You opened this article because you want something better than dinner and Netflix. Good. You are in the right place.
This is not a list of vague suggestions. Every idea below includes what it costs, how much time it takes, and why it actually works. Some are free. Some cost money. Some take five minutes to plan. Some take a weekend. All of them are more interesting than scrolling your phone on the couch next to each other.
A quick note on why this matters: research from the Gottman Institute shows that couples who regularly try new experiences together report stronger emotional bonds than those who repeat the same routines. Novelty activates the same brain chemistry as early-stage romance. In plain language, doing something new together makes you feel like you did when you first started dating.
Pick a category. Pick an idea. Do it this week.
Table of Contents
Outdoor Adventures
1. Have a Slow Food Picnic
Skip the soggy sandwiches. Plan a proper picnic with a cheese board, fresh bread, fruit, and a bottle of something cold. Pick a park with a view. Bring a real blanket, not a towel. The effort is the point. A thoughtful picnic says “I planned this for you” louder than any restaurant reservation.
Cost: $15–$40. Time to plan: 30 minutes. Best for: Spring and summer.
2. Go Kayaking or Canoeing
If you live near a river, lake, or coast, renting a two-person kayak costs about $20 to $40 per hour. You will talk more in a kayak than you do in most restaurants because there is nothing else to do but paddle and be together. Start with calm water if you are beginners.
Cost: $20–$40 per hour. Time to plan: Same day. Best for: Spring through early fall.
3. Take a Hike to a Viewpoint
Not just any hike. Find a trail that ends at a lookout, a waterfall, or a lake. The payoff at the end turns a walk into an experience. Pack snacks and water. Check the trail difficulty before you go. A moderate two-hour hike with a good destination beats a flat four-hour slog every time.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: 15 minutes of research. Best for: Any season.
4. Camp for One Night
You do not need a week in the woods. One night is enough. Drive to a campsite within two hours of home. Set up a tent. Cook over a fire. Sleep under the stars. The absence of phones, work, and screens forces you to actually talk and listen to each other. If you want to spice up things in the camp, do check out LoveHoney website and make use of Lovehoney coupons to save money.
Cost: $20–$50 for a campsite. Time to plan: A few days. Best for: Late spring through early fall.
5. Ride Bikes Through a New Neighborhood
Rent bikes or use a city bike-share program. Choose a part of town neither of you has explored. Stop at whatever catches your eye — a mural, a bakery, a park bench. No itinerary. Just move and discover.
Cost: Free to $15 for rentals. Time to plan: None. Best for: Any season with decent weather.
6. Go Horseback Riding
Most stables offer beginner trail rides for about $40 to $80 per person. You do not need experience. The guides handle everything. Riding through open countryside with someone you care about feels cinematic in the best way.
Cost: $40–$80 per person. Time to plan: Book a few days ahead. Best for: Spring and fall.
7. Visit a Botanical Garden
Quieter than a zoo. More interesting than a park. Botanical gardens are designed for slow walking and conversation. Many have seasonal exhibits, evening light shows, or hidden corners that feel like another world. Check for evening or sunset hours if your local garden offers them.
Cost: Free to $20. Time to plan: None. Best for: Any season.
8. Go Stargazing
Drive 30 to 45 minutes outside the city on a clear night. Bring a blanket, hot drinks, and a free stargazing app like SkyView or Star Walk. Lie down and find constellations. There is something about looking at the sky together that makes small problems feel small and big feelings feel safe.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Check the weather forecast. Best for: Fall and winter (clearer skies).
9. Play Frisbee Golf
Most disc golf courses are free and located in public parks. The game is simple to learn and takes about 90 minutes. It gives you something to do with your hands and your competitive energy while you walk and talk. A starter disc costs about $10.
Cost: Free to $10. Time to plan: None. Best for: Any dry day.
10. Take a Ferry Ride
If you live near water, a ferry ride is one of the most underrated dates. You get fresh air, a view, and a sense of going somewhere without the stress of driving. Some ferries cost as little as $5 per person. Bring coffee and stand on the deck.
Cost: $5–$15. Time to plan: Check the schedule. Best for: Any season.
At-Home Dates
11. Build a Blanket Fort and Watch a Movie
This sounds childish. It is. That is why it works. Strip the couch cushions, drape sheets and blankets, string up fairy lights, and crawl inside with popcorn and a laptop. You are building something together, literally, before you even start the movie. Pick a film neither of you has seen.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: 20 minutes to build. Best for: Rainy nights or lazy weekends.
12. Cook a Meal You’ve Never Tried Before
Not your usual pasta. Pick a cuisine neither of you knows well. Thai green curry. Korean bibimbap. Argentinian empanadas. Find a recipe with a YouTube tutorial. Buy the ingredients together. The process — shopping, chopping, messing up, tasting — is the date. The food is a bonus.
