Date Night Ideas

Here are some good date night ideas..And I do know that there are a lot of date options listed, so I would be surprised if most of you, if not all, would read the whole thing. I hope this helps though!

(Redbookmag.com)

"Dinner and a Movie"

1.Go out for pizza--ask them to cut the pie into the shape of a heart.

2.Try live entertainment, such as a band at a local bar, instead of a movie.

3. Pick a TV show, get a season's worth on DVD and make a running date to watch it together every night.

4. Head out to a midnight cult movie, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Showgirls or Donnie Darko.

5. How about dinner and some stargazing at the planetarium's evening show?

6. Try brunch and a matinee; fancy restaurants are way more affordable in the a.m.

7. Pick up a bucket of fried chicken and head for the drive-in.

"At-Home Dates"

8. Take turns singing cheesy out-of-tune ballads at karaoke.oddcast.com or free karaoke.com.

9. Enjoy a good game of Twister.

10. Dress up your backyard picnic table with a white tablecloth. Add candles, fancy cheese, chocolate and sparkling cider: five-star fun.

11. Too cold or wet for an outdoor picnic? Spread a blanket on the floor and have a carpet picnic.

12. Make a mixed tape or CD.

13. Invest in an ice-cream maker or a bread maker; then invent your own homemade treats.

14. Curl up with the Sunday crossword puzzle.

15. Bring home your favorite fast food, but serve it on your best china.

"Cheap Dates"

16. Museums usually have one free night a week, so hit one then.

17. Take a sketchpad to a scenic bluff and draw your own version of the vista.

18. Grab a basketball and hit the free courts at the park.

19. Sample international food at a street fair.

20. Hit the local video arcade.

21. Go to the library and page through the coffee-table art books.

22. Suit up and spend a late afternoon at the indoor pool of the Y.

23. Head to the highest point in town. Spend an early evening watching the twinkling lights turn on.

24. Find a bridge and walk across it; the view can't be beat.

25. Visit the hothouse at your local botanical garden.

26. Drive out to a country field, lie down and snuggle under the stars.

27. Make yourselves the biggest, craziest ice cream sundae ever.

"Creative Dates"

28. Take a tour of the house you'd (someday) love to own.

29. Paint coffee mugs at a paint-your-own-pottery place.

30. Get your palms read.

31. Fly a kite.

32. Sign up for a one-night class at your local college.

33. Hit a farmers' market and scavenge for your dinner.

34. Get an easy-to-operate remote-control plane, go to a park and take turns trying to avoid the trees.

35. Take a hayride.

36. Hit a flea market and find a beautiful blanket to snuggle in together.

37. Take a tour of garage sales in the ritziest neighborhoods.

38. Don't you just drive each other up the wall sometimes? Prove it — at an indoor climbing gym.

39. Head to an ice skating rink and strap on skates for some icy fun.

40. Poke around at an antique shop.

41. Ride the Ferris wheel at a local carnival.

42. Give each other haircuts. (haha..good luck with that!)

43. Pick out the perfect frame for your favorite photo of the two of you.

"Mini Dates"

44. Find a fountain and throw in 10 pennies, taking turns making wishes.

45. Write a poem together.

46. Stop at a fancy bakery and pick out a treat each — for each other.

47. Feed the ducks.

48. Hold a kiss for one elevator ride.

49. One word: Frisbee.

50. Ride a tandem bike.

51. Get up early or stay up all night (wink, wink) to watch the sunrise.

52. Try this kissing challenge: 100 kisses in three hours.

53. Climb a tree together.

"Man-Friendly Outings"

54. Pick up The Girl's Guide to Football by Peaco Todd, for a mini tutorial. Then join your guy at his next big game.

55. Take a test-drive of a fun sports car, such as the Nissan Z.

56. Head to a batting cage and swing at some balls.

57. Trim your fingernails, wear thick socks and hit the bowling alley.

58. Get in the saddle for a horseback-riding lesson.

59. Map out a long bike ride through a local park.

60. Fire up the grill for burgers and sticky s'mores.

61. Play paintball.

62. Check out the action at the nearest racetrack.

63. Hit the golf-ball driving range.

64. Work out your aggressions with some co-kickboxing.

"Mini Getaways"

