20 Unique & Exciting Winter Date Ideas For Couples

If you have children, going on a date can be an excellent way to spend some time together alone and remember who you were before the kids came along. It can help you reconnect and remember that you are two people who deserve to receive love and attention rather than just parents to your children.

Dating is an excellent opportunity to introduce someone to something you love, try something they love, or try something new together. As well as just talking and getting to know more about each other, more adventurous dates can be a great way to learn how well you work together as a team, see how they handle pressure, and understand how they like to relax.

Sometimes, parents have trouble seeing their child grow into their own person. Children can also struggle to see their parents as more than their role as caregivers. Going on a date together can help heal any rifts, explore a new side to the relationship and develop a stronger emotional bond.

Dates can be a great way to spoil someone by buying them dinner or participating in their favorite activity. If you want to show some appreciation for a friend who has supported you, you can take them on a date to do something they love. You'll get to spend time together, bond, and relax.

You take yourself on a date to try something new and take care of yourself. Show yourself the love and attention you deserve by getting out and about and doing something different.

Ice skating is perhaps the most stereotypical winter date idea, but we had to include it because it's also one of the most fun winter date ideas! Ice skating is a very popular winter activity because it can really only be done in winter.

While lots of ice rinks are explicitly created for ice skating, some from lakes and ponds also make very beautiful scenic rinks on which to skate. Although you should take care as the ice may not be as thick as you think. If you plan on going ice-skating, you'll need to wrap up warm, and gloves are an excellent idea if you were to fall.

A movie night at home might sound like a pretty standard date night. But we're not talking about sitting on your couch with pizza in your pajamas watching Netflix or Amazon Prime. Making a movie night into an extraordinary date can be super easy and affordable.  Putting extra effort into the decoration or your outfits can make a huge difference. 

Why not give the whole night a theme? You could opt for the golden age of Hollywood and watch classic films. Hop on your computer and print a movie premiere invitation for your date with a red-carpet dress code. If you've got a red carpet (or a red coat/ table cloth), roll it out down the stair so they can enter in style. Drink champagne and eat fancy finger food, so you feel like you're at a premiere.

Museums are very educational, making them great for kids and parents as well as teenagers. Walking around a museum together has lots of prompts for questions so you can get to know more about how the other person sees the world and their opinions.

Museums can encourage all sorts of conversation topics that you may not naturally choose because of all the unusual and interesting exhibits.

Sleep in late, go out for breakfast, don't do any cleaning at home, visit a local tourist attraction you've never seen before, have a long lunch, go for a short walk. Whatever you feel like doing together is what you should do. Remember how you feel when you're on holiday and apply that to your whole day.

This will let you rediscover your hometown and local area together in a new way. Spending an entire day together gives you more time to connect rather than just an evening date.

Staying warm inside, sugary food, fire…. The perfect combination for kids! Toasting marshmallows is practically a rite of passage for children and teenagers. It's fun, sticky, and tasty.

There's nothing quite like the slightly burnt taste of a marshmallow and the sound of children's laughter. Toasting marshmallows is an entertaining and somewhat messy winter date idea.

Sledding is super fun. It's a fantastic date for romantic couples, friends as well as parents and children. Everyone enjoys sledding because the adrenaline of speeding down a hill produces feelings of happiness and joy. It's a great chance to get outside and of something that will keep you warm while you enjoy the fresh air. We promise that trying to get back up the hill with a sled will definitely keep you toasty.

You can have sled races and compete against each other, or you can get cozy on the same sled: twice the weight means twice the speed!

Grass sledding is still a super fun way to enjoy being outside, and generally, it's much less cold and wet. Grass sledding is almost exactly the same as regular sledding except the sleds have been adapted to slide over grass rather than snow.

You can go grass sledding using a regular sled on any hill but it is better to go to a grass sledding company. These companies not only maintain the hill so the grass is smooth and the ground isn't bumpy, but the sleds are designed for grass and not snow.

Try to clear some space so you can really lie down and relax on the floor- no chairs allowed! Lay out a blanket and decorate the room with flowers and plants to give an outdoorsy vibe. Pick your foods carefully; a real picnic should have finger food that can be eaten easily.

However, this doesn't mean you can't be fancy. Upgrade your sandwiches to include smoked salmon, cured meats, or avocado. You could even choose sushi or make a charcuterie board. If you want something a little different, you can pay for a picnic basket to be delivered to your home. Some companies also offer vegan or vegetarian picnic baskets.

Grab your date and head to your local animal shelter to pet some adorable creatures. If you are still new to dating, seeing how someone interacts with animals can help you work out their character better.

