It’s easy to get stuck in a date rut, and as an adult it’s even easier to forget how to have fun. The solution? Go on a double date! It’s often less pressure to keep conversation going and be playful when you’re in a group. As for what to do, I’ve got some ideas. I recommend you try any or all of these with another couple or in a group, and don’t use them as first dates, but rather when you are in a dating relationship.
1. Appetizer – Entrée – Dessert game. You may have seen this on Instagram or TikTok, but probably not as a double date. Here’s how you play: Using either rock, paper, scissors or rolling a die (highest number wins), the winner gets to choose the location and menu item for the appetizer round. For example, if I win, I’m taking us to Texas Roadhouse for their Cactus Blossom. After the appetizer, you get in the car and play again to see who chooses the entrée location and food, followed by dessert. At each restaurant, try playing a game. Sometimes my husband and I bring small board games to play while we wait for our food to arrive. You could also people-watch and take turns making up stories about the people you are observing. It’s silly, but sometimes it’s just fun to guess how long the people you are watching have been together or what they do for a living.
2. Teen memories. Go to an arcade or batting cages, mini golfing or bowling, skating at a roller or ice rink, or a place where you can ride go-carts or play paintball. These activities are always more fun in a group than they are one-on-one, so are great options for a double date. And being on a team with your significant other is a bonus! Honestly, it’s fun to do nostalgic stuff that you maybe did as a teenager but haven’t as a young adult.
3. Fresh air and conversation. Find a hiking trail or walk around a local park. Paddleboard or kayak on a nearby lake. Add to your activity a fun question game. Here are a few of my favorites:
- If you were a criminal who mildly inconvenienced their victims, what would your crime be? (Ex: flip their toilet paper to go under rather than over, or turn all their clothes inside out and put them back on the hanger)
- What’s a useless superpower you’d love to have? (Ex: always being a comfortable temperature wherever you go)
- The Olympics called and they need you to figure skate. What song do you skate to?
- Check out Boundless’ “25 Fun & Unique Date Questions” for more ideas!
4. Risk and reward. For this double date, find something that none (or few) of you have done and pursue it together — perhaps indoor skydiving, pickleball, axe throwing or pottery painting. Trying new things on group dates fosters healthy competition and presents opportunities to do things you’d normally be nervous to try. Tip: If you do pottery painting, choose something to paint for your date and then gift it to them once it’s finished.
5. Board game battle. This is an oldie but goodie. My husband and I love playing board games, especially with another couple. Make this even more fun by going to Target/Walmart/your local game store and choosing a game together. Team up with your date or do boys against girls. My husband and I used this type of date to set up our friends. We had them be on a team against us and they’re now married, so some healthy competition can be a good thing!
6. You’re the expert. This is a really chill double date. Go to an aquarium, zoo, botanic garden or museum. Either walk around, reading the information about each item or exhibit, or make up the information and create a game out of it. Invent biological names for the fish or try guessing the names of plants before you read their plaques. Name each animal at the zoo or make up the history of paintings or artifacts you see at the museum. This is a creative and silly way to experience these places while getting to know your date in a new light.
7. Book scavenger hunt. Head to a local bookstore or library. Split into teams and hunt for the following (be sure to take pictures of the items/covers; you’ll be sharing them later):
- Book with the funniest title
- Book with the cringiest cover
- Magazine with the funniest topics
- Self-help book you think the other team needs
- Worst cookbook
- Best joke in a joke book
- Book you think the other team would actually enjoy reading
- Whatever else you think would be fun to find in a bookstore!
At the end of your scavenger hunt, meet at a coffee shop and share the pictures of your findings to determine which team is the winner.
Solo date variation: Find out what types of books your date likes to read, then go on a hunt to find books for them. Once you’ve chosen two to three candidates, sit down together somewhere and “pitch” the books to them. Tell him or her what the book is about and why you think they would like it. Then, have them choose one they would like to read, purchase it, grab a coffee somewhere and start reading! For a cheaper option, do this at a library and go to a coffee shop after you’ve checked out your books.
8. Day trip date. I’ll bet there is somewhere in your area or state that you have yet to visit. Choose a place and make a day of it; just explore and eat. I went with a group of friends to Breckenridge, Colorado; we explored shops, found a crepe cart to eat at and hung out by a lake. If you want an outlandish option for this date, I have a friend who booked a flight with her boyfriend and another couple to visit Portland, Oregon for a day. They found cheap flights, left early in the day, explored Portland, then returned that same day late in the evening. She said it was one of her favorite dates.
9. Pillow/blanket fort hangout. How long has it been since you’ve done this? For this double date, work as a team to build a fort using pillows and blankets. Make it as comfortable as you can, then make a charcuterie board or grab some snacks and enjoy a movie or board game as a group in your fort. You’ll have fun finding your inner kid again!
10. Chef wars. This is a great way to try new recipes or even do a “build your own pizza” night. Plan a menu, purchase ingredients and start cooking. Make a competition out of it and see who can make the most beautiful or unique pizza or who creates the most cooking-show-worthy plate decoration or menu pairing. Finish by enjoying your creations!
11. Hotel guest (kinda) for a day. When my husband and I were first hanging out, we went to the Broadmoor hotel here in Colorado Springs. It’s a 5-star hotel that is super expensive — but you know what’s not expensive? Walking around it. We explored the beautiful grounds, played tabletop shuffleboard for free, then found a place with gourmet chocolates and ice cream sundaes. It’s a date we’ve repeated multiple times, and it would be extra fun to do with another couple. Note: It’s perfectly acceptable to walk around a hotel you’re not staying at, especially if you patronize a hotel restaurant or coffee shop. Pay attention to crowd levels or if there is a convention going on; the hotel has the right to prioritize registered guests and even close the property to outsiders.
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Whichever double date you choose (better yet, try all of them!), I hope you have fun not only with your significant other but also with another couple. Let us know how it goes by emailing us at [email protected]. For even more fun date ideas, check out this episode of “The Boundless Show.” You can also listen to this episode of my and my husband’s podcast, “Shirin All the Things.”
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