65. Book a double massage at a fancy-schmancy spa.

66. Take a balloon or helicopter ride over your town.

67. Rent a fancy car. Tool around as if you actually own it.

68. Find a nearby bed-and-breakfast. Spend the night someplace where someone else makes the bed and cooks breakfast.

"Outdoor Adventures"

69. Grab a pair of binoculars and spend an afternoon bird-watching.

70. Log on to learner.org/jnorth to find out how to become a pair of butterfly spies.

71. Hit a hiking trail near you.

72. Take a whale-watching cruise. (Landlubbers, hit the aquarium!)

73. First snow? Call your man, make him run home and build a snowman.

74. Take a walk on the beach.

"Culture Vulture"

75. Check out the talent at a small local art gallery.

76. Get up and move: Try swing dancing, tangoing or square dancing.

77. See if your local college has a pottery studio and sign up for an evening class.

78. Amateur theater is fun to see — and even more fun to try out for.

79. Get all dressed up and catch an orchestra or opera performance.

"Nostalgia Trips"

80. Dig out that concert T-shirt: You're never too old to catch your favorite classic rock band on its reunion tour.

81. Take a local walking history tour.

82. Make a time capsule about your dating days to open 10 years from now.

(dating.suite101.com)

"Free Dates"

83. Ruthlessly exploit your friends! DVDs are cheap to hire, but free to borrow. Find out if your friends have board games, sports equipment, dartboard, kayaks, a Playstation, tandem bike or fondue set you can borrow, and be sure to return the favor.

84. Take a picnic to a park and watch ducks.

85. Challenge yourselves to complete a sizeable household projecttogether – making a raised bed, building a birdhouse or painting a room– and reward yourselves at the end with cheesecake or an ice-creamsundae.

86. Get online together and Google a culture with which you're unfamiliar – maybe Polish, Turkish or Tongan. Then find a recipe online for a traditional food from that culture, and have a spontaneous"ethnic food night"! Bonus points for watching a film about that culture or finding some traditional music to listen to during dinner.

87. Faintly on the same theme, look for ethnic festivals and holidays and celebrate them in your own home. Consider a harvest festival, solstice celebration or Chinese New Year.

88. Read a book out loud to each other. This can be a nightly ritual, orserialised into installments for a weekly date. Choose a book neitherof you has read before, but which comes highly recommended.

89. Sneak into a school or public playground at night and rediscover the joys of swinging, sliding and climbing.

90. Make candy together. Choose something which you can eat the same night, such as pulled taffy.

"Cheap Dates"

91. Going out for brunch or lunch is cheaper than dinner. If your favourite restaurant meal always leaves you too full for a secondcourse, try a dessert-only meal. Sharing an appetiser and main dish is cheaper and more intimate than paying for two main dishes. And of course, take full advantage of any coupons, free birthday meals or cheap nights!

92. Instead of buying a meal out, cook something at home using fancy ingredients. Buy luxury pesto, top-range steak or fresh pasta and you'll still spend less than a restaurant would charge.

93. If cooking isn't your forte, inquire at a cooking school or Polytechnic to see what happens to the cooking students' creations. Many institutions sell meals cheaply, frozen or fresh, on a first-come-first-served basis; a great opportunity to find restaurant-quality takeout.

94. Universities often show student plays and films cheaply or even for free, and they can be surprisingly good. Keep an eye on your local campus for entertainment by the next generation of famous people!

95. Take an evening class together–dancing if you want to be romantic, or something as prosaic as Japanese or pottery if you prefer! Community college classes are cheap and will give you plenty to talk about.

96. Some couples thrive on routine, while others like to try something new every date. Adapt these ideas to your own relationships and neverlack for a fun date idea--no matter how broke you are!

(marieclaire.com)

"Cheap Date Ideas"

97. Get an adrenaline rush at the roller-skating rink. As long as you don't mind being the oldest people there who aren't chaperoning their children, it's a great way to have fun and let loose with each other. Top it off with a bowl of ice cream when you get home.

98. Play house: Dress up in your most serious grownup outfit and leave your tiny apartment to visit some open houses. Spend the day arguing over where you would put the love seat, discussing the difference between eggshell and ecru paint, and giggling over strangers' hideous decorating choices.

99. Celebrate the first snow of winter with a day of sledding. Pick a hilly spot in your town and use garbage can lids as makeshift sleds. Wear a bike helmet to up the dorky fun factor, and celebrate living through the experience with a cup of hot cocoa.

