Do you remember going out on dates when you first met your partner? You’d go to restaurants and bars or the cinema, spending quality time with each other. But the fun date nights seem to dwindle the longer you’re together and other things get in the way. Staying in to save for things or because you don’t have a babysitter put your date nights on the back burner. So once your kids have left home and you’re feeling financially secure, it sounds like good sense to start ‘dating’ your partner again. Being together a long time can make you both complacent and you can start to take each other for granted so spending quality time together again definitely needs to be top of your list. Take a look at my 12 date night ideas for older couples and starting having fun together again. Of course, you can also try these date nights if you’re younger too!
Go for a long walk
Getting out into the fresh air for a nice long walk is a great way to get you talking to each other. I always find when my husband and me go for a walk our conversation can go from talking about the grandchildren to putting the world to rights. Plus it’s very good exercise. You could just get yourselves down to your local park or if you fancy something a bit more challenging then google some longer walks in your area. We recently spent a whole afternoon walking part of Hadrian’s Wall to Sycamore Gap. As well as being a spectacular walk we also chatted to each other the whole time and spent some time having a picnic beside the sycamore tree. Not strictly a date night idea but a great date day idea!
Take a class together
There are loads of different classes out there you could take together as a couple. A restaurant in our area holds regular Pizza & Prosecco Evenings. You get to make your own pizza, guided by their resident chef, and then enjoy eating your own creation along with a couple of glasses of bubbly. Just google classes in your area to find one that suits you. Or if you’d prefer to take some classes in the comfort of your own home, try the Buckt Activity Subscription Box. Me and the hubby have enjoyed online classes like Salsa dancing, Intro to Speaking Mandarin and a wine tasting class. All fun date night ideas and something for everyone’s tastes.
A Round of crazy golf
My husband loves a game of crazy golf. It’s sometimes good to do something childish and remind ourselves what fun is all about. There are some great crazy golf courses around these days. We even have a dinosaur themed crazy golf course near us. The website says all children under 12 need to be accompanied by an adult, but it doesn’t say anything about an adult having to be accompanied by a child lol.
If you and your partner are into a more serious round of golf then https://mymully.com/ has a subscription box full of specially curated products to suit those who want to take their golfing hobby up a notch.
Plan a do-it-yourself drive-in movie
We used to love car picnics when the kids were young. We’d drive out to a local lighthouse and sit in the car, looking out to sea, munching on sandwiches, crisps and juice. As this was usually during the winter or when it was raining, it meant we could still get out of the house and have fun. When the kids left home we stopped doing it. But a car picnic is something that would work really well for date night. My son and his girlfriend actually did this recently. They were supposed to be going to a drive-in movie but it was cancelled due to the covid regulations, so they decided to create their own. They went out to the coast with their picnic and a laptop and watched a film sitting in the car. Take a couple of throws and some popcorn and snuggle up.
Play some fun board games
If you don’t want to go out for date night, how about a night in playing board games. Turn off the television, get a bottle of wine and some of your favourite snacks and settle in for a night of fun with something like Sushi Go, Yahtzee or even a childish game of Frustration. You could always spice the games up a bit with a strip version or wear some sexy lingerie while you play if you want to make your date night a little different. Or even buy the Sexy Time Game from Anne Summers for a really sexy date night!
Dine at home with a theme
Sometimes it’s nice to stay home and have a candlelit meal for two. Why not plan a themed dining experience? It could be inspired by a memorable holiday you and your partner have shared. For example we had a fantastic holiday in Crete a few years ago. So our meal for two could include a Mezze (greek tapas), and a few bottles of Mythos beer. To help with the date night ambience we could play some greek music or some songs that were popular when we were there. What would your themed meal include?
Visit an amusement arcade
We did this on New Year’s Day a while back. We drove to a local amusement arcade beside the beach and spent a fun few hours playing on the 2p pushing machine, whack-a-mole machine and some other really retro games. You don’t have to spend a fortune either, just set yourself a budget and arm yourself with some two pence pieces. It’s even better if there’s a place nearby for ice-cream or fish & chips when you leave.
Go on a self-guided tour of your own town or city
I came across an app last week called Hidden Newcastle. It uncovers remarkable, tragic and macabre stories from Newcastle upon Tyne’s hidden past. So me and the hubby could do a self-guided tour of Newcastle, exploring some intriguing tales. I’m sure that would be a great talking point . I’m not sure if there’s a an app like this for every city in the UK but it’s well worth doing some research to find out.
Culture and a coffee
Every town, or nearby city, will have an art gallery or a museum. Why not grab a bit of culture by spending a couple of hours looking around them. And afterwards relax in a nearby cafe with a coffee and have a chat about what you saw. The exhibits usually change every now and them in these places so if you enjoyed it you could always arrange to do it again in a few months.
Explore a castle
I love a castle. There’s just something very mysterious about them. And like the art gallery and museums there are castles everywhere across the UK. Have a day out exploring one. Buy the guide or brochure they have on sale so you can learn about it as you go. To make it more fun, make up some stories as you walk around. What job would you and your partner have been doing if you’d lived in the days when the castle was inhabited. Or what kind of Lord & Lady would you have been? It sounds a bit silly but it can be quite fun if you really immerse yourself in it.
A Trip to the zoo
Always a favourite with us. You can spend a whole day at the zoo if you include a picnic lunch with it. We probably all took our kids to the zoo, but I know I was so busy concentrating on my children enjoying the experience that I probably didn’t enjoy it as much. So really take time to wander around all the animals. Is there a timetable of talks and events you can join in on? Maybe there’s a ‘help feed the animals’ session. The zoo is definitely not just for the children. And on your way out buy a little zoo gift to remind yourself of a lovely date.
Try an Escape Room
These are a lot of fun. We did one as a family a few years ago and loved it. But they can definitely be two just with two people. If you don’t know what an escape room experience is, it’s a bit like the crystal maze. You get locked in a room and you have to solve clues to find your way out. One of our local escape room centres even has outdoor games, which is ideal at the moment. The escape rooms are usually themed, so they might have a pirate theme, paranormal theme or a spy theme. The escape room we visited even had fancy dress outfits so we could really immerse ourselves in the experience. If you try one let me know.
Is there something there that you’ll definitely put on your date night plans? While going out for a meal or a few drinks is usually the norm when you’re thinking about date night ideas but it’s always good to just mix things up a bit.
What do you do for date night? Let me know in the comments below.
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