Out-of-the-box options for both committed relationships and casual partners.
The purpose of dates is two-fold depending on where the relationship stands: to get to know the other person and to have fun. The latter is always a reason, whereas the former becomes less important the better you get to know the person.
Going to dinner helps getting to know the other person, but isn't necessarily that much fun compared to other options. Going to a live event or similar is fun, but unless you make a point to talk before or after (during isn't always an option), they won't be much less of a mystery afterwards. Shared experiences, especially memorable ones (fun, exciting, embarrassing, traumatic), strengthen relationships the most.
So here we stand. The below list are date ideas I've come up with myself or gotten from others (sources included as applicable). They are in no particular order.
Inspired by the Japanese game show where the man (and, as we eventually find out, woman) go on a date with a backless tuxedo! Cut up your clothes as needed and see if you can go the entire date without the other person noticing.
Call in sick to work and go spend a day on the town. Activities may include (shout out to LA for half of these):
Book the cheapest round-trip flight you can find that leaves on Friday night and returns Saturday (or Saturday-Sunday). Go live up the destination city as hard as possible for those 24 hours. No sleep, no accommodations. Better bring a portable phone charger.
Good city destinations include Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Atlanta. And yes, you'll be flying Frontier or Spirit.
Conditions:
Create your own [city you live in] fashion week outfit. There are three paths:
Imposing a spending limit is a good idea because it keeps pressure low and forces creativity.
You can dress up similarly to your partner or completely different. Double date (or more) recommended.
Pop open your favorite beverage, clear the living room of any obstructions, and follow along with YouTube dance classes on the TV, recreate Tik Tok dances or famous movie scenes, or do interpretive dances to songs that the other person chooses.
Class options include hip-hop, K-pop, salsa, bachata, country, ballroom, etc.
Option 1 is to find a place intentionally serving a blind dinner where all guests are blinded. These generally cost a pretty penny.
Option 2 is to call ahead to a place and explain to them your intention, ask them to choose a few items for you, then show up and put the blindfolds on. This requires significant trust and ability to withstand social judgment.
Option 3 is unilateral: one partner makes the meal while the other is blindfolded.
Try different food and drink while blindfolded and see if they can be distinguished.
Options include:
Build a fort using sheets, furniture, and pillows. Set it up by itself or next to a TV for movies. It's extra fun if it starts immediately as you open the door and have to go all the way through it from the get-go. Include plenty of snacks and drinks.
Source: ChatGPT
Bring a portable karaoke machine to a local park and have an impromptu karaoke session. Encourage passersby to join in on the fun.
Source: ChatGPT
Make sock puppets and create a hilarious and nonsensical puppet show. Let your imagination run wild with quirky characters and storylines.
Source: ChatGPT
Take turns writing and performing spontaneous poetry for each other. Use strange or funny prompts to make it even more unique.
Source: ChatGPT
Create your own mini-golf course in your backyard or living room using household items. Use empty cereal boxes, cups, and whatever else you can find.
Source: ChatGPT
Collect recyclable materials and build a makeshift raft. Head to a local pond or lake and see whose raft stays afloat the longest.
Create a home spa with many features to pamper the other partner.
Options include:
- Under the big [park] tree
- Is where the sweets will be
- And further on up amongst the stones
- You'll find drinks with flowery tones
- And finally, hidden near the seats
- Is fun awaiting to increase your heartbeat
Drive around and look at Christmas lights in the area. A lot of cities have a certain area that takes great pride in their lights. Some places even offer horse-drawn carriage rides that tour the area.
Inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany's, compile a list of things neither person has ever done before, then spend the whole day doing those things.
Dress up as fancily as possible and go play some casino games. Bonus points for making up aliases and back stories.
Play an escape room. Choose the difficulty based on experience and intelligence level. (This is a good test to see how you work together, especially in stressful situations.)
Grab a buoyant cooler, fill it with drinks and snacks, and take a paddleboard or kayak out onto (calm) water. Hop in the water if it's hot out and enjoy the cold drinks and delicious snacks.
Sneak into abandoned buildings or construction sites and explore.
Go look for caches in the area. They shouldn't be too hard to find else it just becomes annoying to keep looking and coming up empty-handed. Obviously avoid remote caches if the relationship is in its infancy.
Find a hot yoga or goat yoga class in the area. Warning: hot yoga gets you sweaty as heck and this may be a massive turn off to the partner. Be careful!
Inspired by Hot Ones.
One person should supply all the painting materials: canvas, watercolors, palette, brushes. The other person should supply the edibles: wine or beer and, if hungry, charcuterie materials. Both should wear clothes they don't mind getting dirty.
Put on a YouTube painting tutorial (shoutout Bob Ross) or just freehand it and see what masterpieces (or ugly creations, depending on how much alcohol has been consumed) result.
Animals shelters often allow their dogs to be walked for free. Good exercise, good sunlight, and good karma!
Cooking together is both fun and a good learning experience, especially when taken with an experienced instructor. Search for local cooking classes that offer foods both people like.
If you live in a city with an Eataly, they offer date night pasta making classes.
A home-based version of the Food Crawl that requires some amount of skill in the kitchen, cooking together is both fun and a good learning experience.
Cities sometimes offer holiday-themed (Halloween, Christmas, etc) pop-up bars with special drinks and decor. Don the appropriate attire (dress up in Halloween costumes, wear ugly Christmas sweaters) and head to one. This can also be turned into a (pop-up) bar crawl.
Trying different offerings of the same dish is fun. Different restaurants offer different takes on the same entree and provide different atmospheres to enjoy them in.
This only works if there is free access to a credit card lounge (like the Capital One lounges) and a guest can be let in. Simply purchase two of the cheapest one-way tickets that can be found, park, get past security, and enjoy the free food and drinks. If you're lucky enough to have access to the DFW CO lounge, there is a perfect view of the sunset!
For added fun, each person should dress as they normally do to the airport, but don't tell the other person what you're wearing.
Women love true crime. They also love a good date. Why not combine the two?
Find a true crime podcast for both people to listen to prior to the date and discuss it. For unsolved cases, come up with the craziest and most plausible theories.
Each person should bring one or two foods and one drink that distinctly remind them of their childhood. Ideally this is something unique (e.g., bananas rolled in fruity pebbles) and not something boring like PB&J.
Go visit a dance class. This can vary from ballroom to salsa to hip-hop and everything in between.