100. Spend the day picking fruit at a local farm, either one-on-one or with a few couples you know — the more the merrier. Once you've picked all the apples you can carry back to the car, get creative in the kitchen and think up some recipes with the fruit you picked. Judge each other's creations, Top Chef style.

101. Plan a trip. You might need to save up for awhile, but that doesn't mean you can't daydream. Plan your dream vacation with each other — it might be the incentive you need to start putting your loose change in the piggy bank.

102. Challenge your guy to a little friendly competition and surprise him by taking him to a rifle range. After each round, compare your targets — loser buys the next round of bullets; winner gets gloating privileges.

103. Spice up your movie-night routine by finding a drive-in movie theater. Stop at the supermarket on your way to load up on your favorite snacks, and bring blankets and pillows to make the car extra cozy. Let him pick the movie — you'll get points for being easygoing, even though you know you'll probably miss most of the movie.

104. Wherever you live, chances are there are local bands dying for an audience. Check out MySpace for bands in your area and go to a show. Alternate with your guy on who gets to pick the band so that you both get a chance to enjoy your favorite music genres

105. Appeal to his inner child (it shouldn't be too hard to tap into) and buy tickets for a carnival. Embrace the cheesiness — share cotton candy, let him try to win you a prize, and ride the Ferris wheel until you get nauseated.

106. Keep up on the specials. For a break on your dinner bill, check out sites like Restaurant.com for the restaurant deals in your area.

107. Ask him about his fantasy cars and he'll probably talk your ear off. Head over to a local car dealership and test-drive the most expensive car they'll let you take out of the parking lot. Take turns at the wheel but resist the urge to nitpick each other's driving skills.

108. Indulge your sweet tooth with your sweetie — visit a chocolate or cookie factory. Do a quick Google search to see if there are any in your area and give one a call to see if it does tours. If it only does group tours, make it a group date and invite a few other couples.

109. Get spooked at a haunted house. Check out Hauntedhouse.com for listings in your state. Start off the night by watching a scary movie before you go, and then try not to laugh when he launches a foot into the air at every corner.

110. Get out those matching aprons and fire up the skillet for a night of cooking — for both of you. Learn how to cook each other's favorite meal and then do it together. Whether you end up with a delicious steak and tuna casserole for two or speed-dialing for Chinese takeout, you're guaranteed to enjoy the process.

111.Invite another couple over that you don't know well for a potluck dinner. Ask them to bring the appetizer and dessert, and work on the main course with your guy. At least one of the dishes should come out edible, and you can bond with your new friends over your shared culinary failure.

112. Tap into your animal instincts by visiting a petting zoo. Bring some bread to feed the animals and spend a few hours debating him on why getting a pet monkey is a bad idea.

113. Play 20 Questions. Whether you've been together for three weeks or three years, there are probably things you don't know about each other. Each of you should write down 20 questions about the other — make sure they're open-ended so you don't get boring one-word answers — and fire away. Take turns answering the questions and get to know each other a little better than you already do.

114. Bummed that you can't afford a weeklong vacation with your man? Put things in perspective and volunteer together for a cause you both care about. TiVo Gossip Girl and sign up to work at a soup kitchen once a week, or cuddle up with lovable cats and dogs at your local animal shelter.

115. Want some quiet time? Exercise your creative talents by drawing each other. All you need are two pieces of paper, and some art supplies for a quiet, romantic night in. Go as artistic or as fun as you wish.

116. Get physical. Get free day passes to a gym whose membership you could never afford.

117. While you're waiting for your Netflix delivery, stop at your local library and rent a few movies. Toss a coin to see whose pick you'llwatch first.

118. Travel back in time and reminisce. If you or your guy still live close to where you grew up, give each other a tour of your childhoods. Grab a camera and take pictures of your all-grown-up selves as you visit each landmark.

119. Can't get away for a vacation? Sightsee in your own city. If you've lived in your area for a long time, chances are you never got around to seeing a lot of the tourist attractions. So grab your guy and pretend to be tourists for a weekend. Stop at a used bookstore or look online for travel guides for your city, put together an itinerary, and don't forget to take pictures!

120. Share a few laughs at a comedy club amateur night. Admission usuallycosts two drinks per person, and you're in for a hilarious night —whether you're laughing with the comedian or at him.

For more date ideas: http://www.coolestdates.com/