12 At-home Date Night Ideas

By: Mitch Ryan  | 
at home date night
Who said home date night ideas had to be boring? You can go way beyond ordering in pizza. svetikd/Getty Images

Traditional date night ideas like dining out and seeing a movie can be expensive. And with everything more expensive these days, the cost of taking your partner on a romantic date night can break the bank.

Why not save money and mix things up by planning a fun and exciting at home date instead? It can be very intimate and help you rekindle the connection you have at a fraction of the price.

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Planning a Fun Date Night at Home

Before you peruse our list of date night ideas, consider these helpful tips to get planning:

  1. Choose date night activities that promote quality time. Watching YouTube videos or sharing an adult coloring book can both be fun date night ideas, but a more memorable date requires more communication and connection. If you feel like lazing around the living room, why not indulge in some nostalgia and reminisce about your first date or watch highlights of your wedding video?
  2. Get creative but make sure date night combines your interests. Sharing passions and hobbies is a great way to connect with your partner, if the activity sparks their interest. A six-hour video game marathon or a DIY at-home escape room may be your thing, but your partner may be bored. So compromise and pick something that will let you delve deeper into your relationship.
  3. Let loose and be adventurous. It's totally fine to pick "alone-together" activities, but date nights might not feel special if you avoid going beyond your comfort zone and settling for your traditional couch-lounging sessions. Make it a special night and let loose a little. A private dance party for two or a dream ice cream sundae bar are both fabulous ideas. Diets and downstairs neighbors be damned.
A young couple in love dancing in the living room at night.
Why not crank the music up and have your own dance party? 
urbazon/Getty Images

Read on for 12 at-home date night ideas.

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1. Camp Out on Your Own Living Room Floor

Break out your tent and sleeping bags and set up a "cozy cave" base camp to play video games or watch movies together. No camping equipment? Totally fine. Get creative and build a fort out of couch cushions, pillows and blankets. Set a more romantic mood by dimming the lights, stoking a cozy fire and lighting candles. Add even more ambiance with an indoor picnic and late-night ghost stories.

Couple warms their feet by the fireplace.
When it's cold outside you can stay in and camp out by the warm fireplace. 
Maria Korneeva/Getty Images

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2. Home Date Nights Are for Movies

A movie night is one of the more relaxing at-home date ideas and it can be the perfect end to a busy week. The nice part about this fun date is there's no dress code, no lines to grab snacks at the concession stand, and no annoying patron talking during the film — unless it's your significant other, and in that case, you can always hit pause or rewind. Grab the remote, queue up a movie marathon, and sit back and enjoy your popcorn and ice cream sundaes.

Romantic couple watching movies in home theater
Netflix and chill? Sounds like a perfect home date night idea.
AleksandarNakic/Getty Images

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3. Get the Drinks Flowing

A crowded bar can be a fun place to meet people, but it's not always the most intimate atmosphere to share a conversation with your person. But you can still have drinking date nights at home. Plan a private beer or wine tasting or learn how to make your favorite cocktails. Or why not go old school and make up your own drinking game? Let the shenanigans begin.

Cheerful friends drinking cocktails and dancing while celebrating Mardi Gras at home party.
Can't get to Mardi Gras? Bring Mardi Gras home!
Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

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4. Free Your Inner Artists

There's an old Latin proverb that roughly translates to "in wine, there's truth." Yet, you could also argue that wine can also contain a lot of laughs and inebriated artistic abilities. All that is to say you can plan a "wine and paint night" to get your and your partner's creative ideas flowing.

Girl painting at her living room and enjoying wine with her boyfriend.
Loosen up with a glass of wine and watch your creativity flow.
RgStudio/Getty Images

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5. Learn Each Other's Love Languages

Everyone communicates differently, but when a couple has been together a long time, it can be a challenge to appreciate those unique distinctions. This romantic date night idea encourages each person to learn about themselves and their partner's needs. Although this date doesn't seem as fun as an indoor picnic or an all-you-can-eat ice cream bar, the takeaways from learning each other's love languages will pay dividends in strengthening your relationship long term.

