Lone Star Nannies: Date Night Ideas
Date Night Ideas
Hello, from Lone Star Nannies!
We all know date nights are important, but despite our best efforts, investing time in our marriage often gets placed on the back burner. Children, deadlines at work, and every day tasks such as laundry or dishes tend to take precedence over doing things we enjoy with our better half. All of this is part of doing life together, but there’s so much more to marriage than the demands of daily life! It’s time to freshen up the traditional “dinner and a movie” with some fun (and free) ways to date your spouse again! This post is completely devoted to helping you make date nights a new goal in 2025. You don’t have to break the bank to show each other your love, you just need a little creativity and a game plan! Here are a few ideas to help you get started…
DATE NIGHT BUCKETLIST
One of the most helpful resources we found to help couples prioritize date night is this free printable from Watermark Church in Dallas. Sit down with your spouse and create a date night bucket list. You can use the ideas on the pdf or write down other fun things you love doing together. Glue each idea onto a craft stick and leave them in a mason jar on your kitchen counter. When it’s time for the next date night, pull out a stick and call Lone Star Nannies! Check out the Watermark blog here for a more detailed description.
HAVE A PICNIC
Do you have time during the week for an extended lunch break? Why not meet your husband or wife at a local park! Pick up your favorite take-out or pack each others’ lunches the night before. If time permits, your husband can even pick you up (just like that first date)! Set your cell phones to the side and bring along some printable conversation starters such as these from Winshape Marriage. Your answers may have changed over the years!
TAKE A FREE CLASS
There are lots of free courses that couples can do together! Workouts, DIY projects, and cooking classes are at your fingertips with the click of a button. Take a guided hike at Trinity River Audubon Center and learn about birds. Reach out to a local rock climbing gym and find out if the first class is free. Listen to an audio book in the car and spend an afternoon talking about it over a glass of wine. Any new skill, such as taking photographs or making brisket, could become the next shared experience with the one you love most.
COMPETE
If you and your spouse love the excitement of a challenge, what better way to bond than through a little competition? You may have to recruit some friends to referee, but everything from a karaoke contest to budget shopping is fair game. Be a kid again and play mini golf or go bowling. Join trivia night at a local restaurant, play a board game, or make jerseys for a cornhole tournament! The American Cornhole Association even has a website that finds restaurants and bars in your area where you can practice for free. Whether you make up your own competition or find the right game to bring it out of you, you’ll end up with some inside jokes and a renewed appreciation for your #1 fan.
RECORD THE STORY OF HOW YOU MET
After years of marriage, the details surrounding how you met and the stories that seemed so vivid when you were dating begin to fade. Your children and all the generations that follow will enjoy this date night for years to come. Record a video of both of you sharing your stories and edit it together…to this day you may still have different versions! Stock up on your favorite snacks and make it a recurring date night activity. When you’re done, have a special showing for your kids and preserve the finished product on a flash drive.
CREATE A HOLIDAY
Creating your own holiday is a way for you and your spouse to celebrate interests that bring you together. Date night could become a yearly “No Technology Day” that ends with a romantic dinner by candlelight, or, if you want to go all in, you could even make dinner over a campfire! If camping isn’t your thing, dream up a “Destination Day” and explore a foreign country from the comfort of your own living room. Want to visit Thailand? Find a local Thai restaurant with five star ratings and see who is the best with chopsticks, then spend the evening watching travel vlogs and learning to speak Thai. Celebrate your favorite historical era, rewatch a funny movie and see how many times you can quote it while sharing ice cream, or have an annual “Beach Day” where you simply unwind at an outdoor pool. World Springs, a local hot spring experience, recently opened in The Colony. It has unique outdoor mineral waters inspired by four different regions of the world. Check out their website and pricing here.
STAYCATION
Maybe you’re tired of running around and just want to be a homebody. Let the kids go out and you can stay in! Curl up with a good book and read aloud while you sip a warm cup of your favorite coffee. Stay in your pajamas or, if you’re a mom used to wearing sweatpants and a messy bun every day, dress up for a change! Find a deal on a new shirt or sweater and wear it for the first time. Sometimes it’s the little things that make you feel refreshed. When no one has any pressing demands, you can focus on each other. Put on your favorite music, dance in the kitchen, and then give your loved one a foot massage!
GET OUTSIDE
The great thing about the outdoors is that it’s always free! Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve has a few miles of some of the best hiking trails in DFW. You’ll feel far away from the city, unless you go on a Saturday morning. This hidden gem is not much of a secret anymore, but it’s worth the trek. The trails are wooded, clearly marked, and vary in elevation. Depending on which loop you choose, there are a few scenic look outs and a pond with cattails. Work up an appetite with an hour of hiking and make a reservation for brunch. No matter where you go, spending time in nature is always a breath of fresh air, both in the figurative and literal sense!
We hope you found your perfect “first date” for 2025. Get out there and start dating again! Your whole family will benefit from the bond you create with your teammate for life. All you need is a babysitter…and we’ve got that covered.
With care,
Lone Star Nannies