Read on if you are looking for date inspiration, including events, indoor and outdoor activities, and some long-distance ideas you can do virtually!
It is also important to note that these ideas can double up as mate date ideas for friends!
For simplicity and conciseness, the ideas will be presented as lists.
Events
Starting with event date ideas which have been split into two groups based on availability: seasonal and all year long.
Seasonal
Within the seasonal section, we shall have more subsections as the seasons. These lists are not exhaustive.
Winter
There are many things you and your partner can do during winter. This season is my favourite for dates!
First, all the light shows.
- Glasglow
- Pitlochry Enchanted Forest
- Brodie Castle
- Edinburgh Castle of Light
- Christmas at the Botanica
- Beecraigs Festive Forest
- Spectacle of Light
- Kirkcudbright Festival of Light
- Tweed Valley Tunnel Trail Run
All the Christmas markets:
- Edinburgh Princes Street
- Glasgow George Square
- Glasgow St Enoch Square
- Aberdeen Christmas Village
- Dundee (Ethical) Christmas Fair
- Perth International Christmas Market
- Inverness Eden Court Christmas Market
- St Andrews Night Market
- Oban Winter Festival
- Traquair House Christmas Fair
- Drumlanrig Castle Christmas Fair
At-home ideas:
- Bake and build a gingerbread house
- Snuggle up with Christmas movies
- Bake together
- Get matching pyjamas and stay in bed
- Have hot choc and play board games
- Wrap presents together
Outdoor ideas:
- Make a snowman, snow angel, etc.
- Have a snowball fight
- Ice skate
- Go sledging
- Go for a walk and see beautiful sights covered in snow
- Go Christmas shopping together
Spring
- Picnic
- Go for a walk
- Bike ride
- Mini-golf
- Garden centres
- Farmers market
- Weekend getaway
- Hiking
- Strawberry picking
- Go to a field of beautiful flowers
- Look at your local farm’s baby animals in the field
Summer
- Beach day
- Camping
- Carpark movie
- Picnic
- Hillwalk/Hike
- BBQ
- Roadtrip
- Amusement park
- Watch sunset/sunrise
- Sports game
- Boat ride
- Food truck crawl
- Festivals
- Rollerskating
- Water balloon fight
- Afternoon in the park
- Go for ice cream
- Fruit picking
- Host a garden party
Autumn/Fall
- Pick harvested fruit and vegetables, then bake and cook with them
- Fairs and festivals
- Pumpkin pick and carve
- Autumn walk
- Scary movie binge
- Bonfire and fireworks night
- Haunted house, escape room, or any horror event
- Dress up for Halloween together
All year long
- Gigs and concerts
- Festivals
- Musicals
- Movies
- Panto
Indoor
Cosy dates:
- Movie night
- Breakfast in bed
- Pamper/relax session
- Board game night
- Play video games
Creative dates:
- Paint each other
- Paint anything!
- Make music
- Write poetry
- Learn pottery
- Learn an instrument together
- DIY clothes (tie-dye, sew, etc.)
- Build something together
- Be plant parents
- Be spiritual together
- Journal together
Outdoor
Artsy dates:
- Take an art class together
- Cooking class
- Arts gallery
- Museum date
- Thrift shopping
Fitness dates:
- Walk
- Run
- Jog
- Yoga
- Play sports
- Go to gym
- Take a sports class
- Train, then run a marathon
- Snow sports
Chill dates:
- Coffee shop date
- Charity shop crawl
- Go for a walk
Unique dates:
- Circus
- Axe throwing
- Comedy show
- Jazz club
- Abseiling
- Zipwire
- Rock climbing
- Zoo
- Pool games
- Chess match
- Ikea and decorate your dream home together
- Costco date
- Buy each other your favourite foods and drinks
Learn something new:
- Sports
- Arts
- Music
- A new language
- A new subject
- History
- Science
- Health and nutrition
- Cook and bake
Virtual
- Video call and eat dinner together
- Netflix party and watch movies
- Play online games together
- Video call and go on a walk together
- Video call and take online tests together
- Video call and get artsy together
- Video call and play question games
Final thoughts
We have discussed all the different kinds of date ideas for different seasons of the year for all vibes with a range of financial needs.
Your preference of dates all depends on individual differences. If you are interested in individual differences, you can read my articles on personality tests, personality traits, and the sixteen personality types.
Additionally, there are many different date styles included in this list. Some people may prefer more intimate dates, such as a day in bed. These may be people with physical touch and intimacy as a love language, whereas people with quality time as their love language may enjoy the shared activity ideas. Those with an act of service love language will appreciate dates such as being taken out for food or on a road trip. Finally, the lovers of receiving gifts will enjoy dates such as the artsy ones where you are left with a product you can swap and have a gift you had fun making with each other as well as a fun date.
If you are interested in love languages, you can read more here.
Featured Image Credit: Samantha McBride