Playing with cute animals is sure to put you and your date in a good mood because it has been proven than cute animals release happy endorphins in your brain. This means that you're almost guaranteed to have a good time.

Going to a spa is, of course, a perfect wintertime date. A whole day of relaxing and pampering feels excellent no matter your age or gender. However, some spas can be pretty pricey. A great alternative is to have an at-home spa day. As well as for romantic couples, this is a great mother-daughter winter date idea. 

Spend some time setting up your bathroom or sitting room with plants and candles. It also helps to find a cool spa playlist or create your own playlist of your favorite chilled songs. Buy some face masks, foot scrubs, nail polish, deep conditioner, and body lotion in advance. The best part about having your own spa is you can pick products that suit your skin type. 

If the wintery weather doesn't bother you and you enjoy being outside in the cold, strap on your boots and go for a hike. Being out in winter can be great if you're wrapped up warm and keep moving.

If you're worried about the weather or the cold, pick a nice easy route and ensure you've got some extra clothing in your rucksack. You could even pack a hot chocolate flask to enjoy while you hike.

Take a moment to enjoy the fresh air and spend time together that isn't inside or online. However, you should probably have a backup plan in case the weather has other ideas!

If you each pick 10-15 photos that you love and print them out. You can do this online and have the pictures sent to your house. You can meet up with your date and spend a few hours looking through the images you've both chosen and reminisce on old memories and make a cute album together.

You could add stickers and write the date to make a cute scrap back. It'll be a great reminder of how far you've come and remind you of all the great times you've shared together. Not to mention, it's super affordable, easy, and it doesn't matter if the weather outside is terrible!

With so many activities now happening online because of COVID, you're sure to find something you both enjoy. There's everything from pottery, cooking, bartending, yoga, drawing, and photography to language lessons, wine tasting, academics, jewelry making, and music producing. 

With so many choices, you can take a one-off course or subscribe to a series so you can have a different date night each week. You can select a free course which makes a super cheap winter date or a more expensive course. Just make sure if you need supplies, you get them in advance.

Sometimes, date night should be extra fancy. If you are looking to escape your kids for some peace and quiet or just want to put some extra effort into showing how much you care, a night away in a fancy hotel is a brilliant idea.

Get some fancy pajamas and spend the night in your hotel room watching tv and ordering room service, and drinking champagne. Or you can dress up and go to dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Come rain, sleet, or snow, there is nothing more enjoyable than relaxing in a hot tub with someone you love. Natural, outdoor hot springs or a beautiful hot tub can be the perfect date idea.

Sitting together and enjoying the warm water forces you and your date to stop, relax and just enjoy each other's company.

It's an ideal winter date because it means you can stay inside in the warm and not worry about the weather canceling your plans. 

If you are concerned about COVID or are dating long-distance, lots of theatre companies are offering virtual performances so you can still see the show from your own home.

Virtual theatre shows are not only a great date idea, but they can also be a great way to mark more significant celebrations such as your anniversary if you are concerned about leaving the house. For more idea like this, check our guide to celebrating your anniversary in lockdown. 

This can be a great bonding exercise as you try to cooperate in a new environment. Best of all? It's inside, and if you're worried about COVID, you're literally trapped away from other people making it a perfect COVID date idea. 

Escape rooms are also a great way to get to know someone as you will see them stressed, under pressure, frustrated, and can learn about how they operate and think. Many escape rooms now offer an online version to do at home as well if you don't want to be physically locked in a room with someone!

If going to dinner sounds a little bit boring to you, spice it up with a moveable dinner. Pick an area of town with several restaurants and visit different ones for each course.

You could start in a bar, move to your favorite restaurant for starters, let them pick another restaurant for the main course, choose the dessert place together and then head to a final location for after-dinner drinks. It's a cute way to add something a little extra to date night and ensures you both love what you're eating. 

Arcades never really go out of style. There are so many game options, including mini-golf, the claw, hoops, and more, that you're sure to have a great time. You can work together to try to win a prize or a toy by the end of your date or compete against each other to see who can get the most prizes.

To make sure no one leaves broken-hearted, why not buy a small gift in advance like a cute necklace. Then, when you win the most prizes, you can give your date a nice surprise and help them remember the date forever.

Cook something straightforward in the oven and then settle down to chat, play cards or a board-game, paint or just listen to music. (bonus points if it's vinyl!)

Leave your phones in the other room and spend some time getting back to basics for a really eco-friendly winter date idea. It's incredible how much you find to talk about when the distractions of technology have been removed.

This will not only let you spend time with your partner, but you can look forward to the future and remember that eventually, it will get warmer. Plan summer dates, or maybe you can plan a holiday together. Think of everything from activities to outfits, dates, and locations and things you need to buy before then.