With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to inspire you with 15 unique date ideas. We all love a good dinner and movie date or Netflix and chill night but it’s exciting to think out of the box a bit when it comes to winter dates. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post or send me a DM on Instagram if you have an awesome date idea that I didn’t mention, I would love to know!

• Have a game night – Nick and I love a little competition between each other, so game nights are one of our favorites. We have a few two-player card games we rotate, and we continue to add board games to our collection, we even put one on our wedding registry.

• Go skiing, sledding or ice skating – Make the most of the season by participating in one of these cold-weather activities. Nick and I went ice skating in Chicago during the first few months of our relationship and it’s still one of our favorite memories together. Neither of us has ever been skiing but we are going to try to make it to a local slope this year to test our luck.

• Make an epic hot chocolate – There’s hot chocolate and then there’s hot chocolate with whip cream, marshmallows, and sprinkles. Nick and I love treating ourselves to an over the top hot cocoa during the colder months and it’s a fun thing to do together.

• Pretend to be a personal stylist – Go to the mall and pick out an outfit for each other to try on. This will be even more fun if you have different tastes in style. I recommend going to a store that sells clothing for both of you that way you can try them on at the same time and step out of the dressing room for the grand reveal.

• Go to a bar or venue with live music – This is another idea that we are hoping to cross off our list this season. I think this would make for such a cozy, romantic evening and a great way to potentially discover a local artist.

• Try something new together – There are so many fun, indoor activities to try that would make great date ideas. To name a few there is ax throwing, top golf, escape rooms, and rock climbing.

• Spend a morning hopping around to different coffee shops – People bar hop all the time so why not try coffee shop hopping. If you don’t want to overdo it on the caffeine, I recommend splitting a drink at each stop. This will also allow you to try more options.

• Go for a walk/hike – Winter can be cold and gloomy, but it also brings some beautiful days with bright blue skies. Bundle up and go explore a new park or nature area. Bonus points if you bring your dog(s) along too!

• Book a brewery tour – One of my favorite things to do during the warmer months is going on a winery tour so I think a brewery tour would be a great alternative for the winter season. Book a tour online or make up your own. Just be sure to stay safe and have a designated driver.

• Volunteer together – Helping others is not only a great thing to do but a great way to bond with your significant other. Seeing them in a new environment might even allow you to see a new side of them.

• Visit an arcade – You are never too old for arcade games and some arcades are even adults-only since they serve alcohol. Similar to a game night, an evening spent at an arcade is a fun way to compete with your partner and decipher whether you want to spend your $30 worth of tickets on two tootsie rolls or a plastic slinky. Decisions, decisions.

• Plan a weekend getaway – Traveling with your significant other is fun to do any time of year and can give you something to look forward to. Whether you want to road trip to warmer weather or stay in a cabin up north in the woods, some time away is always a great idea.

• Treat yourself to a fancy dinner – Nick and I are all about cheap date nights that way we can save more for bigger vacations. However, I do think it’s fun to splurge on a fancy dinner once in a while. This also gives you the opportunity to dress up and impress your date with an outfit other than sweats or jeans.

• Try an at-home couple’s workout – I am always trying to get Nick to do at home workout videos with me. When I can get him to skip a day pupping iron and jump around going lunges with me, it’s always so much fun. Attempting to complete couple yoga poses is also a guaranteed fun time.

• Be a tourist in your own city – It’s so easy to get in a rut with our routines, including date nights. Nick and I love to visit the same restaurants over and over again but there’s definitely something special about exploring new areas, even in your own town. We have lived in Ann Abor for almost 5 years now and there are still many restaurants we haven’t tried, museums we have yet to explore and small shops to wander. If you can relate, challenge yourself to a date of going to new places only.