Discover 85+ Outdoor date ideas
Outdoor date ideas are amazing for any couple. They are here to shake you up from being always at home and getting tired of watching netflix all day and night. By going on an outdoor date you will get a breath of fresh air and maybe it will even shift your perspective and you can discover something new around you.
Our list of outdoor date ideas has many different types of outdoor date options. Going out doesn’t mean you have to get super active and hike, it can also just be finding the right spot and drinking a nice glass of wine, eating crackers and watching the sunset. If you are here that means you have the motivation to have some fun and go on an outdoor date - but you haven’t yet gotten the idea of what to do yet. Don’t worry, we promise that you will find some amazing outdoor date ideas out of our selection.
Music Festival Road Trip
Research upcoming music festivals within driving distance. Choose a genre that interests both of you, whether it's jazz, rock, country, or electronic music. Pack essentials like sunscreen, hats, and comfortable shoes for a day or weekend of live music and festival vibes. Consider camping or booking nearby accommodations if the festival spans multiple days.
Vintage Car Show and Cruise
Attend a local vintage car show or classic car rally. Admire restored vehicles from different eras and chat with owners about their passion for automotive history. Join a group cruise after the show to explore scenic routes together.
Camping Adventure in Scenic Wilderness
Plan a road trip to a nearby camping site surrounded by nature. Pack camping essentials like tents, sleeping bags, and cooking gear. Enjoy activities such as hiking, fishing, and campfire cooking. Check local regulations and book campsites in advance if required.
Sunset Drive with Stargazing
Choose a scenic route that leads to a spot with minimal light pollution. Bring a telescope or binoculars for stargazing, and a cozy blanket to lay back and enjoy the night sky. Look up astronomical events happening during your trip for added excitement.
Day Trip to a Nearby National Park
National parks offer diverse landscapes and opportunities for outdoor activities like hiking, birdwatching, and photography. Check park websites for trail maps and ranger-led programs. Bring comfortable walking shoes, water, and a camera to capture the natural beauty.
Scenic Coastal Drive and Beach Picnic
Take a leisurely drive along a coastal route, enjoying breathtaking ocean views and stopping at secluded beaches along the way. Pack a picnic with your favorite snacks and beverages. Don't forget blankets and beach chairs for a relaxing afternoon by the shore.
Local Art Walk
Participate in a local art walk or gallery hop. Many cities offer free or low-cost art events where you can explore various galleries and studios
Visit a Historical Site
Explore a local historical site or monument. Entrance fees vary, usually around $5-$15 per person.
Charity Walk/Run
Participate in a charity walk or run together. Entry fees usually go to a good cause and are around $20-$50 per person.
Ropes Course
Challenge yourselves on an outdoor ropes course. This adventurous date costs around $40-$70 per person.
Volunteer at an Animal Shelter
Spend a day volunteering at an animal shelter, helping with tasks like walking dogs or cleaning enclosures. This meaningful date is typically free.
Birdhouse Building
Build and paint birdhouses together. Kits cost around $20-$40, and you can enjoy this creative project at home.
Beekeeping Tour
Visit a local apiary and learn about bees and honey production. Tours usually cost about $20-$40 per person.
Sailing Lesson
Take a beginner’s sailing lesson at a local marina. This exhilarating experience costs around $50-$100 per person.
Bird Watching
Head to a nature reserve with binoculars and a bird guidebook. This relaxing and educational date is typically free.
Archery Lesson
Take a beginner’s archery lesson at a local range. This adventurous date costs about $20-$40 per person.
Zip Lining
Experience the thrill of flying through the trees on a zip lining course. This adventurous date costs $50-$100 per person. Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes, and enjoy the exhilarating views.
Visit an Old-School Drive-In Theater
Enjoy a movie under the stars from the comfort of your car at an old-school drive-in theater. This nostalgic experience costs around $10-$15 per person. Bring blankets, pillows, and snacks to make your car cozy.
Geocaching Adventure
Use GPS coordinates to find hidden "treasures" in your area with a geocaching adventure. It's free or requires a minimal cost for a premium app ($10/year). Bring a small trinket to leave behind and wear comfortable shoes for walking.
Mystery Picnic
Embark on a fun and unique adventure with a mystery picnic. A company provides clues that lead you to your picnic spot and meal items. The cost is around $70-$100 per couple. Choose a location with beautiful scenery to enhance the experience.
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Soar above the landscape and enjoy a breathtaking view from a hot air balloon. This unforgettable experience typically costs $200-$300 per person. Wear layers and bring a camera for stunning aerial photos.
Mini Golf Madness
Head to a local mini-golf course for a fun and lighthearted competition. Spice things up with silly challenges for each hole, like putting blindfolded or using unconventional items as clubs (such as a baseball bat, or a broom)
Photography Walkabout
Grab your cameras or smartphones and embark on a photography adventure around town. Take turns snapping photos of interesting sights, people, and moments, then share and discuss your favorite shots over coffee. You can even sign up for a free guided tour within your city.
