Wintertime has a different kind of beauty and charm that is fun to celebrate with your partner. Today let’s talk Winter Date Night Ideas!
Winter time, especially in the midwest, is cold and LONG! But that is no excuse to slack on date night my friends! Especially you busy parents out there… date nights (away from those little humans) are everything!!!
Affordable date nights that involve more than just dinner and a movie are totally doable in the winter. There are so many fun romantic things you can do without spending a lot of money. Some are even free! Just be open minded and don’t be afraid to try new things.
Here are a few of our favorite Winter Date Night ideas we have loved. Most can be done on weeknights but they work on weekends too! And of course all date nights are best enjoyed with your sweetie and without your kids!
1. Brewery, food and games
With so many breweries in the Twin Cities (and many major cities across the US), this is a super easy date night option. Most breweries also have rotating food trucks available or allow people to bring their own food. And if you don’t love beer or cider, don’t worry, many breweries serve homemade kombucha, shrubs and sodas!
Some of our favorite Twin Cities breweries include Bad Weather Brewery, Wild Mind Artisan (along with Lyn65 take out), Dangerous Man (with Anchor Fish and Chips take out), and Fair State Brewery (with Holy Land take out).
Tip: Check out the food truck and/or food policy for the brewery online before visiting. Also check if it is trivia night because most breweries are packed on trivia night, which makes it hard to have a date. Unless you are into trivia, in which case, hope ya kill it guys!
2.Music and Dinner
When we want to feel fancy, you know get dressed up, there is nothing better than going to a symphony! Whether classical music is your jam or not, I would totally recommend it. I truly like classical music, the hubs does not, yet he really enjoyed himself because it’s a pretty moving experience. The instruments, the venue, the sound, the feeling you get from the music, it’s quite unique.
Then since you are dressed up, you might as well have a nice dinner downtown. For us, a personal favorite is Young Joni.
Symphonies not your thing, check out many of the restaurants with live music shows! We love the Icehouse for it’s music variety, great drinks and excellent food!
Tip: Symphony tickets can be price, so get cheap seats because the sound is amazing no matter where you sit. Also look out for free community orchestra nights. The Minnesota Orchestra holds one every summer and it’s amazing!
3. Museum and Uptown Night
Art, modern art, history, scultures, russian art? You name it, it’s out there! This is another date night idea that sounds more fun than you think. Museums always spur new thoughts, new topics of conversation and lots of giggles. Even if museums are not usually your thing, give a new one a try and see what you think.
A personal favorite date night is doing the Walker Modern Art Museum followed by World Street Kitchen in Uptown and ice cream right next door!
Tip: Look for free museum nights. Almost all museums have several free nights, some even monthly! Or if you are lucky, the museum is simply free like our Minnesota Institute of Art!
4. Rock Climb and Burger
In all honesty, I’ve only done this once but I loved it and can’t wait to do it again with the hubs! It’s a little hard, a little scary but entirely invigorating! Plus it’s a fun challenging experience to try with your partner.
For a great experience, check out Vertical Endeavors! They will get you up to speed on how everything works and get you climbing in no time! And after all that strenuous climbing, fuel yourself back up with some burgers and brews. Some personal favorites are: the Lowbrow, and Parlour.
Tips: Rock climbing can be a little pricey since you have to pay for time and equipment. But you can save on dinner by trying to catch one of the many Cwin City happy hours or date nights! Like the Lowbrows Tuesday night $30 (2 entrees, 2 beers, 1 dessert).
5. Minnehaha and Riverview Theater
On a nice winter day, Minnehaha Falls is truly magical. The falls completely freeze to a beautiful blue creating a spectacle you must see with your own eyes. A little stroll, a mug of hot cocoa and a good hand to hold makes this pretty darn romantic.
Add in a movie at the nearby totally vintage Riverview Theater to round out the evening. The 71 year old mostly unchanged theater has so much charm and pizzazz that it really creates a unique experience.
Tip: This is one of the cheapest dates you could possible have! Movies are $3 and movie snacks are a fraction of those at a normal movie theater.
6. Good book, better coffee
When it’s cold (and you have kids), coffee and a good book sounds like a freakin vacation. One of our favorite things to do is pick up a library book (or Half-price Book Stores book), then head a trendy late night coffee shop for a date night.
Some personal favorites include Five Watt, Peace Coffee and Spy House.
Tip: If you only have a sitter for a few hours, find a coffee shop with food and good coffee, and simply pack a good book with you. This way you can have a great dinner date and then relax with a hot bev and book.
7. Winter hike/Cross country ski/Snowshoe, take out and Netflix
Wait for a decent winter night when the temperature isn’t -100, and bust out the gear! Find a park with good trails or better yet, rent some ski/snowshoe gear for a fun winter adventure. Tis is a great fun date plus killer exercise.
Once you are finished and tired, pick up some Pho take out and enjoy it on the couch with your main squeeze.
Tip: There are phenomenal snow show and ski parks all over the twin cities with Hyland, Theodore Wirth Park, Fort Snelling and Lebanon Hills being our top favorites. Also if the park doesn’t rent gear, and you can’t borrow any from friends, consider renting from places like REI.
Bonus date night
Plan a Downtown Staycation
This is our favorite super special date night plans! We book a hotel downtown with a pool. Make reservations at a nice, extra NOT kid friendly restaurant and get dressed up. Dinner and cocktails then pool time and sleep, lots and lots of sleep. Then up for pastries, coffee and a good book in the morning. Trust me… it will truly feel like a vacation!
Originally posted 2019-02-12 06:00:22.
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