easy. We went for a walk and ended up at a local pizza place. We ate a basket of french fries and had a pitcher of 3.2 beer (this was a long time ago) and, as they say, the rest is history. We had a fun night, talked, learned about each other, and held hands. The thought of that night still makes my heart race, which tells me it was a great first date. Going for a walk and having a snack isn’t a huge financial investment, its a relationship investment. We both remember it fondly and we often smile when we talk about it. We were young, and it was a perfect night for both of us.
After all these years, the spark is still there. A basket of french fries still lingers in both our minds as we talk about the start of our relationship. The feelings come right back. This is the reason for this Date Deck® prompt. It helps recall a happy time, which is a thread that goes back many years. This prompt also reminds us that doing something different (this night was different because we had just met and never done anything together) has a huge impact on the way we feel about each other. When we can recall a shared, happy experience, it takes us to a new place in our heart. And it keeps the love alive for years to come.
Date Idea 5: Get Creative! Plan a Romantic Date That Costs Less Than $15.00
Again, we see that a date doesn’t need to be expensive to be fun. As the previous prompt, Recreate Your First Date demonstrates (we spent $8.00 on that date - a long time ago) you don’t need to spend a lot of money for a date to be memorable. It was an easy-going evening, but one that was full of chemistry. It almost felt like static electricity was in the air. For that reason, take time to do something that is creative and fun, and doesn’t put a ton of expectation on the evening. An inexpensive date can be a great evening. The main idea for this prompt is to get creative in how you spend your time and focus on each other, rather than the event. There are many prompts in this deck that focus on an event. Let this one focus exclusively on the two of you.
Life Hack Deck™ - Date Deck™®
Pick up a Date Deck® online for $19.95. It’s one of the least expensive, lasting investments you can make in a relationship with someone special to you. Date Deck® takes you out of a dating rut and puts the fun and enjoyment back into your life. Or, it helps create a memorable date with someone new.