There are many ways to build and maintain a strong relationship. If you ask many happy couples what their secret was, they will tell you to make time for each other and have fun together. What better way to do that than to make time for a regular date night?
It sounds so simple, but most couples find themselves falling into the same routine of freezer meals and binge-watching Netflix night after night. It can be challenging to come up with fresh date ideas and find time in your busy schedule for anything else. On top of that, dining at fancy restaurants, going out for a glass of wine, or even ice cream dates can get expensive.
Whether you want to save money or find an activity you can do while the kids are in bed (without having to get a sitter), there are plenty of romantic date ideas you can do from the comfort of your home. The past year has also made it even more difficult to have a couples’ night out, so if you have run out of ideas during the pandemic, you’ve come to the right place. These cute date ideas can be enjoyed anytime, plus staying home is a fantastic way to enjoy distraction-free quality time together.
At Home Date Night Ideas In the Kitchen
There is so much fun that can be had around food. Meals have been a way to enjoy company for as long as history remembers, and they are a staple for date nights. Instead of that freezer dinner, switch it up with a more exciting grocery list and plan a meal that you will talk about for months after. This doesn’t have to be expensive or even complicated.
1. Meals from Around the World
- Choose a country and cook a famous meal from a particular region. Go all out, starting with the ingredients, like with an Italian theme, and making sure to match decor and music, too. You can make this easy by ordering a TRY THE WORLD box which comes with a selection of drinks, snacks and ingredients to cook with from around the world.
2. Build a Charcuterie Board
- Charcuterie boards have been all over social media in the past year. You can keep it classic with an assortment of bread, crackers, meats, olives, and cheeses, or try something fun like a candy board, dessert board, favorite movie snacks board, hot chocolate board, and more!
Tip: This is our favorite charcuterie board from Amazon.
3. Baking
- Put on your aprons and be ready to make a bit of a mess in the kitchen. For inspiration, you can throw your favorite baking show on in the background, or follow along with a virtual baking class like one of these from Williams Sonoma.
4. Five-Star Dining Experience
- Replicate a fancy restaurant with a candle-light dinner at home. You might choose a romantic dinner recipe to make together, or, if you prefer, just order in from your favorite restaurant. Plenty of high-end restaurants are also now offering meal kits where you can prep the final stages from home.
5. Breakfast in Bed
- Skip date night (or extend it until morning) and have breakfast in bed! Whip up some pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit and enjoy a relaxing morning with nowhere to be. Just try not to get syrup on the fresh sheets.
6. Breakfast for Dinner
- It sounds super simple, but there is no cheaper and easier way to change things up and turn a regular dinner night into a fun date night. Pancakes for dinner always seem to be something to look forward to – they just taste better in the evening. Get extra fancy and try a new savory pancake recipe together.
At Home Date Night Ideas Bar Cart Date Ideas
After spending so much time indoors, a lot of people looked to Pinterest and started decorating the space around them. Bar carts were one of the most popular home improvements over the year, but a lot of these fully-stocked carts tend to collect dust. Have some responsible fun with cocktails on your next date night and finally use those pretty glasses you’ve been too afraid to pull out.
7. Mixology Night
- Get creative with what you have in the kitchen or find a list online like this one and see what you can make. Alcohol is one of the biggest expenses when people dine out, so you can save a ton of money making your own elegant cocktails at home.
8. Wine Tasting
- Grab a couple of bottles of wine and set up a wine tasting. This is a great activity to pair with your charcuterie board or other tasty snacks. You may have a nice bottle or two that you have been saving and want to really enjoy, or you can just pick up a couple of less expensive bottles of wine to compare. Sometimes it’s the cheap bottles that surprise you.
9. Make Your Own Beer
- It’s time to pull that brewing kit out of the garage that you got your husband a few years ago. Making your own beer is so much fun, especially for people who really enjoy craft beer. Northern Brewer offers every piece of equipment you need, whether you are just starting out or want to become a brewing master.
At Home Date Night Ideas Game Night
Game night could include a huge list on its own, especially if you a couple that really enjoys some healthy competition. Raise the stakes with these ideas – maybe the loser has to make dinner or pick up dish duty for the next few days – and have some fun!
10. Retro Video Games
- Video games? I know, sitting on the couch (bored) while watching your significant other play video games does not sound like your dream date night. But, when is the last time you played a game like Mario Cart or PacMan? If you don’t have an old-school Nintendo, a lot of newer systems still offer classic games or you can grab one from Amazon.
