11 Great Stay-at-Home Date Night Ideas
This pandemic has forced us to rethink the whole idea of "date night” in our marriages. With few options to go out, staying in can be our only alternative. The old standby, “Netflix and Chill,” has probably gotten a bit stale after 12 months.
I was introduced to an awesome collection of “Stay-at-Home Date Night Ideas” by Tamara Segal, who creates content for the website PORCH. (The site has some great resources on moving, insurance, and fixing up your home.) She gave me permission to share her post here. Enjoy….
11 Great Stay-at-Home Date Night Ideas
Whether it’s a night at the movies or a delicious dinner at your favorite restaurant, going out on a date is a great excuse to get dressed up and do a little romancing. But making special memories together doesn’t always have to involve leaving the house. A date night at home presents plenty of opportunities to have fun. Take your pick from one or more of these 11 at-home date night ideas, and spend a cozy evening together in the comfort of home.
1. Give yourselves the spa treatment
Enjoy the relaxing, calming feeling of going to a spa — without going to a spa. Indulge in a warm, candlelit bubble bath, and play your favorite calming sounds. Small tub? No problem. Pour a couple of cocktails, or make a batch of hot cocoa, and do a couple’s facial mask. While it cures, soak your feet in warm water in the tub — add some Epsom salts or essential oils that you’ve diluted in olive or almond oil. Sit back, sip your drinks, and relax. Follow up your foot soak with pedicures and foot massages, then snuggle up for some serious binge-watching. Have a spa day at least once a month to keep that couple’s self-care momentum going.
2. Whip up some true love in the kitchen
Whether you’re great at cooking or new to crafting gourmet treats, enroll in a virtual cooking class together for a fun date night at home. Look for something that you’re both interested in learning, whether it’s trying out new meals for dinner or crafting some delicious desserts—a virtual chocolate-making class is a sweet way to spend some quality time together. So turn up the flame, and cook up some magic together while you master new culinary skills.
3. Have a romantic dinner in your favorite city — at home
Even if you can’t visit the City of Lights, you can recreate Parisian magic at home. Have a city-themed dinner centered around one of your favorite destinations. From Lisbon to London or Melbourne to Miami, every city has its own flavors and vibe. Find recipes specific to the region, and plan a romantic dinner. Create a playlist of the area’s sounds — salsa, reggae, polka, opera — and decorate the table with something reminiscent of the place, like seashells, fresh flowers, or a bowl of exotic fruit. Pull up an eye-popping view of the city on your laptop, set it on the table, and pretend like it’s a window. So romantic.
4. Picnic in the living room
You don’t have to go to the park to enjoy a picnic with your favorite date. Host your own candlelight picnic in the living room. Spread out your favorite quilt on the floor — move some furniture back if you need to make room. Prepare a picnic basket with a smorgasbord of your favorite delectables: Cured meats, stinky cheeses, briny olives, roasted almonds, dates, grapes, peaches — whatever you enjoy. Get comfy, open a bottle of wine, and pull up a picnicky playlist. Enjoy the vista out the living room window as you engage in stimulating conversation and nosh on exotic snacks — all without stepping foot outside.
5. Watch a movie under the stars
If you’re both movie people, why not have a backyard movie night? Re-watch the first movie you ever saw together, or decide on a new release that you’re both excited to see. If you don’t have a projector and a screen, hoist a large, white sheet on a wall or fence, and rent or buy a projector. Alternatively, you can drag the TV outside and set it up on the patio. Pop a big bowl of popcorn, and fill your pockets with dollar-store candy to make the experience as authentic as possible. Get comfortable on the patio loungers, or bring some big pillows outside to cozy up on, and enjoy your very own, private outdoor showing.
6. Put a puzzle together…together
One way to stimulate conversation and enjoy each other’s company is to have a fun puzzle night. Grab a jigsaw puzzle depicting your favorite person, place, or thing, and spend some quality time together creating something you’ll be proud of when that last piece goes in. If you want to make things competitive, get a couple of smaller puzzles, and race to see who can put their puzzle together first. Serve a tray of snacks that won’t leave you with sticky or greasy fingers, and keep the cocktails or mocktails flowing.
7. Master a new dance with an online class or tutorial
If you’re feeling bold, why not try something completely new and sign up for a virtual dance class, or find a dance tutorial online — cue it up, and learn a new dance or two. Dancing is a fun way to stay active, get your blood pumping, and try new moves. Even if you don’t consider yourself a good dancer, you’ll have a good time grooving to the music and laughing when you step on each other’s feet. You might even discover a hidden talent or unexpected enjoyment in dancing — opening up a whole new world of things to do on date night.
8. Do some star-gazing
Contemplate the vastness of the universe together at home with a backyard stargazing date. If the weather is nice, lay on a blanket out back, faces toward the sky. Look for the constellations you know, and watch for shooting stars — be sure to make a wish! If you have a telescope, get up close and personal with the planets, and marvel at their perfection. If it’s cold outside, cozy up together under blankets — bring a thermos of cocoa or coffee along to keep you warm. If you don’t do cold, you can stargaze indoors using an app that helps you locate each planet and constellation. There’s nothing quite as romantic as stargazing, and this is a fun, affordable date night idea you’ll both enjoy.
9. Have a homemade-pizza party
Have a romantic pizza party date at home — but make your pizzas from scratch. It’s easy to make your own pizza crust, and from there, the only limits are your imagination. Have a slew of toppings ready to go — include the usual suspects, but take the opportunity to get adventurous together — think exotic combinations like broccoli and bacon, gorgonzola and portobello mushrooms, roasted potato and sausage, or caramelized onions and feta. Introduce fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme, or spice up your pie with sliced jalapeños or a drizzle of hot sauce. Make a simple side salad, crack open a bottle of red, and put some Louis Prima on the stereo. Bonus points if you have a red checkerboard tablecloth and red candle holders.
10. Get your (video) game on
For gaming couples, a competitive video game tournament is an engaging way to have some at-home date night fun. Ask your friends to join online for a bigger tournament that involves stakes like dinner out or a week of lawn mowing services. Whether you play against each other or work as a team to defeat your friends, it’ll be a raucous, rollicking time, so fuel up with tasty, mess-free snacks that you can eat fast between plays — think cheese or sausages on toothpicks, grapes, pretzels, and baby carrots with dip.
11. Take personality tests together
A fun and interesting way to get to know your partner better than you ever thought possible is to take personality tests together. We like the love languages and the Flag Page, but feel free to do goofy ones like what popular cartoon character you are. These tests will give you new insight into your better half, and vice-versa. Whatever type of tests you choose to take, they’re a highly entertaining and very telling way to learn more about each other while spending quality time together at home.
