The 7 Best {Original} Date Night Ideas
I recently posted about the importance of dating your spouse, but now it's time for the fun part--some pretty perfect date night ideas. My husband and I have done all of these things, and many of them are pretty original. If you're not a romantic, these might not be your style, but we've all got a little hidden romance somewhere in there. Just have fun with it--with life--with your spouse, and build some new amazing memories together. After all, he/she is the person you chose to spend the rest of your life with!
1. Build an adult fort.
This is BY FAR my favorite, favorite, favorite date night idea! There is something about building a fort that just brings back childhood memories of pure and innocent fun. Not to mention the fact that it is also the most romantic place in all the land... I mean c'mon. So go grab some blankets and get to building! Your fort doesn't have to be super fancy, but I would suggest making it you. Fill it with y'alls "stuff". Sappy poems and lots of pictures. Here are a few examples I absolutely love:
If you are a super person, you could even plan better and get some inexpensive decorations! Here are a few fort fancifying goodies:
I want to warn you. Sometimes forts lead to new creations. In our case, it was a human named Ava.
2. Go to a restaurant that you went to at the beginning of your relationship.
There is something so fun about recreating an old date, especially one of the earliest memories with your love. I could just relive good memories over and over. Trey and I had Subway (on the go) on the way to our first date--a concert. Every single time we eat Subway now, it's what we talk about. We relive that day, those moments--every feeling.
The restaurant might be a fancy one, or may be a chain that has a reputation for salmonella contamination. Either way, go there. Have that conversation. Relive that first date. Flirt with your spouse.
3. Spread out a blanket under the stars, and pop open a bottle of wine (or carrot juice).
Is there anything more romantic than star-gazing? Probably not. It is so peaceful and mysterious. God's creation just leaves me in awe. I love sharing those special moments with my husband!
If you're a parent (or even if you aren't) life probably feels rushed, chaotic and crazy at times (all the time for me!). Isn't it amazing when get the chance to just relax. To rest. To breathe. Sometimes we like to stargaze on crazy weeks because it is so peaceful and calming in the midst of chaos.
Wine always makes things a little more romantic, but I am not a drinker so I stick to my happy juice: carrot juice. Just grab your favorite beverage and a fun blanket, and head outdoors with your romantic date!
4. Attend a football game.
My husband and I love football. We both graduated from Texas A&M, so college football is a big deal in our house! It's fun to watch at home, but so much better when you're a part of the crowd, screaming and cheering your team on. Being a military family, we aren't able to attend A&M football games often, so we just crash some high school Friday night football games. We overeat Frito Pies and pickles, and eat ring pops & Sweetarts until we go into a sugar-coma.
The best part about it, tickets are normally less than $5!
5. Go to an arcade but don't forget to play laser tag.
My husband and I are both very competitive. Very competitive. Another favorite date night activity for us is heading to the arcades. I'm talking the all-out kind of arcades, where laser tag and possibly even put-put are involved. You will be surprised how much you will end of laughing on dates like these.
The first time we went arcading, it was a last resort--we just couldn't think of anything else better to do. We loved it so much though, it's become a regular date-night idea. Just for the record, I DID demolish my husband in our last laser tag adventure.
6. Go to a fancy dinner.
Ladies, how much do you love to dress up for your man? It's fun to actually put makeup on, fix your hair and slip on a dress that you wouldn't normally wear. Men, how much do you love to see your lady lookin' beautiful? It's a win-win!
Going to a fancy dinner doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive dinner. Sometimes we'll go to a nice steakhouse, but other times we'll grab a seat at a Hibachi grill! Your "fancy" dinner can take place anywhere, but get dressed up a little!
Here are some of my favorite fancy restaurants:
7. Get a hotel room & sleep.
Let's all be honest here. How sleep deprived are you, and how badly do you wish you could just have a good nights sleep--all night, cry-proof? Most nights I'm lucky to get a 4-hour window of deep sleep--some nights are more like 1-2 hours (because I have a one-year-old). Broken sleep has so many effects on the body, mainly with hormones. We are tired, and for that reason, sleep is one of the best gifts you could ever give to a mom.
If you have someone that could watch your kids overnight--a parent or another family member--you could totally make part of your date night getting caught up on months of sleep you've missed out on. If you get really crazy, you could even splurge and get some $18 room service ice cream (oops).
If you have any fun date night ideas, I'd love for you to share them! Please comment below.
