10 Romantic At-Home Date Night Ideas

If an expensive dinner or night out is not in your budget this year or if finding a babysitter is your current challenge – don’t worry! There are plenty of fun and romantic at-home date night ideas for couples with any budget or restraints.

Valentine’s Day has actually always been one of my favorite holidays. As my hubby can attest to, this is the holiday where I most enjoy being creative and finding really special ways to build and share memories. Since we became parents, we’ve had to exercise that creativity even more, especially since Valentine’s Day falls smack in the middle of both of our daughters’ birthdays (remember our busy Birthday Week) and an at-home date night is usually just what we need and want.

If you’re anything like us, here are some at-home date night ideas you’ll love:

Cook a meal together

Find a new recipe for a fancy gourmet dish, exotic international cuisine, or a delectable dessert. Slap on some sexy aprons and get to cooking! Be sure to follow through with the perfectly set table, a bottle of wine and full-on restaurant feel right in your dining room.

If the kids are old enough and are home, have them become your servers for the evening. Bonus points if you can make them wear a server uniform!

Host a private wine tasting (or beer tasting, or even whiskey tasting)

Another fun date idea would be to host your own private wine tasting with your spouse or even invite another couple.
To prep for this, you can visit your local wine distributor for a good collection to try out. They’ll likely also share with you some interesting facts about the wine and some great food pairings as well.

If you both aren’t wine drinkers, you can also host a tasting for any of your favorite spirits, including beer, whiskey, or whatever.

Have an intimate game night

Now, this can be something g-rated such as joining your partner on the PlayStation or a fun board game. However, once the kids go to bed, feel free to make it spicy with a racy game of Twister, Truth or Dare, and/or your own personal version of strip – anything.

Get messy with some chocolate fondue

One of our best investments by far was a Fondue Pot . Granted, we’ve probably never used it for actual fondue, but it makes a delicious addition to our date night ideas by adding a deliciously sexy chocolate treat (talking about the dessert people!)

Netflix “and chill”

Isn’t that how it goes?  Dinner and a movie always works! I would personally stay away from a Netflix binge since you want to make sure you leave some time and energy for other activities. *wink wink*

Create a sensual scavenger hunt

What great about this romantic date idea is that it can actually be broken down into 5 different at-home date night ideas, or just rolled into one!

Many years ago, I pulled of the ultimate Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt for my husband appropriately called – the five senses. I had 5 different stations/activities going on, each appealing to one of the 5 senses, each with a clue leading to the next station, and finally my gift for him. While this does take a ton of creativity, it is a lot of fun to put together.

Here are some ways you can execute something similar (note: these can be executed in any order):

Sound – Share a clue that will lead him to a meaningful song to your relationship together.
Smell – Here’s your chance to maybe play around with some aromatherapy. Have him blindfolded and guessing each scent for more clues or other rewards.
Taste – This could be feeding him strawberries, wine, dinner, or a full dessert. Sky’s the limit here.
Touch – Two words: Be creative!
Sight – Finally, share a clue that leads him to a special painting, album, scrapbook, or another amazing sight that you (ahem) create.

Place some big bets on a card game.

Imagine the utter shock my family experienced 10 years ago when I announced at my bridal shower that my husband won my heart with a game of Rummy 500. While I’m sure they have since fabricated many scandalous stories over this, it’s not at all like it sounds. The gist of it is that my husband is the one guy who knows how much I love a good, competitive card game and that was always one of our favorite at-home date night ideas.

Make it a spa night

It’s rare that you and your honey get spend a day at the spa, so why not bring it to your home? Get some matching robes and slippers and set up your very own spa at home. If budget permits, you can also hire a massage therapist or 2 for a relaxing couple’s massage.

Catch the sunset in your backyard

Snuggle up with a warm blanket and beverage and watch the sunset together. Take this time to share fun stories, reminisce about the past and dream about the future together.

Whatever you decide to do, keep it fun and make the focus be on creating great memories, rather than perfecting the logistics. Also, be sure to follow these important Date Night Rules!