It’s that time of year! Are you noticing hearts and chocolates starting to pop up everywhere?
If a third pandemic Valentine’s Day doesn’t excite you much, you’re not alone. Date options for celebrating with your loved one might still be limited, as waves of the pandemic wax and wane. It might not be possible to go to your favorite restaurant, or the place you had your first date to celebrate the romance of your relationship. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate at all!
To help you get creative this Valentine’s Day, we’ve put together a list of 9 fun, at-home date ideas (that aren’t just dinner + Netflix) for you to spend some quality time with your partner this year:
An at home tasting date:
You might not be able to go to a vineyard or brewery, but you can still do a tasting in your own home! Choose a drink or food (you could do chocolates or candies or whatever you like!) and get a few different options to set up some “flights” for you and your partner to taste from. You can have the fun of trying something new while still having the intimacy of an at-home date.
Cook off or bake off date:
Competition might not sound super romantic, but having a friendly game-like activity can be a great way for the two of you to get silly and have some fun together! (And what’s more romantic than that?) You can pick a dish and both try to make it–whether you want to see who can make it look or taste the best, or you want to see who can be the most creative with it, have fun with it! Then you and your partner can enjoy the treats you’ve made together.
Couples spa night:
If you want something a little more classically romantic, consider an at home spa night! Dim your lights if you can, play some mellow soothing music, and get some candles going. Make the ambiance of your home as soothing as you can. You and your partner could take a bath together, or give each other massages, anything that is soothing and focused on your senses.
A painting challenge date:
Are you more artsy, or looking for something a little more out of the box for a new date idea? Try paint night! You can make it a friendly competition like the baking challenge, or you can just enjoy being creative and messy together. You could sit across from one another and try to paint each other, or you could both try to paint the same thing, or you could try painting a surprise to exchange at the end! There’s no wrong way to do it, as long as you’re having fun.
A travel night date:
Is there somewhere you and your partner have always wanted to travel? Try to turn your home into that destination! If you want to visit Italy, pick an italian dish to cook together, listen to Italian music while you cook, maybe watch an Italian movie after you eat. Take a romantic vacation from your own home!
Get your fortune told:
If you happen to have a deck of tarot cards lying around, why not have some fun and try to read each other’s cards? (There are also apps you can download to do it for free!) Or, you can book a reading with an online psychic. Whether you believe in it, or just want to have some fun for date night, it can be a fun way to try something you normally wouldn’t!
Get to know each others’ inner children:
What was your favorite meal as a kid? What about your favorite games or movies? What about your partners? You can use date night as an opportunity to get to know the inner child living within your partner. Bring your favorite childhood foods or music or games or movies, and have fun with your partner getting swept up in the nostalgia!
Turn the lights down, put a record on and dance:
This is a simple one, but a classic for a reason. Often it’s not about how we’re spending our time with our partners, it’s that we’re choosing to spend time with them at all. This date idea gives you an opportunity to have physical closeness and intimacy with your partner, and a romantic setting to be with them in.
Recreate your favorite date:
What was the best date you and your partner have been on? Which do you have the most fond memories of, or which brought you two closer together? Pick one of your best dates and see if you can recreate it as best you can at home!
