13 Romantic Date Night Ideas for Couples Stuck at Home

at home date night couple snuggle on their bed

Stay at Home Date Night Ideas

Post Summary: In need of some stay at home date night ideas? Look no further! Here are 13 fun, romantic and unique ways to keep the spark alive during quarantine and have some fun together while stuck inside!

Date nights are all about connecting and make your significant other feel special, but not gonna lie, ever since all of this self-isolation and quarantine has gone down trying to create the perfect date nights at home together might not seem possible or even dare I say, a little unromantic?

It's not hard to see how constantly being around each other 24/7, swapping your day pjs out only for your nighttime ones and passing the time binge watching Tiger King and snacking on chips and queso day in and day out might put a slight damper on things in the romance department.

But don't worry! The art of creating a special date night at home is totally achievable and not as hard as you might think. All it takes is a little imagination, intentionality and maybe foregoing the crumb encrusted pjs in lieu of something a little more, shall we say, "put together" (at least for a little while.)

Below are several ideas for at-home date nights designed to give you some inspiration, fun, spice and connection in your relationship annnnnd also to get you to finally stop singing "I'm bored in the house and I'm in the house bored" on repeat.

1. Paint and Sip

Grab your favorite bottle of wine, art supplies or an art kit, pick a fun topic or theme and get to town painting something together. Use this time just time to be silly together and try something new.

Here are some supplies to inspire you to make the most out of your artistic at-home date night:

2. Have a "power outage" night

Personally, I wish iPhones would disable the "screen time" reports because my phone usage has been off the charts since quarantine began. And chances are yours and yours SO's have too. Take a night and completely unplug. Give yourselves the chance to focus only on each other. Turn off your phones, shut off the tv, power down the computers. They're not needed right now! Instead, turn off everything, including the lights and pretend like the electricity is out. Use only flashlights and candles to see.

Here are some tips to make the most out of your "power outage" night:

Grab some pillows and blankets, maybe even a mattress and build a fort like you did when you were little to create some cozy tucked-in vibes.
If a fort isn't you think, try indoor camping! Set up a tent, grab some sleeping bags and take turns telling ghost stories.
If you have a backyard to yourself, "camp" outside! Hang out, look at the stars, make some s'mores over a fire pit and just be together.

"Quarantine has allowed my husband and I to enjoy the little things - playing with out dogs, watching our flowers grow, eating dinner together, etc. Although I'm not a "baseball" kinda girl, I passed some mits and balls at the store and thought I'd give it a try! Seriously so fun! My husband and I just hang out in the backyard, play catch, talk and laugh at how bad I am at trying to catch a pop fly. It's a simple way to get outside and enjoy time together."
Cassie T.

boyfriend and girlfriend stay inside and make dinner for an at-home date night activity

3. Have a special dinner together

I say "special" dinner because special means something different to everyone, but it always means something out of the norm and an effort to show the love and value you feel for your person. For some, a special dinner might mean creating a romantic fine-dining mood complete with soft music, fancy clothes and a candle lit atmosphere. For others, it could be ordering some take out from UberEats, Grubhub or DoorDash, grabbing a nice blanket and having a picnic outside in your own backyard. Think about what "special" means for you and bring that vision to life.

Here are some ideas for creating a fun and unique dining experience!

Cook each other's favorite meal from scratch.
Use a meal-prep service like HelloFresh or Plated and create a dish together.
Choose 10 random ingredients you have around your kitchen and find a way to make a complete meal with the items!
Make a theme night out of it! Combine idea number 5 and pick a movie to watch after your meal. Make your dinner based off of a specific scene in the movie or inspired by country / location the movie takes places in! For example, if your movie is Crazy Rich Asians (a personal fav! That wedding scene at the end - iconic!) try creating a recipe commonly found in Singapore!
Do a blind taste test and try to guess what each other are eating. But nothing too nasty though please! (remember we're trying to create deeper connections here, not destroy them lol)

"One of our favorite things to do together is to make homemade pizzas. We get all of the ingredients together from scratch and have fun making each part of the pizza process together and trying out new recipes / adding fun toppings and just enjoying each others company! We honestly never cooked together before the quarantine and now it has become such a fun way to bond, laugh and get some delicious pizza."
Chelsea S.

couple lay together in bed and play with their hands

4. Create a movie marathon experience

Creating a fun movie marathon experience is one of the easiest and low-cost at-home date nights you can do! You pretty much just need your list of movies, some yummy snacks and your boo - who just so happens to also be a snack ;). If chilling in front of the tv and binge watching Netflix might be your usual M.O., try mixing it up and making it more special and unique from the norm,

Here are some ideas for creating a fun and elevated movie marathon experience!

