29 Awesome Date Night Ideas for Valentine’s Day (That Don’t Include a Restaurant!)

Do you want to avoid a crowded restaurant this Valentine’s Day?

Or are you just searching for some awesome date night ideas to spend some quality time with your significant other?

Did you know that in leap years, the woman is responsible for Valentine’s day? I didn’t either.

But I have these 29 ideas for fun date nights that will help you strengthen the connection with your S.O. and will hopefully save you from eating creme brulee or tiramisu for dessert. Again.

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While the most obvious idea for Valentine’s day is dinner, this can be tough and kind of stressful. If you can get a reservation at a great restaurant, it’s always crowded, the wait staff overextended and not always attentive, and many restaurants have these horrible boring prix fixe menus.

This year is a leap year, so there are 29 days in February you can choose to show your love.

So instead of dinner, try one of these 29 date ideas to express your appreciation for your partner and to take time to connect on this special day.

You can use one per day for the month of February, start on February 1 and culminate in a grand finale on the 14th, or do a countdown 29 days out and do one activity each day.

The choice is yours!

Planning a date a day too much to handle? That’s okay. Choose your favorite!

When you’re done, be sure to take a peek at 18 Phenomenal Gifts for Her for some additional gift ideas. LOL, there’s actually more than 18, and there are lots of cute extras to make your Valentine’s Day super special. I hope you enjoy.

Relax and unwind with each other.

A couple’s massage is a great way to relax and get away from the chaos and just enjoy yourselves. You can go to a local spa and have one, or take turns giving each other a massage at home.

Try this certified organic sensual massage oil or this vanilla-scented massage oil that is also great for achy muscles.

2. Take a bath together. Light some candles, open a bottle of wine and start a nice warm bath to unwind together.

Nothing’s like a nice bubble bath, is there?

Use this bamboo bathtub caddy to give your wine glasses a place to rest.

Try this citrus verbena bubble bath or moisturizing shea butter bubble bath, both from L’occitane.

3. Cook something up together.

Take a cooking class or try a new recipe.

Put that Instant pot you got on Black Friday or for Christmas with the Instant Pot For Two Cookbook, which contains over 600 recipes to choose from.

Continue (or begin) your healthy eating journey with one of 700 recipes from the Ninja Foodi Keto Diet 2020 Cookbook.

Or if you just want some delectable desserts, check out this recipe for Rose Petal Shortbread Cookies. They are amazing and so easy to make!

4. Have someone help cook things up for you.

Arrange for a private chef to come to your home to cook a special meal for the two of you. Or, call in a favor to a friend who’s really good in the kitchen.

Light some candles, and voila. An intimate date night.

5. Have an adventure.

Have some fun together ziplining through the trees.

Another idea is an obstacle course. You can either work together or, if you are more competitive, compete against each other on an obstacle course.

6. Take it back to where it all began.

Try to recreate your first date—maybe you can visit the location where you met, order similar food, and just reminisce. At least this time you won’t have the jitters!

Don’t forget to bring her an amazing gift. Need some ideas? Maybe one of these gifts for her will do the trick.

7. See some art together.

Check to see if maybe there’s a special limited-time exhibit at your local art museum or another event.

For example, at the High Museum of Art here in Atlanta, there are many events on Fridays, like jazz. Perusing the collections with background music makes for an awesome evening. There is even a calendar of events made specifically for date nights, which you can find HERE.

If you’re not much of an art expert, make it a fun night by taking turns being the tour guide and making up interesting “facts” about each piece.

8. Make a work of art.

There are a number of sip and paint type of locations that have cropped up, so pick up a bottle of wine and have some fun flexing your creative muscles.

Or, if you’d prefer to have your own private studio (say, for some artsy nudes), you can pose for each other with one of these art kits. It contains everything you need to create a masterpiece, from acrylic paint to the easel.

If you’d like the full experience of working with different mediums, check out this awesome deluxe artist painting set.

9. Try the art of Glass blowing.

This ancient art form goes back to the 1st century B.C. Try your hand at it and create a piece that you can display in your home.

10. Grow something.

Similarly, there may be local workshops where you can plant your own terrarium. This can be a fun way to add some extra foliage to your decor.

If there are no classes nearby, you can make your own terrarium with this starter kit with just enough materials for your terrarium.

Don’t forget the succulents or a super cute planter to hold it all.

11. Make an appreciation box.

Similar to a suggestion box, but much better.

Fill a decorative box with slips of paper telling your partner all the ways they are appreciated.

For an extra special touch, use a personalized box, like this one made of glass.

