Not feeling like going out for date night this week? Want to shake up a tired routine? You’re in luck! Plenty of stay-at-home date night ideas run the gamut from straightforward and sweet to romantic and fun. Impress your partner with a surprise evening in or plan an at-home date to relax together. If you need inspiration for at-home date night ideas, check out the guide below and start planning.

Benefits of Staying at Home for Date Night vs. Going Out

Maybe you’ve never thought about a stay-home date night. In that case, you’ll want to know the benefits of staying home instead of going out. When you have a date night at home, you and your significant other will enjoy the following advantages.

• Do something new: Even the creatures of habit among us appreciate novelty. Having a stay-home date night shakes up the status quo and gives you and your S.O. new experiences at home.
• Have time to pause and unwind: A date night out can be stressful. With an at-home date night, there’s little pressure to pick the right place or get dressed up. Instead, you relax at home and unwind with your partner.
• Learn about each other: Whether you’ve been together for one month or 10 years, there’s always more to learn about your partner. Find out what hobbies they enjoy or play date night games to get to know your partner better.
• Save money: If you and your partner are on a tight budget, you don’t need to spend all your money on a romantic date night. Many stay-home date ideas are low-cost or free.
• Stay safe: In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, you and your partner may feel a bit anxious about going out. With at-home dates, there’s no need to worry. You’ll enjoy each other’s company in the comfort and safety of your home.

At-Home Date Ideas

With those pros, it’s no surprise that stay-at-home date night ideas are popular and fun ways to spend time with your significant other. So what can you do for a date at home? You’ve got lots of options, and it’ll all depend on what you and your partner would enjoy. Try these stay-at-home date night ideas for couples.

1. Plan a Movie and Pizza Night

Put on a movie and order a pizza for a fun date night! Watch a new release, a romantic classic or a film you both love. Plan plenty of movie nights and switch the job of picking the evening’s entertainment every time.

If you have a whole day to spend with each other, watch a trilogy or series of movies. Transform your movie night if you don’t feel like watching a film and binge-watch a show instead. Watch an old favorite or pick a new series to start.

Make your pizza before starting the flick or order delivery and set up your watch party as you wait. Pizza is iconic for movie night, but don’t forget the snacks. Pop your favorite popcorn and pick up a few boxes of classic theater candy to enjoy once the pizza’s gone.

For couples who already have movie dates at home, shake up your usual film and pizza night with a change of scenery. If you have an outdoor space with enough room for a screen, projector and seating, have an outdoor movie night. Wait until the sun goes down, then head outside for a fun date night.

2. Enjoy Ice Cream and YouTube

For a fun date night that’s perfect for couples who don’t feel like watching a movie, check out YouTube. Pair your video marathon with ice cream for a sweet treat and simple date night. Make milkshakes, floats, sundaes or your favorite ice cream treats, then put on YouTube videos. Stream or cast them to a larger screen or cuddle up together to watch them on your phone. Check out videos like these to share on your date night:

• A travel series to plan future trips
• Recipes to try out
• DIYs to get crafty
• Comedy videos to share a laugh

3. Have an At-Home Wine Tasting

Wine tastings are classic and classy dates, but you don’t have to leave home for this date night idea. Pick up a few bottles of wine to pop open and sample. Whether you choose your own or order surprises with a subscription box, turn taste-testing what you got into a romantic evening. If you aren’t wine experts, use this as a chance to learn together.

Turn this date idea into more than just tasting wine. Have chocolates to pair with your wine or create a cheese-and-crackers plate. You could also pair your dinner with wine to try something new or have your favorite combination. There are even perfect wine pairings for pizza, like a cheesy deep-dish pizza with acidic red wines. There’s no limit to what you can try for an at-home wine tasting date night.

4. Cook at Home

Cooking with each other is simple and practical, but it also makes a romantic at-home date. Try a new recipe or go with a favorite. Had a busy day, but want to fit in a date night at home? Get something frozen to prepare quickly, then spend the rest of your evening together. Frozen pizza is a classic favorite. Prepare it for a movie night or an easy Friday night meal.

You could also cook for your partner, then eat together if your schedules conflict. It’ll be a romantic gesture that transforms into date night when it’s time to eat. Whatever you eat and however you cook, turn dining into a date-night experience. Set up candles at the table and play romantic music. You could even dress up for your date at home for something different.

5.  Have a Backyard Picnic

Whether you want a cute lunch date or a date night under the stars, have a picnic. Spread out an outdoor blanket and pack a meal to enjoy outside. Make it something easy to prepare and eat — a picnic date is more about the experience than the food. Use a picnic basket to add to the experience and place battery-powered candles around the setup for romantic and safe lighting.

Be sure to check the weather before you set up this date idea. Postpone in case of rain and secure everything if it’s going to be windy. Place rocks at the corners of your blanket to weigh it down, so it doesn’t fold up over your meal in the wind.

If you don’t have the yard space, set up a picnic on your deck, patio or balcony. Hang strings of lights for a picnic at night to give your date a soft, romantic glow.

6. Stargaze or Cloudgaze

Keep the picnic blanket spread out to watch the stars or the clouds above. Relax and reminisce under the beautiful sky. It’s a straightforward date idea, but one that’s classically romantic and sweet. You don’t even need to have the picnic beforehand to enjoy the simplicity of unwinding together.