Cost: $15–$30 for ingredients. Time to plan: 30 minutes. Best for: Any evening.
13. Do a Homemade Spa Night
Light candles. Put on low music. Set out face masks, massage oil, and warm towels. Take turns giving each other a 15-minute shoulder or foot massage. This is not about being a professional. It is about touch, attention, and slowing down. A study published in the journal Biological Psychology found that partner massage reduces cortisol and increases oxytocin. Science says this is good for you.
Cost: $10–$25 for supplies. Time to plan: 15 minutes. Best for: Any night.
14. Have a Taste Test Challenge
Buy five versions of the same thing — hot sauce, chocolate, cheese, coffee, chips — and do a blind taste test. Rate each one. Argue about which is best. This is surprisingly fun and surprisingly revealing. You learn what someone values (flavor, texture, heat, sweetness) and you learn how seriously they take condiments.
Cost: $10–$25. Time to plan: One grocery run. Best for: Any time.
15. Start a Puzzle Together
Not a 100-piece children’s puzzle. Get a 750 or 1,000-piece puzzle with a design you both find interesting. Leave it on the table. Work on it together over several evenings. It gives you a shared project and a reason to sit close without needing to talk the entire time.
Cost: $15–$25. Time to plan: None. Best for: Winter evenings.
16. Play Video Games Together
This is not “watch him play while you sit there.” Pick a co-op game you can play together. Overcooked, It Takes Two, and Mario Kart are popular for a reason. If neither of you is a gamer, that makes it funnier. The learning curve is part of the entertainment. If watching is fun, do imagine yourself and him in a pub in Thailand to spice up things.
Cost: Free if you already have a console. Time to plan: None. Best for: Any time.
17. Read to Each Other
Pick a book you both want to read. Take turns reading chapters aloud. A novel, a collection of short stories, or even a book of essays. This sounds old-fashioned because it is. It is also intimate, calming, and gives you something real to talk about the next day.
Cost: Free with a library card. Time to plan: Choose a book. Best for: Weeknights.
18. Do a Living Room Dance Party
Clear the floor. Make a playlist of songs that make you both move. No choreography. No judgment. Just music and motion. Dance badly. Dance well. Dance close. A 2016 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that moving in sync with another person increases feelings of closeness and cooperation. Translation: dancing together literally bonds you.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Make a playlist. Best for: Any night you need energy.
Free and Cheap Ideas
19. People-Watch at a Busy Spot
Sit on a bench in a busy area — a park, a plaza, a boardwalk. Watch people walk by. Make up stories about where they are going and what they do for a living. This game has no rules and no end. It is free, endlessly entertaining, and tells you a lot about how your partner’s imagination works.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: None.
20. Explore a Free Museum Day
Many museums offer free admission on certain days or evenings. Check your local options. Even if the museum is small, walking through exhibits together gives you more to talk about than a two-hour movie where you sit in silence.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Check museum schedules.
21. Volunteer Together
Food banks, animal shelters, park cleanups, community gardens. Working side by side on something that matters creates a different kind of bond than entertainment does. You see how your partner treats strangers, handles tedious tasks, and responds to people in need. That tells you more than any fancy dinner.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Search VolunteerMatch.org.
22. Go to a Free Outdoor Concert or Event
Most cities have free concerts in parks during summer. Farmers’ markets run on weekends. Art walks happen monthly. Street festivals pop up year-round. Check your city’s event calendar every Friday. Free events are happening near you right now. You just haven’t looked.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: 5 minutes of research.
23. Have a Photo Walk
Grab your phones. Walk through your neighborhood or a nearby area and photograph anything that catches your eye. Set a theme: “things that are red,” “interesting doors,” “strangest sign.” Compare your photos over coffee afterwards. You will notice things you have walked past a hundred times.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: None.
24. Make a Bucket List Together
Sit down with paper and pens. Each of you writes 20 things you want to do in your lifetime. Read them out loud. Circle the ones you share. Pick one and start planning it. This conversation reveals goals, dreams, and priorities you might never have discussed otherwise. It is also the beginning of a shared adventure list you can work through for years.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: None.
25. Stargaze From Your Own Backyard
You do not need to drive anywhere. Lay a blanket on the grass. Download a free constellation app. Point your phone at the sky and name what you see. If you live in a city with light pollution, focus on the moon and the brightest planets — Venus, Jupiter, and Mars are visible to the naked eye most of the year.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Wait for a clear night.
