Rather than spending date night at a restaurant that is overcrowded, getting the same chocolate heart or flowers as everyone else, why not spend this year’s date nights building memories together! There’s lots of things that you could do to have a romantic adventure, but here’s 10 adventurous date ideas to consider for your list!
Go on a sailboat charter or rent a boat
If you've been following me on my Instagram for some time now, you'd know that sailing is a huge part of my life, and that I wish I could take everyone onboard with us! Since that's not a viable option, the first romantic adventure I would recommend is to rent a sailboat or find a charter if neither of you have ran a boat before!
The most romantic of the types of boats to rent (in my opinion) would be a sailboat, rather than a speedboat. With the engine off, and the quiet breeze pushing you along, you can snuggle up with your person with a nice glass of wine. If you've never sailed, you may want to hire a captain and crew, or look into a charter option.
Alternatively, a sunset sail might be a good option, if they're offered in your area. This will also be the more budget friendly of ways to hop onboard a boat, and often these group trips have a full crew and other amenities offered - like complimentary drinks or a cash bar! In St. Augustine, there are many options, but the one I would recommend is the Schooner Freedom sunset sail (which is what is pictured with Steve and I).
Go on a hike together
If the water isn't quite your thing, get lost together in nature on a romantic hike. It doesn't have to be a crazy intense hike, or one that will last all day, but spending time in nature together is a great way to build trust with one another, and break away from the screens.
Even better - bring a little picnic and a blanket along! Once you get to the peak of your trail (or just a pretty area along the way), you can sit an enjoy the snacks and drinks that you brought!
And if you don't have hills or a mountain, or even good trails around your area, try and find a pretty place to walk that is a little secluded or an area that you don't usually walk in. Try a new street in your town, find a park, walk the beach - just spend time holding hands and breaking away from the typical dinner date!
Do a beach cleanup
This may not sound like the most romantic thing right off the bat, but walking together on the beach and cleaning up the plastic and trash you may find on the beach is a great thing to do that brings you a sense of responsibility!
So the actual picking up of the trash isn't the romantic or adventurous part of the beach walk, it's the sense of doing something bigger for the world (and the world's largest ecosystem), and spending time with your significant other. Not only that, but it's really nice to walk down the beach, either hand in hand or just near each other.
Something that I've noticed when walking with Steve during beach cleanups is we tend to compare interesting things that we find, whether it be different pieces of sea glass, unique pieces of plastic, fun treasures, or even shark's teeth and beautiful shells! That makes the walk more interesting and provides a nice conversation starter for you both!
In case you didn't know, we actually run a new sustainability - focused account called Recycled Sailing on Instagram, check it out if that's something you're interested in!
Go horseback riding
Something that I've always loved doing on any trip is horseback riding, there's something so nice about getting to experience a destination on a horse. It's up there as one of my favorite adventurous date ideas because of that! There's a reason horses are often in romance movies or fairy tales! Horseback riding together can be a romantic adventure in itself, just being on a majestic animal and out in nature. You can make it more romantic by finding an outlook or a destination to end your ride on, like a mountain top, a beach, or a wildflower field.
Try your hand at holding hands while riding together, and feeling the movement of your horses underneath you. If you are allowed, you feel safe, and you have the right instructions, you can even see about trotting or cantering down the trail! Pack your saddlebags with snacks, waters, and a picnic and relax at the end of your ride. Bonus romance points if you do a sunrise horseback adventure!
Taste test the ice cream shops in town
Maybe not the most "adventurous" of these date ideas, but a super fun date that you can do around your own hometown or in a new destination is to try the ice cream shops!
Ice cream is definitely one of my favorite desserts, and it's so much more fun to share with your special someone! Try a couple different options, find out your favorite flavors and your favorite ice cream parlors!
Increase the romance by dressing up together, walking between shops, finding unique shops, and unique flavors! You can even make it a game and see who can guess flavors while the other orders one inside!
Just think of Noah and Allie in the Notebook, there's always fun to be had with a good ice cream cone, whether squishing some onto your partner's nose, experimenting with new flavors, making your own ice cream, or just enjoying walking around together with a delicious treat!
