Dh and I love a picnic, of course it’s a bit nippy now, but we love to sit on the rocks at Two Lights with a picnic basket.

On these cold days we have enjoyed bowling, and line dancing. We also made homemade ravioli, and egg rolls on relaxed cooking evenings. Plus we got several new board games for Christmas.

You are the only one I know who I can dedicate this song to. Because you've been everywhere woMAN, so I have no clue what to recommend. :)

Damm she's good.

Our "dates" are not always at night. We love to take off someplace in the afternoon (especially now with Covid, less people). Late lunch or early dinner and our favorite things to do would be outdoor related. Long drives, a picnic (in warmer weather), drive to the mountains, etc. There is a lake within 30-45 minutes that has spectacular sunset views this time of year, etc. We also like to hit some of the nearby towns in search of antique shops and yummy places to eat. Even a late evening boat ride (again warmer weather)! We had a couple of nice date nights during the holidays starting with a nice meal out and then viewing the Christmas lights (we are near a tourist area in one city and a revitalized old city in another that had beautiful light displays). Sometimes we will go to this very nice bookstore that has a coffee shop attached. We will go eat, then hit the bookstore/coffee shop.

Escape rooms! My husband and I have probably done 60 rooms by now. It is so much fun to solve the puzzles together and then discuss them afterwards. We only go to places where we can book private rooms so we can do them just the two of us. We even flew to Atlanta for the weekend to do a Stranger Things escape room that took place in the actual Hopper's cabin where they filmed the show (the room itself was not very good but it was a cool experience).

Local, are you near Cape E? A former colleague lives there now. Moved from Manhattan. Yes, warm weather is easier. Bowling is a good one!

Oak, I don't think anyone has ever dedicated a song to me before. Thank you.

Tina - good reminder dates aren't only at night!

Beagles, I am afraid our hyper competitiveness (not in a cooperative sense) would be injurious to our otherwise loving relationship. Every night around midnight, we both sign into Wordle now. Then we argue about who is dumber. We both always get it, usually 4 tries sometimes 3. Then we argue who did it faster, and who just clearly got lucky. The kids can hear us argue (5 letters) and think we are crazy (again, and whoa there are 2 of them right there.)

How do you know if an Escape room is "good"? Tripadvisor? Would MeowWolf in Santa Fe count?

By the way, you've all read the Wordle origination story, yes? So sweet (5 letters) but I say. what about M-A-R-R-Y?

DH and I have been attempting to do a hike followed by lunch once a week. In reality it happens every 2-3 weeks, but it’s fun.

Maybe the romance is gone, but we seem to have the most fun when we go out to dinner with another couple or two.

I like that but do you hike in the brrrr cold?

And ok,if you insist.

mtnrdredux_gw escape rooms require cooperation among the parties in order for you to get out successfully -- you can't really be competitive since you're on the same team.

They are a great way to collaborate and problem solve together. My husband and I have gotten REALLY good at working with each other to solve puzzles and we've even had some "game masters" (the people watching who give clues as needed) comment on how our communication is great, LOL. It has been a very, very long time since we haven't been able to get out of a room.

My husband is part of a Facebook group of escape room enthusiasts who recommend games. Reviews can help too, but honestly we have fun in even the "bad" rooms. Some of the rooms we've been in have been so immersive and amazing, you really feel like you're on a space ship trying to land it or whatever.

You guys should try it once. You'll probably either love it and get completely hooked like we did, or never want to go back. Worth an hour to find out :)

P.S. the Wordle was really hard today. I thought I was going to break my streak.