26. Walk a Dog (Even If You Don’t Own One)
If you have friends with dogs, offer to walk theirs. If not, volunteer at a local shelter for a dog-walking shift. Walking a dog together is relaxing, gives you a shared focus, and often sparks conversations with strangers. It is also a low-pressure way to test whether you are both interested in getting a pet someday.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: One text or phone call.
Romantic Experiences
27. Plan a Surprise Date
Don’t tell your partner what you are doing. Pick them up. Drive somewhere. Reveal the plan only when you arrive. The surprise itself is more romantic than the activity. A picnic in a park, a reservation at a new restaurant, tickets to a show — any of these becomes ten times more meaningful when the other person didn’t see it coming.
Cost: Varies. Time to plan: A few days.
28. Write Each Other a Letter
Not a text. Not an email. A handwritten letter on real paper. Tell them something specific you appreciate about them. Describe a memory you cherish. This takes about 20 minutes and costs nothing, but it creates something physical they can hold and reread for years.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: 20 minutes.
29. Recreate Your First Date
Go back to the place where you had your first date. Order the same thing. Sit in the same spot if you can. Talk about what you were thinking that night. What were you nervous about? What surprised you about the other person? Revisiting the beginning reminds you why you started.
Cost: Whatever the original date cost. Time to plan: Book a table.
30. Take a Sunset Drive
No destination. Just drive toward the sunset. Find a spot to pull over and watch it. Bring a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate. The combination of movement, music, and a sky changing color creates a mood that is hard to replicate any other way.
Cost: Gas money. Time to plan: Check sunset time.
31. Book a Couples’ Massage
This does not have to be expensive. Many massage schools offer discounted couples’ sessions. A professional massage in the same room puts you both in a relaxed, present state at the same time. You leave feeling calm and connected without having to do anything except show up.
Cost: $60–$150 for two. Time to plan: Book a few days ahead.
32. Slow Dance in Your Kitchen
Put on a song that means something to both of you. Hold each other. Sway. You do not need a dance floor, a crowd, or any skill. You need a song and 90 seconds of being fully present. Do this once and you will do it again.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Choose a song.
33. Plan a Weekend Getaway
It does not need to be far. A cabin 90 minutes away, a hotel in a nearby city, a campsite by a lake. The change of environment resets your dynamic. You become explorers together instead of roommates managing a household. Book something within the next two weeks or it will stay an idea forever.
Cost: $100–$300. Time to plan: A week.
Creative and Unique Activities
34. Try an Escape Room
You are locked in a room. You have 60 minutes to solve puzzles and get out. This forces teamwork, communication, and creative thinking under pressure. You will learn how your partner handles stress, and you will either high-five at the end or laugh about how badly you did. Both outcomes are good.
Cost: $25–$40 per person. Time to plan: Book online.
35. Take a Pottery Class
Yes, the Ghost scene. But also: working with clay is tactile, meditative, and genuinely fun. Most studios offer beginner classes for about $30 to $50 per person. You will both be terrible at it. That is the point. Shared vulnerability is bonding.
Cost: $30–$50 per person. Time to plan: Book a few days ahead.
36. Do a Paint and Sip Night
You each get a canvas, paint, and a glass of wine. A teacher walks you through a painting step by step. At the end, you compare your results. The gap between what you were supposed to paint and what you actually painted is where the comedy lives.
Cost: $30–$45 per person. Time to plan: Book online.
37. Have a Goofy Photo Shoot
Put on ridiculous outfits. Use a phone timer or ask a friend with a camera. Pose dramatically. Pose absurdly. The photos will make you laugh every time you look at them for years. This is one of those dates that costs nothing and creates permanent memories.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: Raid your closets.
38. Attend a Trivia Night
Most bars and restaurants host weekly trivia. You do not need to be smart. You need to be willing to guess confidently and wrong. Teams of two work well. The competition, the wrong answers, and the occasional surprise victory make for a lively night.
Cost: Free to enter, plus food and drinks. Time to plan: Find a local trivia night.
39. Learn a TikTok Dance Together
Find a trending dance. Watch the tutorial three times. Try it. Film your attempt. Watch it back. Laugh at yourselves. Try again. This takes about 30 minutes and produces content you can share or, more wisely, keep private. Either way, you will be moving, laughing, and failing together, which is exactly the point.
Cost: Free. Time to plan: None.
40. Do a DIY Project from Pinterest
Pick a project that interests you both: a bookshelf, a terrarium, custom candles, tie-dye shirts, homemade soap. Buy the materials. Build it together. The finished product sits in your home as a reminder of the day you made it. This is far more meaningful than anything you can order online.
Cost: $15–$50 depending on the project. Time to plan: One shopping trip.