Community Volunteer Day
Spend a day giving back to your community by volunteering together. Whether it's cleaning up a local park, serving meals at a shelter, or helping out at an animal rescue, you'll bond over making a positive impact.
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of quirky items or landmarks to find around your neighborhood. Set a time limit and race against each other to see who can find them all first. These can be graffiti places, specific plans or flowers or even romantic memories, such as the place of your first kiss.
Memory Lane Bike Ride
Take a leisurely bike ride through your neighborhood or a nearby park. Along the way, stop at significant spots—like where you had your first date or shared your first kiss—and reminisce about fond memories together. If you don't have a bike rent one on Donkey Republic or a bike-rental place (average price 5$/hour)
Art Jamming Session
Visit a local art supply store and pick up some inexpensive supplies ((A canvas and some brushes and colors should costs about 20$). Set up a canvas at home or in a park and spend the afternoon creating art together. No experience necessary—just let your creativity flow!
Stargazing Adventure
Grab a blanket and head to a nearby open space away from city lights. Bring along a stargazing app - like Nights Sky, or Star Walk - to identify constellations and enjoy a romantic evening under the stars.
Food Truck Frenzy
Explore the local food truck scene and challenge each other to try new and unique dishes from different trucks. Get a notebook or open the notes app on your phone to rate your favorites and enjoy a budget-friendly feast on-the-go.
Midnight Snack Adventure
Plan a late-night adventure to explore the city's best spots for midnight snacks. Whether it's a 24-hour diner, a food truck hotspot, or a hidden gem known for its late-night eats, indulge in delicious bites under the stars.
Food Truck Frenzy
Hunt down a food truck festival in your area and sample a variety of cuisines from different trucks. Challenge each other to try something new and unexpected, like a gourmet grilled cheese or Korean BBQ tacos
Gourmet Picnic
Ditch the traditional picnic fare and pack a gourmet spread instead. Think artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, gourmet sandwiches, and decadent desserts. Find a scenic spot to enjoy your feast together.
DIY Food Tour
Create your own food tour by visiting several hidden gems or hole-in-the-wall eateries in your city. Discover new flavors and cuisines as you explore different neighborhoods together.
Progressive Dinner
Instead of dining at one restaurant, plan a progressive dinner where each course is enjoyed at a different eatery. Start with appetizers at a cozy cafe, move on to mains at a trendy restaurant, and finish with dessert at a charming bakery. Use Yelp or Tripadvisor to get places with good ratings.
Farmers' Market Adventure
Spend the morning exploring a local farmers' market, sampling fresh produce, artisanal cheeses, and homemade treats. Then, head back home to cook a meal together using your market finds.
Thrifty Art Challenge
Exchange the items you find at the thrift store and challenge each other to create something unexpected out of them. Maybe a skirt can become a scarf, or leggings can become a headband. The sky is the limit! You can get some crafty ideas from Pinterest.
Poetry Picnic in the Park
Each time you read a poem, try to interpret it in the most dramatic or exaggerated way possible, making the experience entertaining and lively.
Go to an Open Mic Night
Write a short poem or story on the spot and perform it together at the open mic event, embracing the spontaneity and creativity. Open Mic Nights are usually free to enter, you can see if there are any available ones on Facebook or you can google nearby places.
Craft Your Chronicles at Home
Set a timer for each craft project you do. When the time's up, switch projects with each other to add a hilarious challenge. Start with a painting and switch every 5 minutes.
Capture the Canvas Outdoors
Try painting with your non-dominant hand or with your eyes closed. If you are looking for even more adventure, try painting with your brush in your mouth or within your toes.
Cultural Costume Date
Attend a cultural event in funny, mismatched costumes or outfits to add a playful twist to the cultural experience. Try to see if there are any events nearby on Facebook or take a look at the events happening soon on Google.
Comedy Theater Night
Attend a comedy show at a local theater for a night filled with laughter and artistic expression through humor.
Art Gallery Scavenger Hunt
Turn your art gallery tour into a fun scavenger hunt by creating a list of quirky things to find in the artworks.
Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf
Try a round of glow-in-the-dark mini golf for a twist on the classic game.
Indoor Rock Climbing
Challenge each other's strength and agility by trying indoor rock climbing at a local gym.
Have a themed movie marathon
Pick a unique theme for your movie night, like "foreign films" or "classic musicals," and watch movies that fit the theme.
Take an art class
Take an art class together, whether it's pottery, painting, or something else entirely. It's a great way to explore your creativity.
Have a cooking challenge
Have a cooking competition where you both prepare a dish using random ingredients from your kitchen. Then, judge each other's creations.
Create an at-home video
Find a topic/style you both like and create your at-home video. Maybe a cooking video of your favourite recipe or a maybe a cute footage of you to together
Listen to a podcast together
Create some topics you are both interested in, draw from the options and listen to a podcast together. It can be jokes, how-to's, skincare routines or maybe a podcast about your favourite series
Plan a weekend away
Make a list of places you would like to visit for a weekend away, put them in a hat and draw the one you will pick! It can be romantic, adventurous or even scary!
