When you like someone, you want to spend time with them — but sometimes just talking isn’t quite enough.
Everyone needs date ideas from time to time, and it’s not a sign that you’re unimaginative or that there’s anything wrong with your connection if you find yourself stumped and looking online for inspiration.
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The truth is a really good date isn’t only a great use of a few hours, it could literally be an experience you remember for the rest of your life. With that in mind, here are 50 date ideas that are nothing like your average ones.
Note that these are not first date ideas. Many of them aren’t even second-date ideas. The majority of them are for once you know the person a bit better and want to spice things up a little bit.
Write your own poem, read classic poems or even song lyrics to each other. Don’t worry about your public speaking skills; being able to laugh at yourself is a quality everyone can appreciate.
No, you can’t predict the future — but tarot cards are an invitation to open up about what you care about and what’s going on in your life in a more real way than regular conversation. Things might get a little real, but it’s a lot of fun.
Just be with the trees and the breeze and get to know your date outside of hectic city-scapes.
Romance and friendship on the water, plus you’ll get a good ab workout.
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There’s a 90% chance your date will find reading out loud to them sexy. Just make sure you pick an appropriate bit of text — a romance novel, an over-the-top thriller, or genuinely good love poetry.
Hanging out at a coffee shop or bar and playing board games is great for sparking competitive spirits.
Found objects are great conversation starters, and thrifting can make for a fairly inexpensive date.
Because… you only live once.
Especially of an author that you really like.
Get your palms read by a psychic — do a couples reading, if possible.
Rent out a cheap hotel room in your own city for a local escape or staycation. This is the best date idea for those in the midst of re-modelling or re-painting their homes.
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You haven’t really lived until you’ve gone to a dirt track to watch people race cars. If you’re lucky, there will be fireworks.
This works best if you are musicians, but it can be just as entertaining if you aren’t.
Pitch a tent, rent a cabin or stay at a friend’s cabin. Bring some wine, cuddle up by the fireplace and have yourselves a time.
This will weed out an inappropriate match in no time.
Twisting knobs and plugging synths into drum machines and MIDI into MIDI-to-CV converters and uhhhhh…
TV dance party. You just drink a few, queue up some classic music videos and then dance. Hilarity ensues.
And please… try to flatter one another!
Have a photography day. This can include nudity if you like, but it also just helps to break the ice a bit as one or the both of you relaxes in front of the camera. You might even get a new profile picture out of it.
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Make desserts. Something fast and delicious is preferable. If you want to really impress, then cater your dessert to your date’s dietary preferences. A solid gluten-free cake is definitely the key to a celiac’s heart.
The weirder the food, the better. Make separate dishes if you are both competitive types or prepare something together for a little bonding time. Potlucks attract strange types at times so you’re bound both to feel a little out of your comfort zones and often you’ll learn something new! Raw vegan food potlucks are crazy good and very strange! Or try a fruit-luck…
Not for a threesome by any means, but be open to inviting just one friend on a date to switch up your conversations, add a different energy and open up the possibilities of the night. The more eccentric the friend, the better.
Check to see if your city has any local contests going on and choose one. This could be a pub quiz, a search for the next hot band or even a culinary challenge. Agree to join the contest, and see it through until the end no matter what your prospects are for winning. This is a great date idea since it can spread out into multiple dates and maybe even unlock a hidden talent or two.
Force yourselves to go to whatever cultural event or festival everyone is going to, but you’ve deemed yourself “too cool” to attend. Put on your tourist pants and enjoy it.
This is where you order one very small item from as many restaurants as possible until you are full. It’s sort of the same idea as tapas, but between each “tapa” you switch restaurants. You can include drinks in the tour-de-food as well.
The couple that paints together stays together. Lots of places have “paint and sip” events that add wine and other people to the mix, though of course you could do this by yourselves, too.
Or B-movies. These are so silly and predictable that you can probably talk all of the way through them, and it’s important to spend time conversing while getting to know one another. Relax in ways you’ve never known possible.
Borrow someone’s dog for a day and take care of it as a couple. Take it on walks, buy it treats and play with it, and return it before its owner gets worried. If you’ve found a stray then keep it until you can find it a proper home.
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You can find an arcade that has a pinball machine and retro video games or dig up the Super Nintendo that you probably have stored somewhere in your parents’ basement.
This might be a typical date, but take it one step further by actually picking difficult songs or singing your hearts out to your favorite songs without feeling embarrassed.
Nighttime bike rides — not as safe as biking during the day, but on a beautiful summer night with a perfect breeze, there’s nothing more romantic or fun. Just be sure to wear bike helmets and use lights.
Sign up for Living Social or Groupon and buy the first offer they have (if it isn’t too expensive). Make that your mandatory first date — no matter how silly it is.
Are you compatible? Who knows. But this can be a fascinating and hilarious way to learn about each other.
Nighttime swims or skinny dipping — both are really incredible, and combined? Now that’s a real treat.
Is it winter time? Wear your favorite coat and hat, snuggle up, and make snow angels together. Bonus points if the snow’s packable enough for snowmen, snow sculptures, and especially snowball fights.
This is for when you’re really bored and stuck inside together. What you do is go onto your favorite designer’s (or most expensive clothing store’s) website and pick out outfits for each other that you would buy if you had money. If they’re not out-of-this-world expensive, keep the other person’s picks in mind if you’re still together next time a gifting holiday like Valentine’s Day rolls around.
This is a summer activity and you can and should invite some friends. It’s peaceful and just really fun.
And invite your closest friends. Ideas: Birthday, Throwback Thursday, Murder Mystery, Wacky Costumes. Make it fun!
Without going food shopping, try as hard as you can to create a meal or snack using the ingredients in your cupboard. This is an activity where you can really impress someone with your resourcefulness.
Like a monster-truck rally: watch huge trucks fly through the air and a crazy fireworks display.
Go to the gym and spot each other on free weights; then go race each other. If you’re a runner, challenge your date to a run, and if you’re a swimmer than challenge them to a swim.
Think of the absolute most tourist-y thing you could do in your city. If you can’t think of anything, then go to your city tourist board’s website. Choose an option and go do it.
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Go to a nearby casino (the sillier the better), and play the slot machines, enjoy each other’s company and take in your surroundings. Just make sure you agree on a nominal fee limit beforehand.
There are so many online trivia options that this well shall never run dry. This is great for weeding out potential dates as well.
You doubt us? There’s nothing more romantic than ice fishing. You’re in a little cabin on a frozen lake, probably drinking beer or Irish whiskey and practicing patience.
Rent a really amazingly beautiful expensive car for the weekend and just drive around and listen to your favorite tunes. Show up with your new ride at your date’s place and you’re bound to please.
Find the nearest ghost tour in your city or take a road trip to a haunted house. Take pictures to capture the moment and check for orbs in the photo.
Figure out when the next comet shower is and plan on camping out to see it. Think this date is probably the winner of the entire list, and if you haven’t taken your beloved to go see stars falling form the heavens yet then you’ll really impress her by doing so ASAP!
And drink some wine, with the lights off and some candles going. Extra points if you buy really silly bubble bath.
Totally stupid, but if you’re reading this list then you’ve run out of ideas, and I promise you this is probably going to be more fun than any of the traditional dates you didn’t have planned.
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