Date ideas
12 summer date ideas
Summer nights stay light late, so stay out late with them. Here are 12 summer dates for warm evenings, lazy weekends, and everything in between.
In Australia and New Zealand, summer runs from December to February.
At home
20 minutes, plus freezing · About $5 to $12 · playful
Homemade ice pop lab
Juice, fruit and a freezer, with a tasting on the next hot day.
Inventing flavors together gives you a playful little project, and a cold treat to share on the next hot day.
The fun part: Invent one secret flavor each and keep it quiet until the tasting.
Out and about
3 to 4 hours, including cooking · About $25 · adventurous
Farmers market dinner challenge
A $25 budget, one lap of the stalls and dinner from what you find.
Wandering the stalls with a shared mission turns shopping into a small adventure, and cooking what you found can make the night yours.
The fun part: Pointing out one thing you’ve never cooked, then cooking it.
About 3 hours · About $30 to $50 with snacks · playful
Local team, cheap seats
A home game close to the field, and a player each to root for.
The seats are close, the crowd is friendly, and cheering for the same team gives you a night of inside jokes.
The fun part: Picking a player to root for by their walk-up song, their name or their socks.
2 to 3 hours · About $30 to $50 · adventurous
Night market, one bite each
Wander a night market and share one bite from every stall you try.
Wandering the stalls as the lights come on, sharing every bite, gives you a small adventure close to home.
The fun part: Picking stalls by the length of the line and the smell alone.
Outside
1 to 2 hours · Free · thoughtful
Blanket under the stars
A blanket, warm layers and a constellation you make up yourselves.
Lying back and looking up together is calming, and inventing your own constellations can be a lovely kind of silly.
The fun part: Inventing your own constellation and naming it after an inside joke.
About 2 hours · About $10 to $20 · cozy
The golden hour picnic
A simple picnic facing west as the evening light turns gold.
The light around sunset makes everything look beautiful, including each other, and a picnic makes room for a slow evening.
The fun part: Putting the food away and just watching the colors change.
Most of a day · About $10 to $30 · cozy
A slow beach or lake day
A whole day by the water with nothing to do but swim, read and nap.
A whole day by the water with nothing to do makes room for long talks, naps and very little planning.
The fun part: Reading one book aloud to each other between swims.
2 to 3 hours · About $10 to $25 for a picnic · playful
Music in the park
A free outdoor concert, a picnic blanket and dancing if you like.
Live music under the open sky, with dinner on a blanket, gives you an easy summer evening and a song to remember it by.
The fun part: Dancing badly at the back, where nobody minds.
2 to 3 hours · About $40 to $80 for two · adventurous
Kayak or canoe for two
Rent a two-person boat on calm water and paddle at your own pace.
Paddling in rhythm takes a little teamwork and a lot of laughing, and calm water makes room for easy quiet.
The fun part: Finding your paddling rhythm, and laughing when you lose it.
One night, two days · About $30 to $80 with the site · adventurous
One night at a campground
One night in a tent, with a fire, the stars and breakfast outside.
Sleeping under the same canvas, far from screens and chores, gives you a night of stories, stars and breakfast outside.
The fun part: Cooking breakfast over a camp stove in your pajamas.
Overnight · Free, using what you have · adventurous
The backyard campout
Sleep out in the yard or on a balcony, with snacks and the night sky.
Sleeping outside a few steps from your door gives you an adventure with no packing, and night sounds can make home feel far away.
The fun part: Telling each other a story by flashlight before you fall asleep.
On a video call
About 2 hours · $5 to $10 each · cozy
Picnic in two parks
Two blankets, two parks and one long, lazy call.
Eating outside at the same time can make long summer days feel shared, even under two different skies.
The fun part: Show each other the best view from your blanket.