Move away from your usual Netflix binge watching spot and find a new one! If you frequently watch tv in your living room, move to the bedroom. If you the bedroom is more your thing, go outside and set up your laptop or projector and create your own little "drive in movie" OR go to the real thing (drive-in) if possible! It's still quarantining if it's in your car...right?
Bring snacks that make you think of the "movie theater experience – Sour Patch Kids, Junior Mints, Red Vines, Skittles or Hot Tamales.
Pick a specific theme or franchise to binge watch! Something like all of the Marvel Franchise in story order or all Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals or even different movies from your childhood or another era of your choice.

"Collin and I went to a drive in movie in Phoenix and it was completely safe! We stayed in the car and even brought our own snacks. So much fun!"
Laina K.

5. Tackle a TikTok challenge together

Did you know that another easy at home date night idea can be found right at your finger tips? Well, maybe not literally, but your phone is close enough! It's no secret that TikTok is the latest trend on the social media scene. By now you've probably seen one or more videos that have made you stop and think "hmmm...maybe I should give that a shot!" and the answer is yes - yes you should.

Here are some of the top TikTok couples challenges to try while you're bored in the house and you're in the house bored:

couple stay inside and play wrestle at home during date night

6. Transform your living room into the main stage

Right now, there are a ton of amazing music festivals and artists whose performances you can livestream from the comfort of your own home! Virtual concerts are ever expanding and the perfect way to bond with your SO over your mutual love of Miley Cyrus, Garth Brooks, Coldplay, Wiz Khalifa, Diplo, John Mayer and more.

Some essentials to creating your own at-home Coachella-esque experience:

7. Take a virtual tour

Concerts and music festivals aren't your thing? Try a virtual tour instead! Take a walk down the MoMA, explore the Louvre, maybe hit up the San Diego Zoo or even Walt Disney World later in the day - the possibilities to explore are still out there! From zoos and aquariums, to theme parks, museums and more, this is the perfect way to fight the boredom of being stuck in doors and broaden your horizons at the same time.

Here are a few of my favorites!

man and his wife snuggle in their bed and laugh

8. Create a spa experience

Throw on some bathrobes and fuzzy slippers, pour a little champagne and make a night of it. We're talking mud masks and facials, mani / pedi's, hot bubble bathes and nice relaxing massages.

Need some tips to make your spa night extra special? Don't worry, I gotchu!

Add some cucumber / fruit-infused water, rose petals, strawberries or even chocolate for those extra luxury spa vibes.
Hit up Pinterest for some epic bath bomb recipes you can create from home.
Play some soft spa music in the background.
Light some candles!

"We take turns throughout the week giving each other massages! One day it's all about me and the next, the focus is just on him. It gives us both a chance to show each other we love and care for one another, unwind from a stressful day of unemployment and uncertainty and bring a little more connection into our relationship."
Tori L.

9. Workout together

Just because the gyms are closed right now, doesn't mean you can't still break a sweat at home! Fight the "quarantine 15" by going outside for a run together or for your state-approved singular daily walk (6 feet apart from others, people!) Try an at-home workout program in your living room or garage. Create a daily morning yoga routine or even a light bike ride together in the afternoon. You have a built-in workout buddy so don't let quarantine be your excuse to stop being active.

Here are some great at-home workout resources!