@beaglesdoitbetter YES - today's Wordle almost did me in and my first ever 6 tries - grrrr - but I got it.

mtn have you ever heard about those Adventure Challenge date books? I keep thinking it would be fun to do, maybe not every week but kind of a nice thing to have in your back pocket when you're feeling stagnant. TBH our date nights (have to remember back BC) are better with another couple as Sueb said. Partly because we are together so much that conversations can be a rehash of things we've already talked about but also because DH doesn't partake in many of the normal social 'lubricants'! He doesn't drink at all so going out for cocktails and snacks is no fun for just the two of us but he'll go with friends. Same with coffee and dessert as he's not a coffee/tea drinker. Neither of us has any interest in sports but I can get enthused a bit in the right setting with fun friends and he'll at least go along for the ride! I'm making DH sound like a wet rag and truly he's not! But at this stage of the game, twosome nighttime dates are not high on our list and we have more fun doing activities during the day or dinners out with friends.

Mtn, yes! I decided to become a hearty New Englander during the winter covid months when going for a walk was really the only thing to do. As long as it’s over 25 degrees, that is.

escape rooms require cooperation among the parties in order for you to get out successfully -- you can't really be competitive since you're on the same team.

Beagles, yes, I know. But I'm imagining he will say "we should do x" and I will say "no no, dummy, we should do y." And then 30 minutes later I will say "I told you y!" and he will say "no, you agreed we would ..." ....... ya'know, like that? I don't ever recall in 25 years having a serious fight with him, but we have had several heated arguments over games! I identify with someone I heard who said recently "my family does not allow me to play board games."

DLM, I understand what you mean. I think an activity of some sort is always helpful.

PS thanks for the idea DLM, I am going to get one of the books for Valentine's day. https://www.theadventurechallenge.com/?param1=&utm_term=&utm_campaign=General_Dynamic+Search_Search_U.S.&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=2233757441&hsa_cam=9352096443&hsa_grp=95025713936&hsa_ad=418616804063&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=dsa-19959388920&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQiAubmPBhCyARIsAJWNpiNI3GbztU5nHpXq4wC0np61pjnM7ao_bDUEhoi08kKGYBupO4evimoaAtBFEALw_wcB

LOL. Well I don't want to be responsible for a need for marriage counseling after 25 years, so perhaps I'll retract my suggestion ;)

My husband and I do also enjoy hiking and we go even when its freezing! We hiked well over 1000 miles last year with our 15-year-old pup. Including some very challenging hikes along Skyline Drive on a trip to VA. We did a 6-miler up a a rocky mountain 3 days before B was born and my dad was continually afraid I was going to go into labor in the woods.

I've never understood what an "escape room" is until now. I even missed the connection during the Schitt's Creek episode, but after Beagles' explanation it all makes sense now. Now, when I see signs for "Escape Room" in my area, my reaction won't be, "Well, that seems a bit dodgy."

Mtn, I think you and DH should simply have a poker night. Get that competitiveness out at once, chips and all.

LOL, I hate poker. Hate it. DH loves it, plays 2x a week. Used to play in person with his little friends but not really since COVID, alas. The kids love poker. I probably dislike poker because I have never played it much, and so now everyone has an advantage over me. I'm weird.

I have, however, found a wonderful use for one of those poker table thingies. Well actually it was DH's idea. He has an actual large. oval poker table, and also this thing that you put on top of a table. He puts it out for when we do jigsaw puzzles. It means we can move it off the table if need be, but more importantly, I use all of the little cubbies to sort pieces by color. Works great!

@mtnrdredux_gw Not far from Cape E, about 20 minutes north, for now, we’re moving. I do need to start a thread about new house decorating. Current house putting on market is keeping me busy.

Back to date night ideas, I am thinking of ordering one of those mystery box subscriptions, I havent pulled the trigger yet, I think I like Finders Seekers. Wirecutter did a write up about them, https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-mystery-box-game-subscriptions/

We love getting together with our friends, but I don”t think of that as ”date night”.

We love going to patio restaurants with live music (anything but country) and lingering over food and drinks while listening. We’ve discovered new acts we like this way and will find out where they’re playing for future dates. One young-ish guy recently played a lot of classic rock we love (guitar) and kept asking us for suggestions the whole set. And we always end up chatting with other diners, so it turns into a big party. :D

Pre-pandemic, and hopefully again, going to rock concerts was one of our favorite things.

