79 Totally Free Date Ideas You’ll Actually Want To Try

    79 Totally Free Date Ideas You’ll Actually Want To Try

    My love don’t cost a thing

    If you’re bored of getting drinks or the classic dinner-and-movie date, we feel you. Dates should be exciting! And a great opportunity to get to know the other person. Still, coming up with creative date ideas can be tough — especially in this economy. So we rounded up the cutest free date ideas that won’t cost you a cent.

    1.

    Attempt to set a Guinness World Record.

    2.

    Camp overnight in your backyard.

    Everything about this date idea is romantic. You can cuddle up in a tent, look up at the stars, get in your alone time, and even roast some marshmallows to make s’mores.

    3.

    Take a free class at your library or community center in something neither of you are good at.

    4.

    Answer this New York Times questionnaire that might make you fall in love.

    Whether you and your date are already in love or it’s your second date, this questionnaire will undoubtedly spark some great conversations—and maybe some never-seen-before chemistry. 

    5.

    Feed ducks at your local park. Give them names and try to remember them later.

    6.

    Play farmers market ABCs: See who can find something that starts with every letter of the alphabet first. Try lots of free samples.


    7.

    Go to a free night at a local museum.

    Lots of museums have free nights in which they’re open late. Walk around hand-in-hand with your date and discover each other’s favorite pieces.

    8.

    Make a museum scavenger hunt.

    9.

    Volunteer at The Humane Society. Leave your money at home to avoid “accidentally” coming home with three new pets.

    Who doesn’t want to be on a date where you pet a dog or five? You’ll come in feeling excited to pet some adorable animals, and leave feeling fulfilled. 

    10.

    Play strip chess.

    11.

    Have an at-home movie theater night. Make fancy popcorn and homemade Icees.


    12.

    If you’re not ~there~ yet (or have children nearby), play the opposite of strip chess — each time you lose, put ON an article of clothing until you can barely move.

    Think of Joey from Friends when he gets back at Chandler by wearing all of his clothes, but add in some romance. Let the games begin!

    13.

    Have a sand castle-building contest. Get strangers to vote.

    14.

    Play people-watching bingo in the busiest place you know.

    Find a person who looks just like his dog? Check! Find someone screaming into their phone? Check!

    15.

    Get dressed up and go on tours of expensive homes for sale in your neighborhood.

    Luxurious villa with private infinity pool and chaise lounges at summer in dusk.
    Luxurious villa with private infinity pool and chaise lounges at summer in dusk.

    16.

    Stream a virtual concert from the comfort of your couch.

    17.

    Build a blanket fort. Spend the whole night there.

    18.

    Have an at-home karaoke night. Pick songs for each other instead of yourselves.

    19.

    Go ghost hunting.


    20.

    Play strip Cards Against Humanity.

    21.

    Make your own custom Cards Against Humanity deck.

    22.

    Invent new constellations named after inside jokes.

    23.

    Then make one of these.

    24.

    Run through the sprinklers or jump in a fountain (Warning: The latter is illegal in many places. Make it quick.)

    Confidence Woman In Denim Clothes With Cute Young Samoyed Dog Running Through The Fountain Area Against Blurred Cityscape Background. Real People, Ambient Light, Copy Space
    Confidence Woman In Denim Clothes With Cute Young Samoyed Dog Running Through The Fountain Area Against Blurred Cityscape Background. Real People, Ambient Light, Copy Space

    25.

    Learn to give great massages.

    26.

    Do an at-home wine tasting with bottles you’ve never tried before.

    27.

    Have a library or bookstore scavenger hunt.

    28.

    Have an impromptu yard sale.

    29.

    Make a relationship time capsule.

    30.

    Have an eBay contest: List similar items and see who can make the most money with their description and sales skills. (Then actually mail the item.)


    31.

    Go on a tour of your local Masonic Lodge, then watch National Treasure.

    32.

    Try geocaching.

    33.

    Indulge in an ice cream sundae bar with all of the best toppings.

