37 Winter Date Ideas to Enjoy During the Cold Months

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Are you looking for unique, fun, romantic or clever winter date ideas to bring some heat back into the season?  Dating during cold months gives you the perfect excuse to cuddle up and find new levels of intimacy with your partner.

While it's tempting to stay indoors for winter dates (and we have lots of indoor winter date ideas!), there are also plenty of outdoor activities that are perfect for both date night with your honey… or even a special first date.

(Side note: One of the best ways to increase your happiness and life satisfaction is to plan your day, so you focus on your TOP goals. To get started, watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's important.)

Why Should You Plan Dates in the Winter?

Winter months offer excellent opportunities to try something totally new. You can learn a new skill together, such as knitting, or take part in some self-care activities together. You can also brush up on your Spanish, Italian or French together.

The winter months also give you the perfect excuse to chill at home and play a board game, something you may not do in the spring or fall.

When the weather is cold, it can be challenging to plan dates that take you outside. Also, many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can cause depression. So having activities either indoors or outdoors is important not just for your relationship, but for your own mental health.

Winter is a great time to schedule either a low-key date in front of the fire at home. Winter is the best time to snuggle and get intimate together. While intimacy is built on physical closeness, emotional experiences also play a huge role in how connected you feel to your partner.

As a bonus, chillier temps make for the perfect excuse to do some outdoor activities that you may be tempted to avoid during the hot summer months.

When you share a new experience together, it adds new layers to your relationship. What better way is there to build memories than through shared experiences?

37 Winter Date Ideas to Enjoy During the Cold Months

Whether you've been dating or married for a while, or you're looking for an intimate first date, there's something for you and your partner on this terrific list of date ideas. Let's explore some of our favorite ideas for winter dates.

1. Massage Home Service

Few things are as relaxing as a soothing massage. You don't have to go out of the house to get a massage. There are plenty of massage therapists who will come to your home.

You can also exchange massages with each other. Watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to give a good massage and make the most of this experience together.

2. Learn About Beer or Wine

Have you wanted to learn more about good beer and wine? You can visit breweries or wineries together. The staff at these establishments can provide you with a solid education on both the history of beer and wine and the different types.

If you don't have a brewery or winery in your area, visit a bar or restaurant that is known for having good-quality beer and wine. You can even take a wine tasting class online.

3. Attend a Cider Tasting

If you don't drink alcohol, you can still get into the tasting spirit by attending a cider tasting.

4. Learn a New Dance

Dancing is an intimate activity, but it can also warm you up on cold winter nights. Find a dance instruction studio in your area and get ready to boogie! You can also learn dances from the comfort of your own home with online classes.

5. Head to the Beach

While it's fun to visit the beach in the summertime, taking a beach walk in the winter is very romantic and soothing to the soul. 

6. Have an Indoor Picnic

Who says you have to go outside to spread a blanket on the ground and have a picnic? You can do this right in your own living room or on your balcony. If you have picnic stuff like picnic baskets, bring them out. The props are what make this activity super fun.

7. Take a Cooking Class

Are there cuisines you've wanted to learn how to cook? Most of us tend to get into a rut when it comes to planning meals and we cook the same things over and over again. If you live near a city (either large or small), you can find a cooking class and learn how to make a new recipe or cuisine. And again, there are also tons to choose from online.

8. Read a Book

If you're like most people, you probably have a stack of books you've been meaning to read. Maybe you've even recommended some of these books to your partner. Winter months are the perfect time to read together and create your own private book club for two.

You can take turns reading aloud or you can both read the book quietly together and then discuss it. One great book for couples to read together is “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman.

9. Visit Museums or Art Galleries

The winter months are the perfect time to take advantage of the museums and art galleries in your area. When you visit, take your time to really learn something about what you're seeing. Then, you can go home together and research more about the artists or exhibits you've discovered.

10. Do Art Together

There is a special kind of joy in creating art with another person, and painting can add intimacy to your relationship. You can find a studio such as the Painting with a Twist franchise or create together at home. Canvas and supplies are readily available online, if you didn’t want to incorporate a shopping trip into the date.

By the way, this activity isn't just limited to painting and drawing. Hey, we've all seen the romantic tearjerker, Ghost, right? That pottery scene is the stuff of legends.

11. Take in a Sporting Event

It's usually only dedicated sports fans who go to live sporting events, but if sports don't typically appeal to you, you may be surprised to learn how invigorating it can be to watch sports teams in person.

12. Ask Questions

Author Daniel Jones published a New York Times article that poses 36 questions that can improve intimacy for couples. There are several lists like this on the internet, or you can also buy a game such as Love Lingual that's dedicated to questions that induce intimacy.

13. Head to the Arcade

Maybe you have childhood memories of hours spent in video game arcades playing PacMan or pinball machines? Well, you can recreate that experience with your partner. Most cities have arcades and you can get lost for hours diving into nostalgic video games. Some are even adult only, with full bar and food service.

14. Watch a Movie in the Theater

Sure, movie dates are classic and timeless, but there's a reason for that. Going to a movie theater is a great way to have a date.

15. Dive into a Movie Marathon at Home

It's easy to just sit down and watch a movie together, but this activity is even more fun when it's turned into a focused goal-oriented activity.

For example, you can make a list of films that have won the Oscar for Best Picture over the years and start watching them one at a time. You can also use a tool such as a Top 100 Movies scratch-off poster.

