Skip to main content

7 Summer Date Ideas that Are More Creative than Just Grabbing Drinks

Whether it’s your first or 14th date, getting creative with your outing keeps things fresh and fun. Not every date has to be a grand event, sometimes it’s the more thoughtful and intimate occasion that makes the best memories and strongest connections. Plus, putting in a little more effort is 1,000% guaranteed to make the experience more meaningful for you both.

So, without further ado, allow us to share some of our favorite summer date ideas with you. They range from the simple and free to the playful and whimsical and should provide plenty of fodder for your own romantic adventures.

Recommended Videos

Scenic Bike Ride

Break a sweat and catch a breeze on a fun, free, and mood-boosting bike ride. Take an unseen tour of your city, make a scavenger hunt, find a route with beautiful scenery or just hop on and let your date lead the way! For more adventure (and a test of your teamwork skills) give a tandem bike a try or even a  sidecar ride if you can find one.

Trip to the Beach

If you are lucky enough to live by the beach, you’ve already got the perfect built-in date! A long walk on the sand, the sound of waves, and the heat from the sun are a great mix of romance and relaxation. Make it extra special with a charcuterie board or make it simple with just some wine and cheese on a blanket then wait for the sun to set over the sea and you’ve got an instant effortless date situation.

Food Truck Crawl

Image used with permission by copyright holder

You can’t go wrong with some good grub and good company. As opposed to a sit-down meal food trucks are a casual way to try some new tasty and trendy snacks around your town. Grab a scooter, bike or just walk your way through a taco, pizza, and ice cream tour de food. Take turns ordering your favorites dishes or try something new together and get to know more about your date’s tastes along the way!

Outdoor Concert

Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

Summer is a fantastic time for outdoor concerts, so peruse local newspapers or blogs for concert listings. Most cities and towns have some sort of outdoor festival during the season, which you can usually show up to loaded down with your own food and beverages. And the great thing is no matter what music is playing, it’s a great way to groove together and enjoy some good tunes.

Museum Tour

Maria Teneva/Unsplash

Whether you are an art connoisseur or just creatively curious, an airy and air-conditioned museum can be a wonderful spot for a summer date. Taking a trip to a small gallery is a great way to support local artists or a larger museum is a great opportunity to learn together about the classics with an audio or guided tour. If you notice there’s a piece your date seems to like, stop by the gift shop and see if you can pick up a print to really make an impression.

Arcade Day

Element5 Digital/Unsplash

A little friendly competition never hurt anyone and an arcade is a great way to some playful flirting. Get a bucket of coins and spend the day exploring your favorite games, then divvy up the raffle tickets and pick stuffed animals for one another. Get a group together and give an escape room a try, build trust and learn how to support each other buy putting your minds together to find the key to a puzzle and maybe the key to unlocking your date’s heart.

Volunteer

Daniel Chekalov/Unsplash

Get closer to your partner by working together to give back to someone else. Acts of service can really bring people together, which is why a volunteer outing could be a great activity for a one on one date or a group. There are a plethora of different ways to volunteer during the summer (from outdoor beautification to tutoring and sports programs), so pick one that seems right for y’all and spread a little charity. Maybe not the most outwardly romantic date idea, but one that could teach you a lot about your potential mate.

Cody Gohl
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Cody Gohl is a Brooklyn-based writer who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, including travel, fashion, literature, LGBT…
Predator: Badlands is giving Predator fans the movie they’ve always wanted
The movie is set to hit theaters in November, years after the debut of Prey.
Elle Fanning in Predator Badlands

After the success of Prey, there's some new energy in the Predator franchise. What's even better for Predator fans, though, is that the next installment seems designed to give them something they've always wanted. Namely, a movie that follows a predator's POV.

In the first trailer for Predator: Badlands, a predator named Dek is exiled from his clan, only to meet a humanoid-looking life-form played by Elle Fanning. The two of them team up to take on something that "can't be killed," and a long the way, we get some pretty incredible looks at the homeworld of the predators.

Read more
The next Hunger Games movie has found its lead actors
The movie will be set 24 years before the original Hunger Games.
Sunrise on the Reaping cover

Following the success of Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest book in the Hunger Games series, Deadline is reporting that the film adaptation that is set to release in 2026 has found its lead actors. Joseph Zada will play Haymitch in the film, while Whitney Peak will play Lenore Dove, Haymitch's romantic partner.

The film will be set 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and 24 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games. The book follows Haymitch, the District 12 victor who mentors Katniss and Peeta, as he wins his own Games on their 50th anniversary.

Read more
The 9 best golf documentaries to watch this year
Here's a glimpse into the amazing history of golf, including how the sport has evolved
Tiger (HBO)

Depending on how you look at it, golf is either one of the simplest sports or one of the most complex. The objective is very easy to wrap your head around: This ball has got to wind up in a hole that's maybe a quarter mile away. Everything that happens after that, though, is where things get interesting. Of course, people who love golf love it for a wide array of reasons. Some people love the beautiful courses, while others love the stories behind their favorite players.
There are plenty of people who love golf but don't play it much themselves, and those are the people who this list is really for. Golf's full of amazing stories, and we've even gotten our fair share of great golf movies as a result. Sometimes, though, a documentary is an even better fit for a particular story set in the world of golf. As someone who doesn't play much golf but loves to watch it, these documentaries are right up my alley. They're the kinds of movies that can inspire and perplex you, and also remind you that at its best, golf is filled with legendary moments. These movies might not be on the shortlist for any awards, but that's only because sports documentaries are so recognized for how well they put stories together.
After careful consideration, we've brought you this list of the best golf documentaries you can stream now.

Full Swing (2023)

Read more