Date Ideas That aren’t Just Dinner and a Movie

We all tend to fall into a routine – wake up, go to work, run after work, make dinner, go to sleep and then wake up to do it all again. While that may be comfortable, it’s not always what’s best for us. I’m a large fan of adventure and getting out of your comfort zone and I believe that’s true for my partner and me as well. I think through new experiences we reconnect with ourselves and with our partners which leads to a healthy relationship full of love and growth. While I do believe in dinner and a movie sometimes, I like to try out-of-the-ordinary dates once a week. Below you’ll find alternative date ideas that are sure to spice up your relationship.

Tapas Hopping

This is one my boyfriend and I invented. Tapas are a Spanish cuisine, served hot or cold, typically in smaller portions such as an appetizer or snack. We love food, so much I’d consider us foodies because we arrange our travel plans around our meals and regularly find ourselves staying in to cook and create rather than go out. Tapas hopping is a fun way to experience many different restaurants and tastes in one evening, and no you don’t have to eat at a restaurant that serves tapas it’s simply just a concept. Order a drink at this bar, have an appetizer here then there, share an entrée and then try all of the desserts together. We always make it a point to try and sit at the bar, this way the service is faster and you’re in more of a social setting. The goal is to keep moving and to keep you on your toes. We never plan where we’re going, just the starting point. This way we can go off what mood we’re in and what we’re hungry for.

Photoshoot at Fort Pickens

Nothing to me is more beautiful than Fort Pickens during golden hour. The way the sun beams dance through those old windows and halls makes me feel something that I can’t explain. At this time, the fort is perfect for exploring and even more perfect for prancing around with your loved one. Photography is sometimes a lost art placed in positioning your latte in the perfect lighting or associated with painful family functions gathering peoples to sit around stiffly to smile. I challenge you to take candid, real candid photographs; I’m not talking fake sorority laughing ones I’m talking the ones where you’re following her around and she’s wearing her favorite sundress and laughing because you told her an inappropriate joke. You might not appreciate them now but photographs are a treasure to look back on for years to come. It’s the everyday ones that count even more than those stuffy staged ones that you pay a lot for, plus they’re really fun to go back and look through the next day. To top off your evening, pack a picnic to enjoy on the beach when you’re done.

Sailing

Nothing, I repeat nothing is more romantic and relaxing than sailing. I tried it for the first-time last week and I am HOOKED. My recommendation, splurge a little and go with Condor Sailing. The Condor 40 trimaran is only one of twenty-one boats ever made. Due to its twin hull design, there is no leaning and no seasickness offering the best on-the-water experience. Before I knew it, we were in the middle of the bay watching a fiery sunset. Captain Kirk goes above and beyond for his guests, so beyond he’s even facilitated weddings (hint, hint boys)! While you’re out there he plays a sneaky ninja taking photos of you and prints them at the end of the trip as a memento.

Author

Lindsey Steck

"It's not about my story, it's about yours" Lindsey Steck is a marketing associate for Visit Pensacola. A Pensacola native, Steck enjoys hosting dinner parties, traveling as much as she can and NFL football. She moved away for a brief period following college and soon returned after realizing why people vacation and retire to the coast. On the weekends you'll find her scouring the closest market with a fresh bouquet of flowers in her arms and a macaron in hand.

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