"For church on Sundays, we've been [walking] a 3.5 mile loop. The last time we went, I wore a weight vest to get a little bit more of a workout since both of us do CrossFit. So we're getting in some active recovery and listen to a sermon [that] we are able to talk about and look things up as we go since we aren't able to go to church right now."
Joanna S.

girl lays on the floor with her head on her boyfriends chest while they play Uno for an at home date night activity

10. Have a game night

Whether it's a fun puzzle, a new Nintendo Switch game, video game or something more traditional like checkers, there are all sorts of options out there perfect for creating a fun game night experience for two. Personally, my husband and I have been playing a lot of Super Mario Party and Mario Kart together and I'm not mad about it one bit! (Except for when he beats me of course.)

Here's a list of some games to get you started. For some bonus fun: choose a game and make your own rules to mix it up!

"We play Yatzee when we are making dinner so it's a two-for-one special! We usually play three hands so one of us its the obvious winner. It's a fun and quick game that also helps to remind you how to count! Just so we all know, I'm always the winner, but he is better at the math."
Joanna S.

"We don't have a lot of games in our house, so we make up new rules to them sometimes. One of my favorite games no one has ever heard of (it's called Bupkis, it's a dice game) and my husband and I came up with new rules just to change the game up so we wouldn't get sick of it. It can be as simple as changing the outcome of a previous rule or completely throwing out the rulebook in general and making up your own game with what's on hand. Get creative with it and have fun!"
Andie K.

at home date night couple embrace and hold hands on their front porch

11. Explore the world

This is for all my adventurers out there! While, it's obvious we're not going to be able to travel for awhile, that shouldn't stop you guys from exploring the world together. Similar to number 7, you now have the chance to revisit your favorite places and find new ones. Virtually, at least!

Use these tools for some fun virtual travel:

Google Earth
- Here's a list of places you can visit that are just a click away.
Check out this 3D tour the International Space Station
Explore Yellowstone here
Tour Machu Picchu
Explore Petra
Livestream NYC
Livestream Santorini, Greece
360 view of London
Virtual tour of the Great Wall of China
Explore the Northern Lights of Canada
Livestream Kauai, Hawaii

12. Plan your next vacation

After perusing the globe via the interwebs, you might have caught an extra bad case of wanderlust. But just because you can't get in a car or hop on a plane to travel right now, doesn't mean you can't plan for it! Plan your dream vacation together by looking at different travel sites, choosing your dream destination, outlining your ideal itinerary and even scoping out those airplane and hotel prices for your post-covid adventure! It's never too early to plan your next vacation and creating it together will be twice as much fun!

Here are some of my favorite tools to use when planning my vacations / travel:

"Our anniversary trip got cancelled because of quarantine, but that hasn't stopped us from re-planning our trip when all of this is over! We've been busy building our "perfect" anniversary trip and have also been brainstorming and creating bucket lists for other places we hope to visit someday!"
Amy J.

engaged couple hug and snuggle on their backyard patio

13. Reconnect

When's the last time you guys really talked? And I mean like reallyyyy talked? About life, your goals, your future...Often times, we get so comfortable in our relationships that we feel like we already "know" our person and we forget to take the time to just stop, listen and just "be" together.

Here are some unique ways to help reconnect and being a conversation:

Break out the old albums, the photos of when you first met or any other memorabilia you might have and take a trip down memory lane together. Swap stories of growing up, reminisce about how you first met and other shared stories you may have together together, etc. Nostalgia is so powerful, lean into it.
Ask each other questions / prompts from a couples book and take turns answering. You might be surprised at what you learn!
Just talk! Nothing fancy, just you two. That might sound obvious, but sometimes you don't need anything extra other than each other to have a cherished experience together.
Take some personality quizzes together like the Enneagram test, Color Code test, Gallup Strength Finder test or even the Myers Briggs test and compare results. Dig deeper into who you are as individuals and what that means for you as a team.

Hopefully these ideas help spark some inspiration and imagination on how you can create some fun, unique ways to have date nights all from the comfort of you own home. Whether it's in today's current quarantined conditions or post-covid and beyond, there are ways to have fun and connect without much money or needing to go outdoors! At the end of the day, it's all about finding something special that ultimately helps bring you closer together, having fun and communicating.

Have you tried any of these at-home date night ideas already? Do you have any great ideas I should add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

For more travel, relationship, elopement, inspiration and lifestyle blogs like this one, check out my resources page where new content is added bi-weekly!

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