Visit a historical place
Find a historical ruin, castle, slot, ... around your area. Try to speak as you were in those times to make the visit more fun.
Build a Lego together
Get a complex lego piece and build it up together from scratch
Play tennis or badminton together
Find a pitch which you can reserve and have an epic tennis or badminton match together. Get your competition on!
Visit the ZOO
Try to find each animal and learn some fun fact about them during your trip there.
Visit an open-mic night
Try to find something you would both enjoy - music, poems, comedy?
Take a paint and sip class
Find a paint and sip class near you, or purchase the ingredients and watch a Bob Ross video together.
Take a hike
If you are the adventurous type you can take a more challenging hike, but if you would prefer a cozy walk try looking up some family friendly trails near you.
Ice skating
Find an ice rink close to you that is open to the public and bring your partner skating. Try making some figure skating moves - it will definitely make the date fun!
Create a food tour
Write down 5 different cuisines or food types that you both would want to try. Make some searches for the best food places that offer these - and you got yourself a food tour!
Go bowling
Make the trickiest shots you can do. It is not about scores now, the one being the most creative wins!
Build a fort
You can finally create your dream fort in the living room. Try to make it extra special with fairy lights, blankets and fluffy pillows. You can also get the TV on and watch a movie from your built fort.
Go to a drive-in movie
Find the closest drive in in your area, bring blankets and snacks.
Go stargazing
Pick two star constellations each before the evening. The one who finds both their constellations first wins!
Go bookstore hunting
Name the genre of book you like to the other person. Based on your answers you should pick some books for each other!
Make a new dish
Randomly pick a country! Your task will be to make a dish based on the country's cousine.
Play hide 'n seek
If you really want to make it hard try doing it outside! Have fun and get creative with your hiding space.
Try a new recipe
Open up a good old cookbok and pick a random page. The page you selected will be your dish for the date.
Have a campfire night
Get some pillows, blankets, smores and play some guitar covers in the background. Coziness guarenteed!
Go on a museum date
Learn some fun facts about the current exhibition and amaze your partner with how smart you are. Some museums offer a free-day to enter, otherwise your entrance fee would be between 5-25$.
Make you own pizza
Do it from scratch, starting with the dough - you can also go crazy with the toppins. Pineapple, anyone?
Have a theme movie marathon
Find a movie you both want to see. Match your food or clothes to the movie. You can even strech this out to weekly dates. (a Harry Potter marathon maybe?)
Watch the sunset
Yes, it is cheesy. Yes it is romantic. Make it special by finding the right place!
Try couples yoga
If you are afraid to go to class, you can just try it out at home. Let's see how bendy you can get!
Play "lights out"
Pretend the power is out (yes, even the phones). Light some candles and try to focus on each other.
Go get ice cream
Go for at least an hour walk and find the most delicisously looking ice-cream. Simple yet amazing!
Try couple photoshooting
Snap some photos based on your favorite influencer's photos. Can be home, can be outside. Bonus points for crazy pictures taken in public!
Write down a bucket list
Sit down and plan your future. You can set the timelimit, the agenda and even whether you choose next friday's dinner or baby names!
Go window shopping
Imagine your are crazy rich! Which items would you like to buy and why? Go window shopping and discuss your dream life!
Play minigolf with your wrong hand
If you are pro minigolf players - start playing with your wrong hand. Laughs are guarenteed - and the score won't even matter anymore. Beginners may play the normal way.
Visit a shelter
Find a shelter close to you that allows brining dogs for a walk or playing with them. Prepare for a cuteness overload! Most shelters are happy to have volunteers and will allow you to play with the animals. Make sure to go at a time when they are open.
Interview each other
Prepare some question beforehand. Use a brush/bootle to be your microphone. You can also film it if you dare!
Play video games
Get your Xbox fired up, or an old PC game you haven't played in ages. Don't forget the snacks! There are plenty of games free online, or you can download games from Steam
Highligt moments
Make a Top 5 moments board based on your favorite memories that happened in the past year together. Either write them down and pin it on a board or save it digitally.
Test hot cocoas
Find at least 3 different hot-cocoa making recipe. Try all of them out and rank them from best to worst! Hot cocoa is super easy to do, as you only need simple ingredients like cocoa and sugar as well as milk. All of the ingredients can be found in a supermarket.
Quiz each other
How well do you know your partner? Find out with some quiz questions you set up about yourselves! You can also download the Trivia Games app, or the Trivia Star app. If you have time and creativity, you can even make up your own questions.
Have a tea-time afternoon
Make a cozy afternoon tea date with biscuits and enjoy each other company. Perfect for a rainy day! Go for some romantic tea types like fruits, chocolate flavoured tea or orange tea.
Attend a comedy show
Try to find a comedy show near you, it can be an open-mic kinda thing or some famous comedian. You choose! You can visit a famous comedian for about 150$ or an up-and-coming entertainer for 30-50$
Take an exercise class
Attend and exercise class together. Write down all options for classes and pick out the winner from the bowl. Exercise classes go from free up to 60$. You can find them on Facebook events, or just check out some gyms around you, maybe your membership already allows it.
