Date nights are a great way for moms and dads to get a little break, catch up on some adult conversation and simply enjoy each other’s company.
The less frequent date nights become, though, the easier it can be to settle on the classic dinner-and-a-movie itinerary for your night on the town.
While we can’t argue the value of a quiet dinner in a nice restaurant, we think you’ll also enjoy the chance to do something a little different with your date the next time you get the opportunity. How about some fun or romantic things to do in Detroit and Ann Arbor?
Check out our list of unique date night destinations – compiled with the help of our readers at Metro Parent’s Facebook page – and tell us in the comments section what other cool date night ideas you’ve tried.
1. Ride a Segway
One of our readers took a Segway tour with her husband and says it made for a great date night. “It was so fun and outside of our box,” Rebecca Thomas wrote on our page. She blogged about the experience here. Try Detroit Segway for starters.
2. Have a laugh
Catching a new comedy at the movie theater is always fun, but a visit to a comedy club offers a great change of scenery and a chance to support local stand-up comedians. Laugh the night away with a visit to Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in Royal Oak or Go Comedy! Improv in Ferndale.
3. Make it a picnic
Take advantage of a nice summer evening or fall afternoon to take in the beautiful sights somewhere like Kensington Metropark in Milford or Elizabeth Park in Trenton for a picnic. Or, as reader Brooke Borton suggests, consider the top level of a parking garage in downtown Ann Arbor. Find even more metro Detroit picnic spots in our roundup.
4. Compete a little
Here’s an idea that works even if you can’t get a babysitter: A trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s, recommends one of our readers. “My husband and I don’t have a sitter so our date nights are family nights. We go to Chuck E. Cheese’s,” Michelle Liabenow RePass wrote on our page. “While our 6-year-old is busy in kid heaven, my husband and I compete on who can get the most tickets. It gets very cutthroat.”
5. Get cultured
Check out events at The Cube at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, Erin Molnar suggests. Here, you’ll find new musical or cultural experiences in Midtown Detroit every month. There’s no dress code and some events include cocktails and snacks.
6. Try something new
Tap into your artistic side at Painting With a Twist (locations across southeast Michigan) or Creative Arts Studio in Royal Oak. For something a little more adventurous, test your rock-climbing skills at Planet Rock in Ann Arbor or Madison Heights – first-timers take a one-hour class before climbing.
7. Find what’s free
The cost of a babysitter and a night out can really add up. Metro Parent reader Carolyn Gammicchia says she and her spouse take advantage of free events for date nights like the free rock concerts offered on the Detroit River in the summer.
Looking for even more date night (or date day!) ideas? Browse our weekly-updated Date Night Events roundup.
This post is updated regularly.
