5 Great Date Night Ideas

For most couples, date night is crucial to growing a healthy, satisfying relationship. While you love your kids (of course!), sometimes a little alone time with your spouse or significant other can help you reconnect with your relationship and remember why you fell in love in the first place.

But “life” makes it easy to fall into a rut and skip nights out together. So we’ve come up with 5 great date night ideas that won’t break the bank.

1. Enjoy a Blast from the Past with Roller Skating
   It’s baaa-aaack! The fun group activity you used to enjoy as a kid is seeing a resurgence all across the US. Not only will you get a bit of aerobic exercise, many of these rinks still feature some of the snacks you enjoyed when you were twelve (cherry slushie, anyone?).
   
   Plus, with most admission prices under $10 (which often includes skate rental), you could afford to splurge on a great dinner or dessert after.
   
   But the biggest benefit about this date night is that this time, you know exactly who will join you for couple’s skate!
   
   
2. Challenge Each other to Mini-Golf
   Mini-golf is another blast from the past, but many courses these days have stepped it up a notch. Expect the regular fare of tricky hills and obstacles, while enjoying new hole challenges like “play this course one-handed” or “add a penalty for your partner.”
   
   For competitive couples, this date is an easy way to try to best each other without needing to don workout clothes or spend a lot of money. Mini-golf courses are also often housed within larger gaming and sports complexes, so you could take your competition to the batting cages, go-cart track or arcade if you’re going for “best two out of three.”
   
   
3. Work Together at an Escape Room
   Escape rooms are popping up everywhere and challenge couples and groups to work together to solve a puzzle in a set amount of time. Whether you’re escaping zombies or preventing a fictional apocalypse, this date night is as far from dinner and a movie as one can get.
   
   Most escape rooms require larger groups to participate, so this is also a great group date option, or just a way for you and your partner to meet new friends.
   
   Bonus: all that adrenaline will help you work up an appetite which you can satisfy with snacks at home or a bite from your favorite food truck.
   
   
4. Sample Something New at a Micro-Brewery
   Nearly every city boasts a local brewery, distillery or meadery. These establishments are great for the couple that enjoys trying new drinks or new places. Most places offer a “flight” option, which allows individuals to try a sampling of the menu offerings at a reasonable price.
   
   Since these breweries usually specialize in their drinks, bartenders and wait staff are often experts on how each drink pairs with foods, or what flavors you can expect in that sample of dopplesticke altbier. Ask lots of questions and challenge your date to name their favorite.
   
   
5. Add a Twist to “Dinner and a Movie”
   Dinner and a movie is still a great date standby, but adding a twist to this classic outing can keep it from veering from “classic” into “boring.”
   
   Try packing some snacks and heading to the local drive-in (yes, they still exist!) or a movie night in the park. Or, skip the usual movie fare and find an independent cinema or student film night and see something new and different. Or, channel your inner child, splurge on your favorite breakfast cereals and watch cartoons together at home. 
   
   

No matter how you choose to spend your date nights, remember that it doesn’t take a lot of money--or even time!--to reconnect with your loved one. Sometimes all you need is an hour of conversation away from your routine to remember just how special your favorite person is to you.