Romantic mature couple relaxing at home.
There's nothing more romantic that cuddling together and just talking.
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6. Level Up Your Cooking Skills

It's too easy on a Friday night to order a pie from your local pizza joint. But for a healthy date idea, use your quality time together to learn new recipes. Expand your healthy foodie horizons and eat dishes from your favorite food destinations right from the comfort of your own house. You can go big and indulge in homemade pasta, sushi or baked goods, or just stick to the healthy stuff.

happy asian young couple working together making valentine’s day dinner in a cozy decorated kitchen at home
Cooking at home together can be way more exciting and interactive than ordering takeout from your local restaurant.
PRPicturesProduction/Shutterstock

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7. Make Big Plans for Your Future

Making plans can seem like a tedious task since life is already so busy, but sharing each other's dreams, hopes and ambitions can be a simple way to get on the same page and improve meaningful communication. Dream big or start discussions on a simple DIY project like a vision board. Each person can add a picture of their dream house, perfect job or their bucket list vacation destinations.

Couple in Love Use Laptop Computer, Have Fun, Laughs While Sitting on the Couch in the Cozy Loft Apartment. Couple Shopping on Internet, Using Social Media, Discussing Something.
Want to start planning your next vacation? Do it together during your next at-home date night.
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

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8. Plan A Couple's Game Night

First-date and double-date ideas require an element of excitement and interaction to break the ice and get conversations going. That's why playing games is an excellent go-to for new couples or a friend hoping to bring their new love interest into the group. Competitive group games also reveal hidden quirks and human nature, and can provide you with a good sense of who someone is by the way they win and lose in Monopoly.

Group of people playing Monopoly board game together at night.Friends with funny emotions enjoying the game in evening.At home game.
Couple's game night be fun, competitive and a good way to learn about your partner's best qualities.
Nazar Skladanyi/Shutterstock

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9. Play Video Games

Warm up the controllers for a one-on-one game night in front of the big screen. Playing video games is a perfect mix of relaxation and competitive fun, making it an excellent alternative to a movie date night. Even if your partner has never played video games, it can be so much fun teaching them the simpler 8-bit classics. A fun date night filled with competition and collaboration might be exactly what your partner needs.

Girl celebrating victory over her boyfriend in video game on joysticks at home. Concept of domestic entertainment, leisure and hobby. Idea of enjoy time together. Dog sleeping on floor. Evening time
If board games aren't your thing, why not have a marathon of video games together? 
BAZA Production/Shutterstock

10. Relax With a Spa Night

There is nothing that says, "I love you," like planning a home spa date for your partner, complete with a bubble bath, scented candles and one of their favorite treats in hand. Bonus points for adding a few cucumber slices, face masks and some smooth jazz background music to this thoughtful at-home date night idea.

Romantic candle light in spa in modern interior. Protector skin treatment with aromatic candles and moisturiser foam. Beauty and spa concept. Anti-stress and detox procedure.
You don't have to go to the spa to relax together. Just draw a bubble bath and light a few scented candles. 
Anastasiia Krivenok/Getty Images

11. Stargaze in Your Backyard

Spending time outside will not only give you both a breath of fresh air, but it will also give you joy in sharing the wonders of the night sky. Buy a telescope, learn the constellations and make a wish together on a shooting star. If it's a special occasion, you can go a step further and express your infinite love by going online and naming one of those beautiful stars after your forever person.

Couple stargazing together with a astronomical telescope while being on a romantic date
Impress you partner by pointing out a few of the constellations in the night sky. The Big Dipper doesn't count.
mixetto/Getty Images

12. Turn Your Bedroom Into a Fancy Suite

Pop the bubbly, light candles, run the bubble bath, and enjoy the luxury of a five-star resort from the comfort of your own home. In contrast to other at-home date ideas, this one might not be completely free, but a few cozy robes and rose petals can go a long way in letting your significant other know that they deserve the best. A quiet, simple evening with a few lush touches will set the mood for spending time talking into the late hours of the night.

Go all out and impress your significant other with a full-on luxury spa bedroom.
Andriiii/Shutterstock

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