Or this decorative wooden box that can be used in a number of situations.

Remember some small notecards to write your messages on. Make it extra fun with these DIY scratch-off cards.

12. Go for a romantic ride.

Hop into a horse-drawn carriage and snuggle in the back while you see the city from a slightly different vantage point.

13. Give back.

Spend some time with each other giving back to the community in some way. Clean up your local park, visit with senior citizens, or donate time to play ball with less fortunate kids.

It’s hard finding love out there. So celebrate yours by sharing with the rest of the world.

14. Spend the day hunting for treasure.

There’s a mobile app called Geocaching (download it HERE) that allows you to go on your own treasure hunt around town.

Treasure hunters navigate to a specific set of coordinates that you will enter into a GPS device or your phone.

Then you’re off to find the hidden geocache (container). Sign the logbook and leave something of equal or greater value.

You can learn more about Geocaching HERE. It’s actually pretty fun. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

15. Sample local wines.

Consider taking a trip up to some of the local wineries, have fun sipping and comparing the wines you like (and others maybe not so much).

Take a walk through the vineyards, and really just enjoy the time away from the bustle of the city.

Buy a bottle of your favorite to save for later.

Get this awesome wine tote for your next outing, and toast yourselves with this amazing set of 2 tumblers from Yeti.

16. Visit a brewery.

If wine is not your thing, you could potentially tour a local beer brewery or spirits distillery.

You can have fun learning more about the process of making your favorite beverage, and most likely get to sample some of creations.

17. Make some sweets with your sweetie.

Take a chocolate-making class and ride your sugar high with your honey.

Conversely, you can keep things on your home turf with this truffle making kit in case things get out of hand and you can’t keep your sticky fingers to yourselves.

18. Take in a play.

Go to see one you may have been wanting to see for a while, go to support your local theater group or even a production at your local college.

If you want to take things up a notch, try a burlesque show if you’ve never seen one.

It will make for an interesting start to the night.

19. Go Camping.

You can rough it in the great outdoors, or the great outdoors of your backyard.

This tent is actually a really good choice and can hold a queen-size air mattress. Make sure to bring a lantern for the ghost stories.

And don’t forget the smores! Check out this awesome smores kit – it keeps your supplies separate and tucked away, and is big enough for 2 packs of graham crackers and a large bag of marshmallows.

20. See the stars.

If there is a local observatory or planetarium, that would be a great place to go stargazing.

Too far away? No problem. Get a small telescope, a great beginner’s guide and go hunting through the galaxy.

21. Visit a petting zoo.

Get down and dirty with the animals.

Or just feed them. Have fun petting and playing with all the cute animals.

22. Get outside.

Go hiking or walk a nature trail. Get some fresh air and exercise with your bae.

Make sure you have a sturdy walking stick or trekking pole for your adventure. This is a fantastic option, as it is tough but lightweight, and has a number of interchangeable tips based on the type of terrain you’ll be taking.

23. Double up.

Go on a double date with some friends. Turn it into a trivia night or go bowling.

24. Get around town.

Every town has a history.

Take a historic tour of your city and learn something new about all those old buildings, or just play tourist. If you love a creepy story, try a ghost tour.

25. Get physical.

With exercise, that is. Try a new exercise class or sport together.

Maybe he’s never tried yoga — go together or try a couples yoga class.

Maybe you improve your golf game together by taking a few shots at the range. Or try that HIIT class you’ve been thinking about for months.

26. Dance it out.

Take the night out to go dancing, maybe to a place you hadn’t been before, like a salsa club. It’s really easy to learn and you’ll have a great time.

Another option is to take a dance class. Maybe if you two are up for it, you can learn to waltz for your next gathering.

Or amaze your friends and family with a hip-hop routine.

27. Get sensual.

Maybe you’re open to trying something new. Give the Kama Sutra a try and learn some ways to deepen your physical connection.

This version is a modern take on this ancient art and is an excellent choice for beginners.

28. Challenge each other.

Try something like having a triathlon, pentathlon, etc.

But with fun events, for example, M&M eating, ice skating, and taco eating!

Compete to see who will win bragging rights.

29. Get serious.

Create a vision board together.

Discuss your goals as a couple—financially, spiritually, family-wise, etc., and put together a board to map out your next year together.

It will be a great physical reminder of your short term and long term goals together and emphasize the teamwork that it takes to make your relationship successful and fulfilling for years to come.

If you’re going to get really serious, there’s an awesome company called Frankly Darling, that can get you an eco-friendly sustainable diamond ring. You won’t believe how affordable the prices are!