Visit a theme park
Now you may not initially think of a theme park as romantic, but they can be lots of fun in building trust and adrenaline together! The romance here comes from spending time together in a new and different place. It will definitely be more unique and adventurous than your typical dinner date!
Take turns picking rides, snacks, or helping encourage the more nervous of the two of you onto the rides. Hold hands on the scary rides, laugh at the shows, and enjoy the sights to see.
If you're heading to Florida, a few options for theme parks are Universal and Islands of Adventure (the latter being more "romantic" in my opinion), and of course the Disney Parks. Both have wildly different attractions and theming, so do a little research and see which ones you think you'd enjoy more!
Around most theme parks there are also shopping areas that often have unique restaurants (as well as inside the parks) so that is a great way to end your theme park date on a little bit more of the "romantic" side!
Have a staycation
If traveling is your love language (and I'm guessing it may be since you've been reading this post), then a nice romantic date idea is to have a little staycation! Whether in your town, or in your state, just escaping the "norm" and breaking routine can be so revitalizing.
It doesn't have to be expensive, at a resort, or even out of your own home! Get some of your favorite foods, light some candles, explore a new corner of town, the options to have a little staycation really are endless!
You can take it one step further and book yourself into a nearby town or hotel steps from home. You could even take a mini trip for a long weekend!
Sometimes all you need is a night out of the ordinary, other times you need a mini-vacation. Our last "staycation" was a little weekend trip down to the Florida Keys (which is in my home state). While it was still technically a trip, it was only a couple days of adventuring and sparked my creativity and helped us feel renewed.
(If you're interested in learning about the Keys, I've got The Ultimate Florida Keys Guide that you can check out here! It's loaded with tons of info from years of visiting the Keys - you definitely don't want to miss out!)
Do yoga together
A fun date idea to get your body moving is trying yoga together! Yoga is a great way to connect with yourself, as well as with your partner! By strengthening yourself both physically and mentally, you create yourself as a stronger partner in your relationship!
Pick a pretty spot, whether a zen room in the house, a pretty park, the beach, or your porch. Light some candles or incense to set the mood, and set out your mats. You can follow a flow that one of you has or find one on YouTube or Pinterest, or you can find a local yoga class to take, if you enjoy a little bit more guidance than leading yourself.
Even more fun would be trying a partner yoga class! There are so many poses and exercises you can do with your partner, and learning to trust one another is lots of fun! Whether it's a simple partner stretch or a huge aerial lift, this adventurous date may even become a new shared past time!
*Bonus points if you find a yoga class with baby goats or wine, those both sound like so much fun!
Have a fun couples photo shoot
It's always fun having pictures together with your person, but can be expensive paying for a photographer! Take your camera (or iPhone) out to take photos of one another. Dig into your creative self and direct one another in a fun photoshoot. Want photos together? Set your self timer and take turns running into position! Not only will you have more fun than your typical date, but you'll have the memories saved to look back on and reminisce the adventurous date you had together!
Don't have a camera or want tips to improve your photos? I've got the perfect post for some photography tips here!
Watch the sunrise together
There's something so romantic about a sunrise. From the beautiful morning sky to the quiet stillness of the world at that time of day, a sunrise is a great date to start your day. Whether at the beach or over a mountain pass, or even just sitting outside together, starting the day with the first bit of light is a great little adventure!
Make some coffees to take with you, and make an adventure out of it. Bring a blanket and set up a little spot to enjoy the sun waking up the world.
Not a morning person? That's okay! Sunsets can be (and are) just as romantic of a date idea as the sunrise, just swap your coffee for a glass of champagne or a little dinner over the sunset.
I would love to start every morning with a sunrise, but sometimes it's tough to be up that early every morning, so take your sunrises and sunsets as they come, and make the best out of them for your romantic date!
Bonus points if you do sunrise on the east coast and sunset on the west - how fun would that be!
Do you have other adventurous date ideas that are out of the ordinary or exciting!? I'd love to hear them, comment below and we'll all have great adventures to share with those that we love!
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I love the sailing idea. I can’t wait for the weather to get better and have a little cruise or island hopping 🙂