16. Watch a Play at the Community Theatre

If you want to be entertained, and are interested in getting away from the TV or movie screen, visit a community theatre and watch a play or musical theatre performance. You'll be supporting local artistry and entertaining yourselves at the same time.

17. Go Bowling

Are you looking for a physical activity you can do indoors when it's cold outside? Bowling is the perfect indoor activity. It’s also low pressure since the majority of people aren’t very good at it… which can make for some great laughs!

18. Share a Fondue Meal

Eating fondue is an interactive meal experience that's totally decadent. You can dig out your mom's old fondue pot or go to a fondue restaurant. 

19. Start Climbing

Rock climbing has become a hugely popular activity, and it's both fun and challenging. Visiting a rock climbing gym is an excellent way to get some physical activity in and challenge yourselves at the same time. 

20. Watch TED Talks

Are you bored with movies and TV shows? Learn something new and broaden your mental horizons by watching inspiring and motivational TED talks together.

21. Volunteer at an Animal Shelter

If you both love animals, it can be super rewarding to give back together. Visiting an animal shelter and signing up as a volunteer can be therapeutic to both you and the pets you're spending time with.

22. Find Other Ways to Volunteer

Besides animal shelters, you can find other ways to volunteer together. For example, you can contact the activity director at a nursing home or senior citizen center and find ways to be useful with their residents. Some activities include playing bingo with senior citizens, reading aloud to the residents, or even just spending time talking to them about their memories.

23. Play Board Games

Remember the family game night when you were growing up? It was so much fun to dig out board games and sit down for an hour or two to play with friends and family members.

There's a good chance that your partner also has fond game night memories. If you don't already have Scrabble or a chess set, you should definitely get on that.  They are the of the most perfect two player games (PS, scrabble can also be naughty if you want it to be). Investing in a few board games can make for countless winter dates in the future. Games like Taboo and Pictionary are also great for double dates.

24. Get Your Laugh On

Laughing is therapeutic and has been shown in scientific studies to improve mood and emotional well-being. You can visit a comedy club together and support up-and-coming comedians, or you can find a comedy show on most of the major streaming services.

25. Put Together a Jigsaw Puzzle

The great thing about a jigsaw puzzle is that it's an activity that you can do over time. You can buy an artful jigsaw puzzle that you will want to glue together and hang on the wall, or you can complete a super challenging puzzle just for the challenge of it. Puzzles are also among those activities that are great for your brain. 

26. Build a Snowman

If you're lucky enough to live somewhere where you have at least one good winter snow every year, take advantage of the special time and build a snowman. While you're outside, lie down and make a snow angel. Getting cold makes it extra fun to snuggle up and get warm when you go back inside.

27. Attend Winter Festivals or Events

Most areas have festivals in the wintertime, and these activities always have fun stuff today. Besides festivals, many towns and cities also have other types of events. You can browse booths of local artisans, visit a psychic fair, or even check out an area's best food trucks.

28. Plan a Trip

Did you know that planning a vacation has been known to be as therapeutic as actually taking the trip? Find a place you would both love to visit and sit down together to plan your vacation.

29. Learn a New Video Game Together

Besides playing cards or a board game, it can be fun to learn a new video game together. Whether you're an experienced gamer or a newbie, it can be tons of fun to sit down and try to figure out cheat codes and strategies. Or may you’d prefer to just unwind with a glass of wine in your own little corner of the gaming world with selections like Animal Crossing.

30. Go Ice Skating

Even if you have never skated before, it's not too difficult to learn, especially if you and your partner enjoy physical activities that involve hand holding and catching one another.

31. Try New Recipes

You don't have to take a formal cooking class to try new recipes together. Find a delicious recipe online, or tackle a comprehensive project like themed cooking together. 

32. Go Thrifting or Antiquing

Visiting thrift stores and antique shops can be lots of fun and nostalgic. You will enjoy a trip down memory lane and you may even find some treasures together. 

33. Create a Scrapbook

If you've been together a while, you no doubt have some wonderful memories together. Spend an evening printing photos and finding all of those ticket stubs from events you've attended together over the years. Put them in a scrapbook that you can continue adding to as the years go by. 

34. Be a Tourist and Take a Carriage Ride

If you live somewhere where you can take a carriage ride or pedicab tour, do the tourist thing and hop in.

Bring a thermos of warm cocoa (or something boozier) with you, along with a warm blanket.  You may even learn something new!

35. Visit an Aquarium

When you visit your local aquarium, you're not just supporting area refuges. Aquariums are dimly lit and they can be super romantic. 

36. Explore a Virtual Escape Room

Escape room activities have become popular in recent years, and you can visit one in person or tackle a virtual escape room. 

37. Take a Mini Road Trip

Road trips don't have to be days-long adventures. You can take a mini road trip in one day by visiting a nearby town that neither of you has ever been to. Be sure to act like total tourists and visit the local historical places, ask locals about the best restaurants, and maybe even stay in a bed and breakfast. 

Final Thoughts on Winter Date Ideas

Are you ready to make the most of the cold winter months and take your relationship to a whole new level? Then grab your warmest socks, hats, scarf and thermals and give some of these great winter date ideas a try. You and your significant other can even make a bucket list of fun winter dates that you want to do together. To learn more about creating a couple's bucket list, check out our complete guide to creating a relationship bucket list: Couples Bucket List: 69 Fun Activities to Do Together.

Finally, if you want to increase your happiness and life satisfaction, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's important.