Look, I love Zach. But if he ever shows up with a dozen roses and a candlelit dinner, I’m checking him for a head injury—that’s not our cup of tea – we have more non-romantic date ideas.
We’re not romantic people. We don’t do grand gestures. We don’t want someone singing to us in public. And we’re definitely not the couple gazing into each other’s eyes over wine at a fancy restaurant.
But we still want to spend quality time together. We still want to celebrate anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and random Tuesdays when we remember we actually like each other. We just want to do it in a way that doesn’t make us cringe.
So we committed to one intentional date per month—nothing fancy, just showing up for each other without phones or distractions. That’s twelve dates a year, which means we needed twelve ideas that wouldn’t make us roll our eyes.
This list is for us—and for everyone else who wants to connect with their partner without the pressure of performing romance. These are non-romantic date ideas that focus on actually being together, not pretending to be someone you’re not.
1. Morning Coffee Run
Low effort. Zero pressure.
Hit a local coffee shop, grab something good, then drive around looking for something weird or interesting nearby. No agenda. No reservations. Just caffeine and curiosity. Half the stuff on this blog started with a coffee run that turned into “wait, what is that?”
2. Dessert-Only Date
Sweet connection, no dinner required.
Skip the meal and go straight to the good stuff. Bakery hopping, testing copycat recipes at home, or buying a box of snack cakes and calling it quality time. Dinner is overrated. Dessert is where the real connection happens.
Or skip skipping the meal and make something ridiculous together like our copycat Crunchwrap Supreme—it’s messy, it’s fun, and you get to eat your work.
3. Backroads Drive
No destination, no pressure.
No destination required. Pick a direction, take the scenic route, and see what you stumble across. Music optional. Silence also valid. Some of our best dates are the ones where we end up somewhere we didn’t plan to be.
4. Botanical Garden or Arboretum Day
Visual, walkable, peaceful.
Visual, walkable, and usually peaceful. Pack a lunch or grab takeout. Bonus points for benches when you’re done walking but not done being there. You can talk if you want, or just exist in the same space looking at pretty things.
We did exactly this at Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden and it was the perfect low-key afternoon.
5. Grocery Store Date
Food + fun + low stakes.
Make it interesting: seasonal snacks you’ve never tried plus one completely ridiculous impulse buy each. Compare purchases in the parking lot like a show-and-tell. Low-stakes, involves food, and you might discover your new favorite weird snack.
Or put a twist on it and make it into two date nights — grab something wild on Date 1 that you could add to your chocolate when you take The Sugar Academy’s chocolate making basics course – turn date night into a hands-on chocolate adventure.
6. Interactive Museum Visit
Learn something while touching things.
Science centers, quirky local history spots, or niche museums where you can actually touch things and don’t have to whisper. Educational without feeling like a lecture. Button-pushing and lever-pulling counts as quality time.
7. Puzzle Night (No Screens)
Patience required, fun guaranteed.
One thousand pieces, snacks on standby, phones put away. Work on it over days or weeks if needed. Puzzle swap boxes exist—like Little Free Libraries, but for patience. You don’t have to finish it in one sitting. That’s not the point.
8. Nursery or Garden Center Browse
Green things = happy vibes.
Even if you don’t have space for plants, it’s visual, it smells good, and it gives you something to look at besides each other. Grab lunch afterward. No purchase required—just wander around and appreciate things that are green and alive.
9. Tiny Project Together
Finish something together.
Fix something, organize a space, or build something small. The satisfaction of finishing something together beats flowers every time. Whether it’s reorganizing a closet or fixing that thing that’s been broken for months, there’s something deeply satisfying about tackling it as a team.
We’ve been eyeing King Arthur Baking’s bread classes—seven video lessons you can work through over multiple date nights. That counts as a project, right?
10. Sculpture Park or Public Art Walk
Walk, look, comment, repeat.
Usually free, always visual, and gives you something to talk about without forced conversation. Ideal for people who like walking but not hiking. You get to look at weird art and make snarky comments together—that’s connection.
11. Thrift Store or Antique Mall Challenge
Budget + scavenger hunt.
Set a budget ($5–$10 each), then see who finds the best—or weirdiest—treasure. Compare finds over coffee afterward. Part scavenger hunt, part shopping, all ridiculous. And you might actually find something cool.
12. That Place You Keep Meaning to Visit
Just go already.
The weird roadside attraction you always drive past. The restaurant with the odd name. The local landmark everyone mentions. Put it on the calendar, drive there, and check it off your mental list.
Need ideas? Check out our 2026 road trip bucket list for inspiration.
The Point of Non-Romantic Date Ideas?
The point isn’t always being romantic; sometimes it is just being intentional. With this in mind, we’re doing one of these a month because it’s too easy to let “quality time” become sitting on the same couch scrolling different phones.
In short – Pick something that sounds good, put it on the calendar, and actually do it. No pressure. No performance. Just time together doing something that doesn’t feel forced.
And if you try one of these? Let me know how it goes. We’re working our way through this list ourselves—one non-romantic date at a time.