Date nights are important for a healthy relationship, whether you’ve just started, have been dating for a while, or are married. However, not all dates have to be a grand romantic gesture in a fine-dining restaurant. I strongly believe that date plans at home can be equally fun.
They just need to fit the taste and preferences of your partner. For me, this has come from an experience of trying dozens of ideas over the years. It is based on this hit-and-miss experiment that I have prepared this list for you.
My girlfriend and I personally enjoy everything ranging from shared cooking to a snuggly night of Netflix and chill, both of which are equally fun!
15 Date Night At Home Ideas That Are Fun & Out of the Box
The suggestions include fun activities like cooking together and doing DIY crafts, which are team activities and intimate, as well as things where you compete against each other such as game nights.
There are some cute ideas which are based on shared experiences, such as bucket list making and dream-date planning. Overall, this article should help you plan the ultimate at home date night for your partner!
1. Cooking Together
Cooking a meal together is one of the most romantic things you can do with your partner. Personally, I like to prepare pasta from scratch. It is quite a thrill to knead the dough together.
While there are some tasks you can do together, like kneading, there are tasks like chopping the veggies and preparing the sauces that can be done individually.
When you cook together, the special ingredient that goes into the meal is love. This truly reflects in every bite. As a pro tip, I always offer to do the dishes to make it extra special for my girlfriend.
2. Game Night
Game nights truly stand out because not only do they get the competitive side in you, but they can also help spice things up. There are card games, mobile games, or even the old-fashioned board games.
While board games can be fun, there are other games such as certain raunchy card games, truth or dare, etc., which can help you spice things up. Personally, my girlfriend and I love playing online couple games.
Lastly, sometimes even playing on a PS5 can also count as a game night!
3. Movie Night
Movie nights are among some of my favorite choices for home dates, and I make sure we have movie nights every few weeks.
There’s nothing better than snuggling inside a blanket with your significant other and watching a nice, warm-hearted film fill your heart with joy. Ethan Hawke in the Beyond Trilogy always makes us cry!
However, movie nights don’t necessarily have to be about mushy or romantic genres. You must also experience the joy of watching a horror or a thriller with your partner and feeling them move closer to you as the scene becomes tense.
4. Indoor Camping
It is not possible to go out on a trek or a hike every few days. However, if you are someone like me who enjoys being out in the wild but is missing the thrill, you can try to simulate the experience indoors.
I tried indoor camping recently, and it was quite exciting. There’s something intimate about setting up a tent that you and your partner will enjoy.
I would also like to add a pro tip here: look up one of those YouTube videos that simulate rain sounds and forest noises and play it in the background while you sleep for a more immersive experience!
5. Spa Night
Spa Nights are another intimate experience that every couple must try out. I love spa dates in the comfort of my home because they help me express to my partner how much I care for her.
I take special care in picking all the aromatic candles that she would enjoy, and buy some special bath bombs that would enhance our bathtub experience.
A spa night at your home ensures she gets the royal treatment she deserves! There’s a special thrill in massaging the hands and feet, gently exfoliating and scrubbing them. Indeed, one of the most intimate experiences you can have!
6. Dance or Exercise Together
Dancing, in any case, is an intimate activity. However, making your life partner your dance partner is quite an easy idea for a date night.
One of the best things about them is that we create two playlists, and surprise each other with the songs that we choose. The real trick, here, however, is to choose the meal that you are going to treat yourself with after an evening of intense physical movement!
7. Bucket List Planning
An evening spent planning the future! Bucket-list planning is an easy date night idea that you can try at home and one that you can revisit every few years and see what has been accomplished so far, and what is it that you plan to do next.
These bucket lists are shared activities that help you focus on ‘us’ more than on ‘me’, thereby strengthening the relationship.
Whether you are just starting with your loved one, or you are working on taking things long-term, bucket lists are pretty helpful across different phases of a relationship.
8. Wine and Cheese Tasting
Want to do something fancy but don’t want to spend too much on it? I get it.
