Rekindle Romance: Creative Date Night Ideas

“Feeling close to your spouse or partner is often the result of spending time together, doing things you both enjoy,” says couples counselor Alexa Elkington in Psychology Today. “Partners who make it a point to reserve time for each other find that their shared experiences give them a common frame of reference and increase the positive, loving feelings they have for one another.”

With the many demands on parents and working couples today, making time to be together, just the two of you, doing something you love, can easily slip to the back burner and then into the dusty closet. Financial concerns can push date night, (or date day), even further down the priority list.

“As parents, date night sometimes feels more like a chore after finding a babysitter, planning what to do, then changing after a kid spilled something on you when you were going over directions for the sitter,” says Erin Stidham, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and clinical director of Creekside Counseling in Redding. “Sometimes money is just too tight and we think we should just postpone until things are easier or the kids are older. In reality, our children learn from our example of how we show up for our partner. They see how we love them through the difficult times and make the time for them even if it’s popcorn and a movie on the couch after walking the dogs or dancing on the back porch in the dark to the radio. Our example of love sets the example for their future relationships.”

Your relationship with your spouse is the glue that holds your family together, so making it a priority to nurture it is vital to family harmony. With a little creativity, couples can find ways to spend quality time together. Set aside the time, hire a sitter or trade child care with another couple and try one of these creative ways to date your mate.

Cheap dates can be romance filled

• Pretend the electricity is out. Turn out the lights, light candles and make a comfy pillow fort. Use a charged device to watch a show or listen to music.
• Stargaze. Find a spot away from city lights and look at the Milky Way, Orion’s Belt or possibly a shooting star.
• Enjoy time together at a local coffee shop and invite a few friends or go wine tasting.
• Rent bikes and ride around town. Chico and Redding both offer an amazing number of paved bike trail options and Redding’s new bike share program make bikes very accessible to those who don’t own bikes. Mountain bikes can be rented as well from some outdoor shops.
• Try your hand at couples bowling.
• Treat each other to an at-home spa night with bubble bath, foot rubs and massages.
• Watch a sunrise, sunset or both.
• Visit a the historic district in a small town in the North State area. Park the car and walk the town. Gather or bring items for a picnic and eat outside in the town park. Downtown Weaverville and Mount Shasta and historic districts of Chico, Red Bluff and Orland are filled with interesting shops and are imminently walkable. Or take a walk through Lithia Park in Ashland.
• Visit a local art gallery with time to browse and discuss the exhibits without the kids. The Museum of California Art (monca) in Chico has ever-changing exhibits and evening activities for adults. Take a walk hand-in-hand through the botanical gardens at Turtle Bay.
• Create a playlist together of your favorite love songs or go retro and make a mixed tape.
• Recreate your first date.
• Write each other a love letter.
• Read romantic poetry by a fire. Some poets to try: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Burns, Christina Rossetti and of course, the bard himself, William Shakespeare.

Fancy dates for special occasions

• Take a cruise on beautiful Lake Shasta on a dinner yacht.
• Dine at a restaurant that has live entertainment like jazz, blues or theater.
• Ride on a dinner train. The Fox River train in Sacramento offers a variety of dining and tasting experiences and for a real adventure, you can ride a two-seater railbike on a 10-mile roundtrip.
• Go out to a progressive dinner. Have drinks or dinner at one place and dessert at another.
• Rekindle the spark at a local romantic restaurant like Nello’s Place in Redding, Huffs at Bridge Bay at Lake Shasta, Sicilian Café or Red Tavern in Chico, Sage Restaurant in McCloud or Denny Bar in Etna. McCloud River Bed & Breakfast has special music and dinner nights. They are planning outdoor concerts after dinner this summer. Check McCloud River Mountain Music for concert dates.
• Attend special performances at local arts venues. Check the online schedules at Chico State’s Laxson Auditorium, Paradise Performing Arts Center in Paradise, Cascade Theatre in Redding, Jefferson Center for the Arts in Mount Shasta or Ashland Armory in Ashland, for local and touring acts.