We have a kayak and really enjoy exploring in it.

We also love to bowl, hike, walk around the museums, hunt for antiques (he’s better than me at finding treasures), go to car shows, outdoor festivals and art fairs, explore the western heritage of the area (for my NY’er, it’s novel), etc. All really fun dates.

At home, we play games and listen to music.

ETA: I’ve been wanting to see House of Gucci.

@localeater My husband and I also have done a ton of those box games. We do them at home on weeknights when we can't go to an escape room. We REALLY disliked Finder's Seekers. The puzzles were not good. Others we loved, however:

The Exit series of games

Escape the Crate

ESCAPE ROOM IN A BOX The Werewolf Experiment was also decent.

For an extra challenge my sister and I also do the French wordle LeMot. :D

My husband and I enjoy discovering new nature walks. My perfect date afternoon would be a nice hike with the dog in a beautiful new location followed by a cheese plate and wine.

Hah! My GF gave me a "doors" puzzle for xmas...haven't started it yet.

I bought a cribbage board for DH for Christmas 2019. We used to play cribbage pre-kids. You’d think we would have pulled out that cribbage board sometime in the past 2 years, wouldn’t you? Maybe we’ll really try it as a late winter pasttime. We never play games together, only as a family or in a group of friends.

We have done escape rooms with our kids and had fun. If DH and I went alone, I am sure we’d leave not speaking.

Recently I've discovered that I can check our local movie theater's online site to see how many people have purchased tickets to a particular showing (we don't want to go unless the audience is sparse). Since we live so close, we can check 25-30 min. before the start of the show. We did this last week for Licorice Pizza (would NOT recommend), and discovered there was only one other seat occupied. Since we select our own seats at this theater, we chose two seats a few rows back. It was great! Well, not the movie -but being in the theater again, and I'm thrilled to have discovered a way to safely enjoy this outing now. Of course, I am looking at times like 2 pm on a Wednesday, not Friday evenings.

@Bestyears while we are not big on movies, that is good to know! We are the same way about eating out, etc. We go at off-times, not peak.

Re: escape rooms - all the gals at the beauty salon I go to did this a few weeks ago in place of a Christmas party. They had a ball.

Dee and Sue, thank you so much. I was starting to feel a little vulnerable there. I just know us!

We plan mostly outdoor day trips to historical or nature venues, and pack a picnic lunch. On one memorable trip we followed the trail of John Wilkes Booth on his run from the theater into the wilds. We saw the tavern, the doctor's house, the church where he met the doctor, the woods where he hid out, the point where he crossed the river (we ate our lunch on the shore), and passed the spot where he was shot (the barn no longer stands). The entire trail was eerie and deserted, and it was easy to imagine his flight.

We do these outings in all kinds of weather (last weekend with temperatures in the teens, we found the oldest lighthouse on the Chesapeake, then hiked the area). Sometimes in good weather we take chairs and books and relax outdoors. Sometimes we get lunch out, take a hike, visit nature preserves, go birdwatching, follow trails. We've discovered a terrific pie shop, some lovely parks and museums, wineries, and pleasant small towns. It always feels like a real get-away, and it's so much fun to explore new places together.

Mtn, I had to laugh at this line. "DH loves it, plays 2x a week. Used to play in person with his little friends but not really since COVID, alas.

Clearly my italics. I'm still laughing.

I wouldn't exactly call this a date night thing but it could be. We both enjoy making time to go outside in the evening and look for astronomical events. Comets, unusual moons, nights when certain planets are especially bright, etc. We don't have any fancy equipment but can usually spot the event.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-dazzling-celestial-events-to-see-in-2022-180979399/

I got my daughters each a gift card for Amazing Co, Mystery picnics. You choose your city, pick a date and then you are given clues to various food places; delis, bakeries, cheese shops etc., where you gather supplies (included in the price) and find your way to your mystery destination to have a picnic. I know a few who have done it in Vancouver and they say it was a lot of fun.