41. Run a Scavenger Hunt for Each Other
Write five to ten clues that lead your partner around your neighborhood, your home, or your city. Each clue leads to the next one. The final clue leads to a small prize: a handwritten note, a favorite snack, a gift card, or you standing there with a smile. Planning this takes effort, and effort is romance.
Cost: Free to cheap. Time to plan: 30–60 minutes.
42. Attend a Murder Mystery Night
Some restaurants and event companies host murder mystery dinners. You dress up, get assigned a character, and spend the evening solving a fictional crime. It is theater, dinner, and a game rolled into one. If you cannot find a live event, at-home murder mystery kits cost about $25 and work surprisingly well.
Cost: $25–$75 per person. Time to plan: Book ahead.
43. Try Axe Throwing
Walk-in axe throwing venues have spread to most cities. Sessions cost about $20 to $35 per person for an hour. You get coaching. You throw axes at targets. It is physical, slightly absurd, and satisfying. Competition is encouraged.
Cost: $20–$35 per person. Time to plan: Walk in or book same-day.
44. Take a Dance Class
Salsa, swing, two-step, ballroom. Beginner classes are designed for people with no experience. You will step on each other’s feet. You will laugh. You will hold each other closer than you do at home. Research by social psychologist Arthur Aron found that couples who do novel, physically engaging activities together feel more attracted to each other. Dancing counts.
Cost: $15–$30 per person. Time to plan: Find a local class.
Seasonal Ideas
45. Spring: Visit a Farmers’ Market
Buy fresh produce. Sample local food. Walk slowly. Talk about what to cook for dinner that night. Farmers’ markets are free to browse, usually outdoors, and full of color and energy. Go in the morning when the selection is best.
46. Spring: Fly a Kite
You need a kite ($10 to $15), an open field, and a steady breeze. Getting a kite airborne requires teamwork. Keeping it up requires patience. Watching it soar requires looking up together, which is a small thing that feels bigger than it sounds.
47. Summer: Spend a Day at the Beach
Bring a cooler, a speaker, sunscreen, and a deck of cards. Swim. Nap. Read. Build something in the sand. A full beach day with no schedule is one of the simplest and most restorative dates two people can share.
48. Summer: Go to an Amusement Park
Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, overpriced funnel cake. Amusement parks are designed to overstimulate your senses, and that heightened state transfers to the person next to you. Psychologists call it misattribution of arousal. Your brain credits the excitement to your partner. Use that.
49. Fall: Go Apple Picking
Drive to an orchard. Pick apples. Drink cider. Take the apples home and bake something together. This date spans an entire day if you want it to: drive, pick, cook, eat.
50. Fall: Carve Pumpkins
Buy two pumpkins. Look up templates or go freehand. Carve side by side at the kitchen table with music on. Display them together on your porch. Simple, seasonal, tactile, and mildly competitive if you let it be.
51. Winter: Go Ice Skating
Outdoor rinks are more romantic than indoor ones. Hold hands. Fall down. Help each other up. Get hot chocolate after. The mild vulnerability of being on skates — slightly off-balance, slightly dependent on each other — creates physical closeness naturally.
52. Winter: Build a Campfire and Make S’mores
A backyard fire pit, a public beach, or a campground. Fire, marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers. Sit close. Talk. Stare at the flames. Fires have been gathering points for humans for hundreds of thousands of years. There is a reason we feel calm and connected around them.
53. Holiday Season: Drive Around and Look at Christmas Lights
Bring hot drinks. Play holiday music. Drive through neighborhoods known for elaborate decorations. This is effortless, free, and unexpectedly cozy. Make it a tradition and you will look forward to it every year.
54. Any Season: Take a Spontaneous Day Trip
Pick a town within two hours of home that neither of you has visited. Drive there. Walk around. Eat at a local restaurant. Browse the shops. The spontaneity is the point. You do not need a plan. You need a direction.
55. Any Season: Attend a Live Show
A concert, a comedy set, a play, a spoken-word night, a local band at a bar. Live performance creates shared emotional peaks that you carry with you long after the show ends. Check your city’s event listings every week. Something is always playing.
Conclusion: Just Pick One and Do It This Week
You now have 55 ideas sitting in front of you. That is more than enough to fill every weekend for the next year. But here is the truth that matters more than any list: the best date is the one that actually happens.
Not the one you bookmark and forget. Not the one you plan to do “someday.” The one you do this Saturday. Or tonight. Or in the next 20 minutes.
So here is your only action step. Scroll back up. Pick one idea that made you think, “that could be fun.” Text your boyfriend about it right now. Set a day. Do it.
Then come back and pick the next one.
Fifty-five ideas. Fifty-five chances to turn an ordinary week into something you both remember. The list is here whenever you need it. The only thing it cannot do is start for you.
Go make a memory.