Stay-At-Home dates bring the fun back to a relationship

• Make popcorn and enjoy a romantic movie like Casablanca, The Notebook or La La Land.
• Play a board game like Carcassonne, Pandemic Legacy or Patchwork.
• Build a fire in an outdoor fire pit, make s’mores and snuggle. Remind each other how grateful you are for all you have together.
• Hold a trivia night at home. Try a trivia app. Trivial Pursuit based on the show “Friends” is a fun option.
• Enjoy a fondue night at home. Dip your favorite fruits, veggies, bread, crackers, chocolate and cake in cheese or chocolate.
• Read a book to each other or read a book together.

Bond through adventurous outdoor dates

• Go canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding or river rafting. River Dancers offers day trips and overnighters with exciting rapids, experienced guides and great food. Forebay Aquatics rents peddle boats, single and tandem kayaks, stand up paddle boards, canoes, hydrobikes and more for fun water adventures on Lake Oroville.
• If you both love to camp and fish, Lime Saddle Marina and Campground on Lake Oroville offers both, with a bait and tackle shop to pick up any fishy stuff you forgot to pack.
• Rent a cabin or tent on the shores of gorgeous Lake Siskiyou, or just stay for the day. Swim in the lake, fish from the shore or rent a boat and laze the day away on this peaceful lake.
• Cuddle up in a rustic cabin at Mill Creek Resort in Mill Creek or Greenhorn Guest Ranch in Quincy.
• Hunt for treasure by geocaching. Using GPS, treasure seekers enter a specific set of coordinates and then attempt to find a hidden container at the location. Check out geocaching.com to find out more.
• Go fishing. Romantic spots abound in the gorgeous natural surroundings of our local lakes and rivers, making for a relationship-enhancing trip even if you don’t catch a fish.
• Hit golf balls at a driving range.

Plan a date to a North State attraction

• Visit Schreder Planetarium in Redding. There is something romantic about viewing constellations in the night sky, even if it is indoors.
• For a beautiful romantic evening stroll, the Glowing Wild Illuminated Lantern Festival at Turtle Bay is the ticket. Open Wednesdays through Sundays through May 26.
• Audition for a part in a community theater production together.
• Rent a convertible and explore the town you live in.

Work together to strengthen and better our communities

• Volunteer at a community garden. Grow your relationship along with some vegetables and donate your harvest to a soup kitchen. Serve together at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
• Volunteer as a docent, greeter or server at one of your favorite charity events.
• Complete a charity run together. You could also walk it together if running isn’t your thing.
• Buy tickets to a local charity gala. Many North State schools, educational foundations, land trusts and nonprofits hold galas and fundraising dinners throughout the year. Dress up in a tuxedo and evening gown, have a glamorous night and help others. Check out North State Parent community calendar for upcoming charity walks, runs, galas and other fundraising events.

Recapture your child-like wonder

• Go to a carnival, fair or festival. Ride the rides, visit booths and eat food on a stick. Check the North State Parent community calendar for upcoming festivals and fairs.
• Visit your local roller rink and skate.
• Spend a morning watching cartoons with milk and cookies.
• Take an art class together. No experience necessary. Express yourself through various art mediums. Display your creations together in your home.
• Or find your inner artist at a paint-it-yourself studio. You can paint keepsake ceramic pieces and top the date off with gourmet ice cream at Bella Artworks and Creative Cafe in Yreka. Or express yourself in clay, glass or ceramic at All Fired Up! In Redding.

Spark your relationship through dates that support a healthy lifestyle

• Take a dance lesson together. Whether you pick a steamy salsa, intimate tango or flirty cha-cha, it will be good for your heart both physically and romantically.
• Go square dancing or contra dancing. You can find a local square dance club near you on the California Council of Square Dancers website. Most clubs offer free lessons before dances.
• Take aerobics, yoga or Pilates together.
• Lift weights together.
• Take martial arts classes together.
• Hit together at the batting cages.
• Go old fashioned and play bocce ball at Red Tavern restaurant in Chico.
• Take up a new trending sport together like pickleball.

Whatever you decide to do together, let it be a time of bonding, with open, honest and loving communication. And above all, have fun and let the focus be the good in your relationship!