What to do on Date Night?

Date night changes once you become a parent. At least it did for us. We’ve actually only been on 4 dates since Annabelle was born, and 2 of those have happened since she turned 2 in February. Now some of you think I’m crazy, and some of you are thinking you are in the same boat. I miss Annabelle all day while I’m at work the only thing I want to do when I have time is to spend with her. I love my husband but Annabelle is just so stinkin cute. And Andrew and I get to hang out after Annabelle goes to bed, it’s just a matter of turning that into fun, quality time.

And then there’s the matter of a babysitter. Neither of us have family here and we moved here when I was pregnant so we don’t have a large network of people we feel comfortable calling up and asking to babysit. That coupled with the fact that I’ve never let Annabelle cry it out and I don’t know what I’d do if I found out a babysitter put her into her crib to scream. And now she’s old enough to talk AND one of her favorite teachers at daycare got a new job where it’s no longer a conflict of interest for her to babysit for us. Annabelle loves her so much she asked when she’s coming back for 2 days after our last date night. Now that’s the kind of babysitter I love.

So last Saturday after a mediocre dinner at yet another restaurant we didn’t like we weren’t sure what to do next. I’ve kind of given up on restaurants for a while since we’ve been disappointed SO many times. So what to do on a date night? Well, there’s actually a ton of things to do, you just have to be prepared so you don’t end up driving around in circles. And who’s to say Date Night has to be at night? An afternoon or even a morning date can be just as fun!

Here’s a list of 15 great date ideas to get you out of the typical dinner rut with some links to where you can do the activities in the DFW area. We’re starting our night with a couples massage next time!

1. Go for a hike or nature walk. Check out the Fort Worth Nature Center, Texas Discovery Gardens , Turtle Creek Leisure Trail.

2. Play a sport. Think tennis, basketball, volleyball anything. Lots of local parks have courts you can can use!

3. Relax with a couples massage, then maybe hit the steam room, sauna or pool together, depending on where you go. Or have dinner or drinks after!

4. Check out a comedy club. We haven’t been to one in Fort Worth yet but have heard of Hyenas Comedy Nightclub and we love Addison Improv.

5. Bowling. Not just your standard bowling alley filled with pre-teens Check out Dallas 300 or Lucky Strike in Fort Worth.

6. Open Houses. We happen to be real estate junkies, we love HGTV and used to love going to open houses. Take a stroll around a new neighborhood and visit a few open houses, just for fun.

7. Arcades. This will surely bring out the kid in you. Dave and Busters is always an option. Here’s a list of other options around DFW.

8. Indoor Rock climbing. Why not? There are quite a few around.

9. Dance lessons. I’ve always wanted to do this, most women do, and most men don’t but it’ll be a nice change of pace. Arts Fifth Avenue offer lots of fun classes Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray are more traditional Dance Schools.

10. Painting. These classes are BYOB and probably something brand new. Check out Painting with a Twist!

11. Amusement Park. There are tons around here. Anything from Six Flags, the Wax Museum, Hurricane Harbor, Wet n Wild. Pretty much anything that floats your boat.

12. Drive-In Movie. It’s still a movie, but more exciting, in the privacy of your own car. The Brazos Drive In Theatre is in Granbury and here are some others around Texas.

13. Festivals and Shows around the area. Think the Plano Hot Air Balloons, Grapefest, Mayfest…

14. A Sporting event. Who doesn’t like a good baseball game? Especially when the Rangers are playing the Red Sox?

15. A Gondola Ride. Nope, it’s not a typo. You can go on a romantic gondola ride around the Mandalay Canal and Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas. Who knew?

Part 2 of the offbeat dating list will be out next week! In the meantime please share some of your favorite date night activities, around the DFW area and wherever else you may be reading from! I’d love to add your favorites to next weeks list!