Date Night Ideas
From adventure and romantic to culinary and everything in between, here are some of our favorite ideas.
Adventure
Hiking
Weather is getting warmer, and it’s time to start planning outside time! We feel pretty spoiled to live in Utah with so many beautiful trails to explore, BUT I am sure each state has something special to offer in this department.
Favorite parts: saying hello to all the hikers while trying not to breathe too heavy, finding hidden places to pee in the woods, debating whether Trish will fall in any body of water (she does), and the view from the top!
NOTE: We typically look for trails on All Trails or poll our genius social media friends. With that in mind tell us — what is one of your top hikes? Any state!
Romantic
Picnic
With the weather warming up, we’re itching to go on more picnics this year! This date truly does rank up there as one of our favorites. Are they all my favorite?! Maybe.
We loaded up a picnic basket (that we received as a wedding gift almost 26 years ago ) and headed to Thanksgiving Point. We found a shady spot, threw down a quilt then enjoyed people watching, chatting, and the most delicious lunch. Perfectly simple. We loved it!
Favorite parts: people watching (always), our version of a charcuterie lunch, chatting without any distractions.
NOTE: we love the duo membership at Thanksgiving Point because you can go as often as you want! It pays for itself pretty quickly. But truly, find a free park in your area and pack it up!
Wellness
Sound Bath
“Sometimes you don’t have to get wet to take a bath.” -Jesse Allen {we think we’re so funny!}
“A meditative experience where those in attendance are “bathed” in sound waves. These waves are produced by various sources, including healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes, rattles, tuning forks, and even the human voice itself.”
Truth be told, we have now been to about 3 sound baths. They are so relaxing! We have loved both @the_centered_stone & @alpinebalanceyoga.
NOTE: look up yoga studios, salt caves, or wellness centers in your area to find a local sound bath. You won’t regret it!
Outdoor
The zoo isn’t just for the kiddos! We look forward to a trip to the zoo for our weekly date. We might get a few interesting looks because we don’t have kids with us, but we don’t care.
Go for a day date but also look for special events like “Boo at the Zoo” at Halloween or “Zoo Lights” over Christmas. Have fun!
Favorite parts: discussing how fascinating each animal is — their coloring, movements, what they eat, etc… we want to know who was in charge of creating animals, and we’d like to be on that committee 😂🦓
NOTE: we visit our local @hoglezoo, and we also look for zoos on our travels. Find one in your area or the next time you’re exploring a new place.
Culinary
Food Tasting
When we saw that @caputosmarket market had a “Tour of Italy” food tasting experience, we knew we had to go! They took us on a “trip” through Southern, Central and Northern Italy experiencing meats, olives, breads, cheeses & chocolates from each area with stories and fascinating details included. If you’re a wine drinker, there is an option for that too!
Favorite parts: Reminiscing about our own trip to Italy in 2022, the stories that were shared about each region, shopping afterwards for goodies to take home.
NOTE: Find a local speciality store in your area that offers a food tasting class. Caputo’s in Utah has many more class options. I think chocolate & cheese is in our future.
Artistic
Glassblowing Class
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
We’ve had more artist opportunities this past year than we have had our entire marriage, and Jesse definitely missed his calling in life!
Today we learned how to blow glass, and it literally blew our minds! We made a paperweight and a candy dish. The whole process from choosing the colors, the liquid glass, the heat, the shaping…All. So. Incredible!!
Favorite Parts: our teacher, Jackie, was just the coolest. We absolutely loved the entire process, so it’s hard to pick a favorite.
NOTE: we visited Holdman Studios in Lehi, Utah. Look for a local glass studio on your area. We think you’ll love it!
Sports & Fitness
Go Roller Skating
“Some days you’ll win. Some days you’ll lose. But you’ll always have more fun with wheels on your shoes!”
If you want to be transported right back to Jr High, go to a Roller Skating Rink! Oh my gosh…we had so much fun. Trish shuffled around the rink, considered one of the walker things, but stuck it out and had a slight improvement. Key word: slight. Jesse floated flawlessly with his cowboy hat intact the entire time.
Favorite parts: Watching all the cool cat skaters, the music, and realizing there are no sad people on skates!
NOTE: We visited Classic Fun Center in Utah. Search for any local skating & go!
Seasonal (Holiday themed)
Cherry Blossoms
We lived in Utah for 18 years before we even knew about the Cherry Blossoms at the Utah State Capitol. I don't want anyone to miss out on them! They typically are blooming end of March/first part of April. Watch @utstatecapitol for updates for the perfect time to catch them. But they only bloom for a short period of time, so don’t sit on this one
Also did you know….The trees were given to the state of Utah from the Japanese at the end of World War II as a symbol of friendship and reconciliation. To honor that friendship they were placed around the capitol. There are 433 trees!!
NOTE: I also know Washington DC has Cherry trees. Where else? I think a picnic lunch on the lawn would be a nice added touch
Volunteer
Music & Concerts
Candlelight Concert
You know it’s a good date idea when you do it twice! The Candlelight Concerts are one of our favorites.
It’s 4 musicians - 1 cello, 1 viola, 2 violins - playing a tribute to your favorite artists by candlelight. It seriously is the coolest atmosphere, and these 4 ladies are beyond talented!! We have been to “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons” and “A Tribute to Queen”. Both mind-blowing!
Favorite parts: the use of their feet to stomp during the songs, the atmosphere, the emotion that accompanies music, and dancing in our seats.
NOTE: download the “Fever” app. You can choose a city near you to see what is coming to your area. But if you’re close to SLC or Lehi, don’t miss this!
Travel
Explore a new town.
“Sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need!”
We made the decision when we started our official year of dates, that we wanted to take 4 weekend getaways a year. They could be close to our home or far away. It didn’t matter as long as we packed our bags for at least one night and escaped just the 2 of us.
Our phones must have heard us, because we stumbled upon Cambria, CA online and knew this was one of our getaways. Plus, we kind of have a thing for charming towns. Look it up — it is so charming! We flew there for a weekend and packed as much as we could into 3 days. Horseback riding, walks on the beach, Hearst Castle, Elephant Seals, and driving to neighboring towns.
Favorite parts: Driving through the wine country, morning walks on the beach, sitting by the fire pit at night, Trish almost falling off a horse (are we surprised at this point? No.)
NOTE: You can easily escape to the hotel down the street. It doesn’t have to be by plane or very far away. Leave the world behind and let it just be the two of you for a night or two.
Educational
Make a Bonsai Tree
“Everything grows with love.” We spent an evening selecting, planting, shaping, decorating, and learning how to care for our first Bonsai tree. We don’t really have any live plants at our house. Ok, we have zero. But now we have one! We named her Lucille, and we appreciate all the prayers that we keep her alive! Our favorite parts of the date were talking to the other people there (aren’t people fascinating to learn about?), learning about the owners and what got them interested in Bonsai trees, and just chatting with each other. NOTE: We went to Bonsai By Me @bonsaibaime They have 2 locations. One in Pleasant Grove, UT and one in Provo, UT. Look for one in your local area!
Follow along at dating.onpurpose for more date night ideas.