Mystery Picnics

I'm thinking of getting my husband one for our anniversary. There are lots of options for different kinds of adventures.

About hiking in the BRR cold — Because I have to commit to dog walks I invested in a large coat that resembles a sleeping bag as well as some heavy duty boots. I can pretty much go out and be happy in almost any weather with the exception of damp biting wind. Unfortunately I live in Nova Scotia, the spiritual home of damp biting wind.

Dh loves sports (I do also-grew up with a sport-centric father & brother) and our children are excellent athletes, so lots of my life revolves around going to games/contests/tournaments.

Over the past several years I’ve made a concerted effort to really understand football. Not just the basics, but the x’s and o’s of it all, as well as recruiting (for our college teams) and coaching, etc. I even pay to be on a board for our college team that has SO MUCH info (I dont post at all-it’s totally a boys club, lol lol.)

Anyway, now we really enjoy traveling to games and even just watching games together. I no longer ask stupid questions, and we have great debates about various football issues. 😂 We often go to watch at bars if we aren’t at the actual game. It’s a fun date!

I am also taking golf lessons. Since the kids are both in college now, we can take more trips just the 2 of us. Dh usually just plays with ds if we all go…but I am upping my game so dh & I can play together when its just us! He’s planning to retire early in about 10 years so it will be good for then, too! Golf is HARD, though! 😩 I’m not very good.

I thought of something else. A few years ago, DH and I went to a series of these classes (in person, pre-2020). Fun and educational and just something different to do. Maybe there’s a place like this near you?

https://www.formaggiokitchen.com/classes/

We buy the local performance hall jazz series and add a meal to that, but because I fall asleep at the crack of dusk, mostly we do lunch. we also go to the grocery store together almost every week. Our dates are still impacted by stupid covid, but we tend to be home-bodies anyway.

We’ve been taking short day trips to local spots even if the days are cold. Last Saturday we drove to a scenic covered bridge build in 1833. No one was around so we stopped and took several photos and drove through the bridge, which is allowed. Earlier we had stopped at a scenic river overlook that had caught our eye a couple of times but we never had time to stop. Chatted with a group of kayakers getting ready to put in. Drove backroads pretty much all the way and our late lunch stop was a bbq place that was heavenly and had crispy brussels as a side choice. I took home leftovers.

Last night we attended The Choir of Man. It was part of our Broadway Theater touring company series that was delayed from last year. Awesome show with great music and entertainment if anyone gets a chance to see it, and so much fun.

We like live music, and pre pandemic had season tickets to the symphony. We also both like live theater, and (used to) attend play performances by small local drama troupes. There is also a very small college one town over that has a nice performing arts venue and they have student productions and recitals September through May. While it is fun to attend events with big name performances, it can be even more satisfying to see / hear young people or one’s own friends and neighbors share their talent. You might want to check out smaller, local concerts and events; in your area there are probably many available.

Before DH was disgnosed with his latest ailment we were also attending wine tastings at a BnB in town. And at least once a month our local historical society has a fun porch conversation or dinner or party. If you are at all interested in history that might be an unexpected source of events. We have so many options and activities available to us that our problem is—-was—choosing.

We love to go to the movies, just starting to venture back into that. We go out for breakfast once a week, do jigsaw puzzles, drive to the TX Hill Country on the weekends (tons of wineries and cute towns), in the summer we hike from our house down to Barton Creek to swim, go for walks with our pup, drink wine by the firepit. We are season pass holders to a local theater and love to experience live music (hey we live in The Live Music Capital of the World). We are lucky to live in such a culturally vibrant city with a large university and several smaller colleges. The schools are a great source for musical and theater productions.

Pickleball! It’s good for your heart, balance, hand eye coordination, focus and concentration. All things that help you as you age. Plus it’s free if you have community courts. Though in colder climates I assume you would have an indoor gym. Great fun for couples.