Wine and cheese tasting, when enjoyed at home, can be equally fun as when it is done outside. Personally, we don’t hold too many of these, but when we do, one of us gets the wines, and the other one gets the fanciest of cheese out there.
A part of the date is also recreating the whole experience indoors. Setting up mood-lighting, getting the candles, decorating the table, getting the glasses right, etc. These tasks could be split between the two of you, and when you finally reach the tasting phase, the payoff of all this hard work is extremely romantic.
9. Candlelit Dinner
An old-school favorite, and one of the most simplistic, classy, and cute ideas for date night at home. I often plan this date to surprise my girlfriend when she returns home from work.
All I need is a good playlist, a couple of good candles, and a lot of pondering over what she might enjoy for dinner tonight.
Bonus points to you if you also plan on cooking the dinner yourself. As I pointed out, this is one of the best ways to surprise your partner. Do think about planning this if you see them complaining about a hard day at work.
10. Trivia or Quiz Night
Trivia nights are a fun and competitive experience that as a couple you can enjoy. I feel that these quiz nights are more about putting effort into the questions to ask your partner.
Going through the things that your partner enjoys – her favorite movies, TV shows, and books, and coming up with questions based on that.
Sometimes, my girlfriend and I also plan trivia nights based on our relationship so far — reflecting on all the ups and downs we had. Questions like “Do you remember the color of the camp on our first camping date” help strengthen the relationship.
11. Crafting or DIY Projects
DIY craft projects ensure quality time spent between you and your partner. Both of you are focused on one task, and continue to work with the end goal in mind.
I love origami dates, where the two of us spend a lot of time going through instructions and folding paper to create various objects. Sometimes, we start together and get competitive to see who can complete the object first.
If you are looking for something a little more intimate, you might want to try out some paint-based craft projects like body painting or face painting, which are both, crafty as well as raunchy at the same time.
12. Themed Dinner Nights
I love themed dinner nights and I can never recommend enough of them!
70s movie dinner dates? Barry Lyndon meets Elvis Presley? I’m down for it.
80s pop culture-themed dinner dates? Michael Jackson meets Princess Leia? That’s so cool.
It doesn’t even have to be a high-effort cosplay. Sometimes it could be a ‘dress up in your best’ themed date, and that can be equally fun! All I can say about this date idea is that the roleplay doesn’t have to limit itself to the dining room.
13. Blind Taste Tests
Everything tends to become more exciting when you put a blindfold on it. I love blind taste tests, and they are among some of the best home-friendly date ideas you can try out.
Personally, I like to bring out the best snacks and munchies, including a mix of Mexican, Indian, and Italian crunchies that are to be tried out by my girlfriend when she’s in the blindfolds. She also likes experimenting with dips, teas, and wines this way.
Not only is this a treat for your tastebuds, but it is also something that improves your taste.
14. Escape Room in a Box
My girlfriend loves to surprise me with this one. She plants clues all over the living room, and I have to navigate from one room to the other, looking for keys and other objects which will finally lead to me unlocking the main door.
I love how much thought and planning goes behind this one. It is a fun and memorable experience because it is such a personalized experience curated specifically for your partner!
15. Dream Date Planning
Another stay at home date night idea that I enjoy is simply planning for future dates. This worked really well in the early days of my relationship when we would just cuddle and think about all the adventures that await us.
A date on the beaches of the Galapagos with turtles around us? A date on a goat farm in New Zealand? A hiking date in the Swiss Alps? The possibilities are endless. This is a very dreamy experience.
Final Thoughts!
After dating for a while, sometimes things start to get a little repetitive. However, when you are in the comfort of your home, there’s no shortage of date ideas that you can try out.
While not all dates can be elaborate and grand, I hope that this list has been of help to you. The most important thing about these romantic date ideas is the amount of planning that goes into it.
It shows your partner that you truly care about them and are doing something for them that they will find meaning in!
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