Talk about your day, the constellations or cloud shapes you see or enjoy relaxing in each other’s company. Put on background music or bask in the sounds of nature around you. If you live in or near a city, you’ll have a better chance of enjoying clouds instead of stars. But that still makes for a cute and unique date idea.

Maybe you had your heart set on a stargazing date, but the weather isn’t cooperating, or you live in the city and can’t see the stars. In that case, DIY your night sky. Get a starry night projector to set up somewhere in your house, directed at the ceiling. Set up a comfy blanket as you would outside and turn on the projector. Relax with your S.O. inside without the weather getting in your way.

7. Work out Together

The best way to work out is with the motivation of another person. Turn date night into a productive workout session. Take turns on equipment you have, lift weights or encourage each other through an exercise video. Try couples yoga or aerobics if you don’t have a home gym set up.

Use fitness as a recurring date night idea to get in your exercise for the day. Shake up your workout with a walk or jog outside your home if you can, or stay home and try different workouts to find ones you both like.

8. Try a New Hobby

Been looking to try a new craft or skill? Turn it into a date night and learn something new together. Whether you and your partner work on the same project or try different things and work in the same space, it’ll be a creative addition to your date nights.

Try a hobby that lets you make something for your home or to give as a gift. Practice painting, create collages of your favorite photos together or check out different DIY decor.

9. Make a Playlist and Dance Together

Put a playlist together of music you both love. It can either provide the background soundtrack for other at-home date ideas, or for a stay-home dance party for two. Share your favorite artists to learn more about your music tastes, add slow songs for romantic slow dancing or keep it all upbeat to jam out.

You don’t even need to plan this date night at home idea. Put on music while you’re hanging out, cooking or relaxing, and take a dance break.

10. Learn to Dance

Freestyle dancing to your playlist is fun, but learning a dance style together is a fun challenge. Even if you and your partner have no dancing experience, various moves and dances are suitable for beginners. Move furniture and put on a video to teach you the basics. If you don’t have a particular dance style in mind for the two of you to learn, try one of these:

• Swing
• Waltz
• Cha-cha
• Salsa
• Rumba

This activity combines different date ideas into one. You get a workout, learn a new hobby and listen to music together, all while having fun.

11. Listen to Your Vinyl Collection

If you’re a collector or audiophile, break out the vinyl collection. Share your favorite records with your partner or have them pick the album you listen to. Prepare some drinks — non-alcoholic or otherwise — and put on a record to unwind together. Exchange stories of your favorite concerts and songs or enjoy the music in each other’s company.

12. Reminisce Together

Couples who have been in a relationship for a while have made beautiful memories over time. Why not remember those times by flipping through photos or watching old home videos? It’s a romantic way to celebrate the life you share and remember the good times. Create slideshows of photos to watch together and set them to music. Or, go through your wedding keepsakes if you’re a married couple.

Even if you’re a newer couple, you can exchange stories from before you met to learn more about each other. Or, remember the first impressions you had of each other and how you’ve both grown since your first date. Again, this date idea can be spur-of-the-moment instead of planned, but no matter how you reminisce, it’ll be a sweet evening together.

13. Plan a Trip

If you’re using at-home date ideas to save money for a future trip, turn planning into a date. Whether you’re dreaming of taking a road trip or visiting somewhere far away, ironing out the details or discussing where you’d want to go will be fun. Pour yourselves some drinks, put music on and think about your future travels. Already have a place in mind? Set aside time to sit down and research:

• The best time of year to go
• The best accommodations in the area
• Restaurants that are a must-visit
• Attractions and landmarks in the area
• How to travel there

Planning a future trip is also great for quarantine date night ideas in the time of COVID-19. You may not be able to travel right now, but prepare for the day when you can again.

14. Play Board or Card Games

Game night is a fun way to have a date at home, and it can quickly become a tradition. Lots of board and card games are perfect for two. Pull out a board game you haven’t played in a while or play a favorite for guaranteed fun. If you don’t have a board game collection, grab a deck of cards and play two-player card games like:

• War
• Rummy
• Blackjack
• Slapjack
• Go Fish
• Crazy Eights
• Poker

15. Have a Video Chat Double Date

In search of quarantine date night ideas that let you socialize and reconnect with your friends? If you have close friends who are a couple, plan a virtual double date night. Invite more friends for a happy hour hangout. Make it a weekly event or schedule a special video chat when everyone’s schedules line up. However you decide to virtually hang out, you could chill and chat or combine different date night ideas with a video chat. You could also:

• Cook the same recipe to feel like you’re all dining together.
• Exchange cocktail ideas for a happy hour evening.
• Watch a movie or show with virtual watch party apps or software.
• Play video games, trivia or virtual board games online.

Order Giordano’s for Your Stay-Home Date Night

A stay-home date night is incomplete without a delicious meal. Let Giordano’s take care of that! Get our iconic Chicago-style deep-dish pizza for your date night, whether you order delivery or have frozen options sent to your door to cook yourself. Whatever you choose, Giordano’s is a delicious addition to your date. You and your S.O. are sure to love staying in and digging into the best stuffed deep-dish pizza.

Order Giordano’s delivery or frozen pizzas to make yourself for your next date night!