    A variety of topping for ice cream in the cafe. Rethymno, Crete, Greece
    A variety of topping for ice cream in the cafe. Rethymno, Crete, Greece

    34.

    Have an entire meal of Costco samples

    35.

    Swap to-do lists.

    36.

    Take a free DIY class at Home Depot or Lowe’s.

    37.

    Play six degrees of Wikipedia.

    38.

    Test drive your dream car.

    39.

    Create your own drive-in and have a themed movie night.


    40.

    Play dirty Truth or Dare.

    41.

    Have a Chopped competition to see who can make the best dish out of whatever you already have in the fridge.

    42.

    Make homemade slingshots . Then have a marshmallow fight.

    43.

    Take your laptop somewhere and have a DIY outdoor movie screening.

    44.

    Have a sweepstakes night where you both enter as many free sweepstakes as you can find.

    45.

    Pick out your favorite cheeses and make your own custom charcuterie boards.

    Charcuterie Board on a Wooden Butcher Block
    Charcuterie Board on a Wooden Butcher Block

    46.

    Play strip Scrabble.

    47.

    Play nonsense Scrabble, where you play using fake words and have to make up definitions for them.

    48.

    Offer to babysit or petsit for a friend.

    49.

    Follow YouTube videos to learn cooking skills that neither of you know: how to make crepes, how to poach an egg, etc.

    50.

    Make a dictionary of your fake words to use later.


    51.

    Pick a random place and plan a whole detailed vacation.

    52.

    Create a new holiday. Have rules, traditions, and meals. Mark the day and celebrate it every year.

    53.

    Go on a “fakecation” and post the pictures to Facebook.

    54.

    Test the limits of your compatibility in an escape room.

    55.

    Feast your eyes — and stomachs — at a food truck festival.

    People shop at Kiosks selling food, beer and wine on Saint-Catherine Street during the annual Montreal Jazz Festival a popular tourist attraction.
    People shop at Kiosks selling food, beer and wine on Saint-Catherine Street during the annual Montreal Jazz Festival a popular tourist attraction.

    56.

    Invent your own fantasy league (i.e., Masterchef Junior fantasy league).

    57.

    Make your own pizzas from scratch.

    58.

    Actually finish an entire Monopoly game.

    59.

    Record the story of how you met for posterity à la When Harry Met Sally.

    60.

    Challenge yourself and work on a puzzle.


    61.

    Binge-watch a series you’ve had on your list or rewatch on you love.

    62.

    Make a game of love on your sheets.

    63.

    Have a TV marathon that doubles as a workout session.

    64.

    Make out. For a really long time. Preferably in a blanket fort.

    65.

    Have a whimsical, indoor picnic.

    66.

    Read your poem at a local coffee shop open mic night.

    concert music microphones
    concert music microphones

    67.

    Go eye bombing. If you don’t have googly eyes, use paper cutouts.

    68.

    Play a horror film drinking game.

    69.

    Plan out a craft night.

    70.

    Pretend to be tourists in the next town over from yours. Break out the fanny pack.

    71.

    Find a dog that looks like everyone you know.
    a dog chewing on a toy
    a dog chewing on a toy

    72.

    Learn a magic trick together.

    73.

    Watch your favorite TV show or movie under the stars.

    74.

    Indulge your sweet tooth on a chocolate factory tour.

    75.

    Stargaze from the comfort of a cushioned seat at a planetarium.


    76.

    Have a Jim vs. Dwight prank contest.

    77.

    Watch the arrivals at the airport, Love Actually style.

    78.

    Make your own glamour shots studio. Pick each other’s outfits. Don’t forget Vaseline on the lens.

    79.

    Go to an amusement park.

    roller coaster high in the summer sky at theme park most excited fun and joyful playing machine
    roller coaster high in the summer sky at theme park most excited fun and joyful playing machine

    This article contains content from Jessica Probus, Terri Pous, and Michele Bird. It was compiled by Salimah McCullough.