10 Fun Summer Date Nights to Keep the Spark Alive!

1. Make a Bucket List

One of the best ways to get creative on date nights (for any season) is to simply ask what the two of you like to do together. Talk it over, then compile a list. There are a few ways you and your spouse can do this. You can make a posterboard of date night ideas and then check them off as you go. Or…you can get a jar and write the idea on slips of paper and randomly draw them out when you are you honey are ready for a fun date night!

Either way, a bucket list extends the opportunity for both of you to anticipate fun times together and a chance to do things you each enjoy. If you are unsure of what to put on that bucket list, take a glance at some of the ideas listed below, then begin making special memories. Let the fun begin!

2. Get Out on the Water

Summertime just begs for us to be near water, right? I remember when my husband surprised me with a sunset boat ride. It is still one of my favorite dates to this very day! If you need some date ideas that involve being near or in the water, check out the list below.

-Rent jet skis and have fun at a local lake

-Go out on a boat or book a sailing tour

-Take to the water by kayak, canoe, or paddle board

-Try snorkeling

-Go fishing

-Visit a water theme park

3. Cozy Up in the Backyard

Sometimes, it is difficult to get away. Babysitters fall through, the little one gets sick, or you may just both be drained from a long work week and want to stay in. In that case, cozy up at home and take your date outside among the stars. Check out these backyard date night ideas:

-Have a candlelight dinner or picnic

-Sit next to a fire pit and roast marshmallows or make smore’s

-Lay down a blanket and look up at the stars

-Play some music and dance on the back porch

-Hang up a hammock and then cozy up

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/bernardbodo

4. Tap Into Your Adventurous Side

There is usually one spouse that is a little more adventurous than the other, but even for the one that is a little more timid (like myself) getting out of your safe shell and exploring some fun with your spouse can do wonders for your marriage. Try some of the fun and adventurous summer date ideas below.

-Zip along the tree lines on a zipline

-Saddle up and go horseback riding

-Take on a Ninja challenge

-Hike in a new park and explore God’s beautiful creation together

-Play a game of laser tag or paintball

Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Halfpoint

5. Please Your Sweet Tooth

Who doesn’t love chocolate? Okay whether you like chocolate or not, a date that pleases every part of your palate is always “sweet!” Check out a dessert bar or even create a sweet concoction of your own. Then enjoy! Need some other ideas?

-Take a baking class together

-Check out a local bakery, get a few mini desserts. Then dig in!

-Bake cookies or a cake together at home

-Have a replay of your wedding day and feed each other cake

6. Take to the Road

If the summer noise and heat are beginning to drive you a little crazy, it may be a great time to ask the grandparents to help out with the kiddos so that you and your honey can hit the road. You don’t have to go very far, just a change of scenery can really do a marriage good!

Check out a nearby town or travel the road less traveled and explore a new place you haven’t visited yet but have been meaning to. If you are a planner like my sweet hubby, you can check out all the local restaurants, activities, and events beforehand to anticipate your little “getaway!”

If getting away for a weekend or even a day is not feasible, just an extra-long evening, jaunting to a close town for dinner and trying something new can spur excitement. Getting away from the responsibilities, even if for a brief bit, sometimes gives your marriage the breath of fresh air that it truly needs.

7. Visit a Local Park

Get some fresh air and soak in the sunshine at a local park. This may be the usual hangout for the family, but when you go sans kids, it really does change your perspective a bit. Get playful and let your inner child come out as you push each other on the swings or take turns going down the slide. If you aren’t feeling the playful side, then take to the nature trails and enjoy a leisure walk. It is peaceful and can open up a line of uninterrupted communication and a way to connect.

8. Get Sporty

Summertime paves the way for unique ways to move our bodies and play some good ‘ole fashioned outside sports, such as volleyball or basketball. Get competitive and let the games begin! Better yet, see if some other couples want to meet up, and that way, you can team up with your honey! Check out these ideas:

-Hit the beach and play sand volleyball

-Take to the park and play disc golf

-Rollerblade along the sidewalk

-Pull out the basketball net and shoot some hoops

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd

9. Take a Different Spin on Dinner and a Movie

I must admit that I love dinner and a movie when it comes to date night. In all honesty, it’s our trusty old standby. When we can’t think of anything else, we are too tired, or all else fails, then dinner and a movie it is! Now with cinemas that actually have restaurants inside of them, I am smitten! It really is the best of both worlds.

Yet, if you are still looking for another alternative to the dinner and movie date nights, check out a small town as some have old town theaters that show those classic films or have special events where they play timeless movies in their town square. A close town by us even has an old drive-in theater. It is so cute and always feels so authentic, making me wish I had a poodle skirt! Ha!

10. Add Your Friends

Do you have some other couple friends who may need to spice up their date nights this summer, too? Ask them to tag along as you hit the movies or ask if they want to join you as you hit the water on jet skis. Truth be told, we can spend so much time planning for our kiddos and their friends that we fail to realize we also need to surround ourselves with friends all the same.

Even if you decide to have them over for a cookout while the kiddos play in the backyard and you pull up chairs in the lawn to talk, those conversations with other adults when you have been tending to the kiddos all day really do a heart good.

In the end, whatever you decide to do with your sweetheart, just be intentional and make it a priority. Whether you decide to have date nights (or days) once a week or a few times a month, make it a regular pattern so it gives you both something to look forward to!

Faithful Father, we thank you for the beautiful gift of marriage and the unique way in which You connect to us through this relationship. I pray that as we head into these summer months that we make room in our busy and crazy summertime schedules to see the need and value of connecting more deeply to our spouse. Please provide us the opportunities to make special memories and have fun together, allowing our marriage to be filled with Your love. Thank you for being so good and faithful to us and for leading a guiding our marriage. Amen!

Happy Summertime Dating!