When it comes to creative and fun date ideas, there’s no better season than summer. With fresh air and sunshine in abundance, it’s time to grab your favorite sundress and head out for a romantic rendezvous with your significant other. If you need some inspiration for romantic summer date ideas, we’ve got plenty.
Whether you’re looking for classic, creative or cheap summer season dates, this is the season for fun dates! In addition to the summer date ideas listed below, you can always head out for a delicious ice cream cone or build your own yogurt at your local froyo joint, share a frosty pint at your nearby taco shack, or just head out hand in hand for a walk to enjoy the sunshine. When it comes to summertime dates, the weather makes it so easy to turn any date into an outdoor affair, and if you can add in a cool treat or beverage, it will help you stay cool!
Indoor dates can also be fantastic during summer, of course, as they keep you out of the heat and inside with the air conditioner. If you’re looking for air-conditioned date ideas, consider museum tours, coffee dates and window shopping at the mall. Other indoor date ideas for summer include go-kart racing at your local indoor raceway, volunteering at your local animal shelter, or getting a couple’s massage at a day spa. Whatever you do, make the most of it–summer will be gone and autumn will be here before you know it!
1. Summer Date Idea: Watch a Movie Outside
Make the tired dinner-and-a-movie date more interesting. Lots of towns, cities and college campuses screen outdoor films in parks and on lawns during the warmer months, providing a great way to get out of the Olive Garden-and-local-cineplex rut. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine and cozy up under the stars. And because these kinds of screenings are often classics like Casablanca, you’ll have the ultimate romantic backdrop to set the mood.
2. Summer Date Idea: Play Tourists in Your Own City
Pretend you’re tourists for the day (fanny packs optional): Make up a story about your lives—maybe you are long-lost lovers reunited for one day only—and go sightseeing around your city. Take pictures of each other and get lost in the city, stop inside places you often pass but never go into, and grab snacks to go. Afterward you can say, “Well, we’ll always have Paris.” Or Boston or Raleigh or Phoenix or Minneapolis…you get the gist.
3. Summer Date Idea: Strolling Through a Farmer’s Market
Spend a lazy Sunday morning nibbling on samples of locally grown produce and chatting with farmers. Then bring some yummy ingredients home and spend the rest of the day making a mess with your guy in the kitchen.
4. Summer Date Idea: Taking Your Pooch Out
Guys love dogs. Take your fella to a park or dog run near your house or borrow a friend’s pup for an afternoon walk. Romping around with a pooch is the perfect way to energize you and your man for a bedroom romp of your own.
5. Summer Date Idea: Frolic at the Fairgrounds
Some of the best summer dates end with you and your man making out in the street, causing a teenage-style hormone frenzy. Increase the odds of that happening by going back to those old-school days—think cotton candy and a trip around the Ferris wheel. It’s definitely more nostalgic and romantic than a boozy bar crawl.
6. Summer Date Idea: Game Night
You don’t have to get all fancy-schmancy and drop big bucks to have a good time (thank God, considering it’s a recession and all). Let your hair down and set up a play date with your guy. Throw on a pair of sneakers and jeans (most guys think this is the hottest thing for you to wear anyway) and hit a toy store to pick up a few goodies. Try a Frisbee, Wiffle Ball or kite for some outdoor fun, or get comfy on the couch with a board game (ever heard of a little thing called Strip Battleship?).
7. Summer Date Idea: Dine Al Fresco with a Spanish-Themed Picnic
Add some spice to your date with a Spanish-themed picnic (think Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Make a playlist of traditional Spanish music (or maybe just some Enrique Iglesias) and pick up some olives, Spanish cheese and a bottle of white rioja. Then find a quiet spot outside to set up your Spanish paradise.
8. Summer Date Idea: Sail Away on a Sailboat
No sailing skills? Renting a canoe or even a paddleboat and spending some quiet time alone with your man could be just the thing to float your boat (get it?!). And if it’s a hot day, jump in for a swim. (We won’t tell if you decide to take a dip sans swimsuit.)
9. Summer Date Idea: Head Out to the Ball Game
Baseball season is in full swing once April hits. Grab your sweetie and head out for this home-run summer date!
10. Summer Date Idea: Relaxing in a Jacuzzi with Wine
With golden summertime weather, going in the Jacuzzi is always a good idea! Grab a glass of wine and relax under a gorgeous sky.
11. Summer Date Idea: Beach Day
If you’re near a beach, you’ve got a built-in date ready to go. Fill up a cooler with snacks and drinks, pack up a bag with towels and sunscreen and head to the shore.
