Planning date ideas can be hard. You want to come up with something that is creative, but also fun for both of you.
Getting up the courage to date is hard enough. Figuring out what to do on a date night can be even more intimidating! There are so many date ideas out there, that it’s difficult to know where to start.
We’re here for you – we’ve compiled a list of 200 date ideas that will lead you in the right direction. From movie nights and cooking classes, all the way down to outdoor adventures and trivia games, these date ideas will help you get your creative juices flowing!
Whether it’s your first date or your 200th date, these are some great date ideas for any occasion.
Fun Date Ideas
Everyone likes date night, but sometimes life gets in the way of it. Luckily there are plenty of fun date ideas for date night that will get date night back on the map! Try one of these fun date ideas for date night to break out of your date-night-rut.
- Play board games at home or grab a few friends and go to your favourite game store for date night! Game stores are great date night ideas because they are full of entertainment and usually not too expensive.
- Go on a picnic date! Pack some food, find the closest park, and enjoy each other’s company.
- Take a cooking class together! This date idea is fun for foodies especially because it breaks out of your typical date night expectations.
- Go on an adventure date that involves exercise like hiking or biking around town. Not only will you be getting extra steps in but you’ll also have the date night to look forward to!
- Spend date night going through a record store together. This date idea is great for music lovers or anyone who appreciates vintage objects. You can either make it a competition of seeing who can find the best album to add to your collection, talk about albums you used to listen to, etc. It’s date night ideas like these that will help you discover new things about each other and have a great date!
- Take in some art at an art museum. Art museums are excellent date night ideas because they tend to be quiet, full of inspiration, and not too crowded which makes for a nice date environment.
Unique Date Ideas
Dating is not always easy. It can be hard to come up with date ideas that are fun and exciting, especially if it’s your first date. Fortunately, there are a lot of date ideas out there that you can try for your next date night with someone special. Here are some date ideas:
- Watch a movie at home and order takeout or cook dinner for each other.
- Take a cooking class together, so you can perfect date night at home.
- Go to a comedy show or improv theatre, where you are sure to have lots of laughs together.
- Go to a concert or music festival together.
- Check out an art gallery for date night instead of dinner and drinks.
- Take a date to your favourite restaurant, but go during non-peak hours so you can have a more intimate dining experience.
- Go on an adventure and explore a new place together.
- Take a date to the beach and build sandcastles or go for a walk along the water’s edge.
- Go on an ice skating date at your local rink, you can even rent skates there if you don’t have any of your own with you.
- Check out an outdoor festival or a local fair.
- Go on a date to the zoo or aquarium and spend some time learning about all of the amazing animals that live there.
There are so many date ideas out there that you can try, it just depends on what your interests are as well as where you would like to go with your date. Try one of these.
First date idea
- Go to a museum
- See an art gallery or exhibit
- Do something that exhibits the date’s interest and/or you know they have a love for
- Go to the beach
- Watch movies or tv shows you both enjoy together. You can even make homemade treats and your date will feel special because they know how much work it took!
- Cook them dinner at home. They’ll appreciate that you went out of your way to put effort into something, plus who doesn’t love coming home to the smell of cooking dinner?
- Go on a date outside. You can either go hiking, biking, visit a park or simply take a picnic date at your local spot!
Date ideas for tonight:
- Visit an art gallery together and look at all the beautiful pieces depicting love stories throughout history.
- Take a date to the beach and build a sandcastle.
- Pick up some snacks, rent out your fave rom-com from Redbox or Netflix and enjoy each other’s company on an evening in!
Cheap Date Ideas
- Go to a free museum
- Go on a picnic date in the park
- Take your date for a walk at night and look for constellations
- Go to a local festival or event
- Take your date on a bicycle ride
- Volunteer for the day with your date at an animal shelter or a community garden
- Go bowling
- Put together date night at home with a scavenger hunt and all of your favourite snacks spread out
- Go on a date to an outdoor movie playing during the summer months at night (or in the evening)
- Cook dinner together and go out to a movie afterwards
- Go for a date walk along the beach at night with flashlights and look for sea creatures in tidal pools or on the sand
- Go on a date to an arcade and challenge each other at games like pinball, air hockey or pool
- Check out a bookstore or library date
- Take your date to a museum that is free of charge on certain days (Here are some examples: Art Institute, The Field Museum)
- Go for drinks at the bar without worrying about paying for food all night long
- Do something you’ve never done before together like skydiving or rock climbing. This date is sure to be memorable.
- Go on a date with your date’s favourite band or musician playing in concert (Here are some examples of concerts coming up: The National, Bon Iver)
- Take the opportunity to get back into dating apps like Tinder and make plans for an adventure date before you meet up. This way there isn’t much pressure.
- Go on a date to a park and bring a Frisbee or football with you. This date idea is perfect for date night in the summer months.
- Go on a date to your local farmer’s market and try out new food with each other like freshly baked bread, fresh fruit juice or a new date-night friendly recipe together.
- Go for an outdoor walk at night and look up at the stars. You can even try taking a date out to the country so you don’t have light pollution and see more of the stars.
- Go on a date to a friend’s house and play board games.
- Go on a date with your date to the batting cages so you can both try your hand at hitting a ball.
- Check out your town’s local events calendar and plan date nights for the months ahead so you have something to look forward to.
- Invite your date over for a date night in and challenge each other at popular board games like Monopoly, Scrabble or chess.
- Go on a date that involves exercise like rock climbing or hiking in the wilderness together to get your heart pumping and endorphins.
Cute Date Ideas
You’ve been talking for a while now and things are moving forward towards the date. Now, you want to make sure that your date goes well. While you can’t predict everything, here are some date ideas for your next date!
Music Festival – This is definitely a date that is fun and exciting. You might even find yourself falling in love with the date! Plus, there are tons of people around to chat with, which is always great for date conversation.
Board Game Night – This date idea can be fun, but also very competitive if you are the type of person to compete. However, it’s also a great date conversation that can ignite sparks between you and your date!
Coffee Date – Coffee dates are a date idea that can set the mood for dating. It’s casual, but it also allows you to get to know your date better! Many couples have met over coffee date conversations, so it’s definitely a date worth trying!
Coffee Shop – This is another casual date idea that works well for date conversation. If you don’t know where to take your date, a coffee shop can be great since it’s not too expensive and has a bunch of date atmosphere!
Dinner Date – There’s nothing like dinner to set the scene for date conversation. If you’re not sure what date restaurant to go, look for something that has a lively atmosphere. You want it to be fun!