11. Couples Trivia
- If you enjoy trivia, give couples trivia a try. Make up your own questions (or find ideas online here) and see how well you know each other. Hopefully, there are a lot of questions that you both get right, but it’s almost more fun to get them wrong and learn something new about one another.
12. Cards and Puzzles
- Card games and puzzles seem like an obvious idea for an at-home-date, but no one is usually excited about this one. Don’t overlook it! Have you ever started a game and then realized that hours go by? The best thing about choosing an activity like one of these is that you get to enjoy lots of laughs and good conversation together at the same time.
13. Sports Night
- You don’t need to wait until Superbowl every year to put out tasty finger foods and sport your favorite team’s jersey. Pick a regular game night, grab a pack of beer and some wings, and even put up some extra game-day decorations if you want to really get in the spirit.
At Home Date Night Ideas Get Crafty
Tap into your creative side and find a fun craft to do together. Home improvements or refurbishing furniture could fit into this category as well if you are really hands-on. Just choose a DIY project and work on it together.
14. Paint Night
- You don’t have to be an artist for paint night; just put on an episode of the famous Bob Ross or try a virtual Paint and Sip party. You will just need some art supplies and a table cloth you don’t mind throwing away.
15. Couples Bucket List
- You might have your own bucket list in your head, but what are some things you want to do as a couple? Make a couples bucket list and try to tick something off the list during your date, or use the list to plan a future date night that’s a little more adventurous.
16. Vision Boards
- It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the business of life, whether it’s work, juggling kids’ schedules, or other stress you may be experiencing. Sometimes, we need to take some time to dream really big, and making vision boards is a great way to do this. If you don’t have magazines lying around, you can also do this virtually with a Pinterest board.
At Home Date Night Ideas Get Outside
With weather warming up there are more opportunities to enjoy outdoor dates. If you are going a little stir-crazy staying inside, try a date night outside. Outdoor dates are also a great escape from the kids if you want some time alone.
17. Night Under the Stars
- If you have a patio, balcony, or backyard space, spend a night under the stars. Pick up some twinkle lights and bring a blanket outside for added ambiance and just enjoy the quiet (or city noises, depending on where you live).
18. Backyard Camping
- Set up a tent and campfire in your own backyard. If you don’t have space outside, you can do this in your living room, too, and this at-home S’mores maker is a great alternative to a campfire.
19. Walk Around the Neighborhood
- Okay, technically you leave the house for this one, but it’s so important and so underrated. Going for a walk is the perfect mini-date that you could do every day if you wanted to. Slow your day down, communicate with one another, hold hands, and enjoy the fresh air.
At Home Date Night Ideas Transform Your Home
It’s fair to say that people are probably getting tired of spending so much time at home. Spend some quality time together by updating some of the spaces in your home.
20. Spa Night
- It may not be a couples’ massage, but a spa night at home is the best way to enjoy a relaxing, intimate date night. Diffuse eucalyptus and lavender essential oils for aromatherapy, put on a fuzzy robe, and let the foot massages begin. Check out these aromatherapy shower steamers from Amazon.
21. Transform Your Room Into a Hotel
- If you dream of getting a night away to a hotel, but can’t make it happen right now, you can replicate the experience with a real staycation. Try putting fresh sheets on the bed with extra pillows and making a room service meal in bed with a serving tray. Try this set of sheets from Amazon that have almost 300,000 reviews!
22. Dream Vacation
- Choose your dream vacation destination (you know, the trip you were supposed to take last May) and decorate the house. For example, create relaxing island vibes with umbrella drinks and island flavors for your tiki theme or put on French music and sparkling lights outside for a night in Paris.
23. Build a Fort
- Building a fort never gets old, no matter what your age is. Show off your fort-building skills and turn your living room into a cave. You can even turn the lights off as if the electricity was out and bring a lantern or flashlight into the fort.
24. At-Home Theater
- Turning your living room into a movie theater takes movie night to a whole new level. If you love movies, but you’re getting bored of Netflix every night, try going all out with a cinema-themed snack bar and a movie marathon of timeless classics.
Tips for the Best Date Nights at Home
- It’s all about the details.
- Print out a fancy menu for your romantic dinner, light the candles, put on jazz, clean the house, go all out on the details! The little things make date-night so much more special than any old night at home.
- Turn off all distractions.
- It’s hard to do when you are home, but stay away from your phone, computer, or TV (unless they’re part of the date) and just focus on each other. So much time is spent together as a couple, but our focus is somewhere else.
- Escape the mundane.
- Switch things up! You don’t have to come up with a crazy complicated idea; just a few little changes from your regular night routine will go a long way.
