If a date night right about now seems like a dream, we’re here to tell you it’s possible—you just need a little creativity (and an early kiddo bedtime) to make it work. Curious about what to do? We asked our #NJMOMsquad on how to make the most of your time away from the kids and the responses all echoed a similar vibe—now, more than ever, carving out couple time is so important. From watching Netflix in the car parked in your driveway to creating a spa date in your bathroom, here are the best ways to do date night during the quarantine.
featured image via @cottonstem
24 Date Night Ideas While You’re Staying Safe at Home
1. Look back through your history—find old yearbooks, photo albums or videos that you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s also a great time to break out the bubbly and watch your wedding video, toasting to your past, present and future. 
2. Join a virtual wine and painting night. Several studios have created Zoom classes including Pinot’s Palette and Vintage Van Gogh.
3. Now you can finally dance like no one is watching: Try a virtual class at Fred Astaire Dance Studios or Arthur Murray Dance Centers.
We bar hop around our house and even had a candlelight dinner outside.” -Jean L.
4. Namaste together and take a virtual yoga class. Check out The New Jersey Yoga Collective for studio class offerings.
5. Learn a language for your future trip abroad—both ABC Languages or Learn Language Hoboken are hosting virtual language classes.
We sit in our car in the driveway and watch Tiger King.” -Kimberly K.
6. Turn your bathroom into a spa and whip up DIY treatments, like an exfoliating sugar scrub made with 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of coconut oil, rub it on and then have fun rinsing it off. 
7. Wander through a museum, virtually, as you explore the National Museum of National History, The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art or check out The Museum of Natural Sciences.
8. Grab some glow sticks and turn your living room into a club. Check out DJ Mick Hale with live shows or NJPAC’s Thursday night Dance Party with a live DJ each week.
9. Pick a book to read together and then discuss it. You can even make a virtual book club with other couples through a meeting app, like Zoom.
We set up a charcuterie board and a nice bottle of bubbly and then binge on on Netflix.” -Cassie P.
10. Order some takeout and enjoy a candlelit dinner together. Get dressed up in your favorite dress and have your husband dress up too. Decorate your dining room with fresh-picked flowers and branches from the yard and set the table with formal china.
11. Make game night for adults only: Play a game of Scrabble or backgammon or anything you can’t play with the kids. Or gamble with rounds of Texas Hold ‘Em or Poker and see who wins.
We downloaded Jackbox games on PS4. We have some cocktails and play trivia games. We also play with our friends who have PS4 because you can share screens. It’s actually quite fun!” -Amanda M.
12. Catch that show you always wanted to see without the expensive ticket prices: Watch a Broadway classic musical or live stream a classical concert in your living room. Check out NPR for a list of upcoming shows and Broadway HD for musicals and plays that have been previously taped live.
13. Missing being a part of Happy Hour? Order a craft beer from a local liquor store, and join Virtual Happy Hour with local brewers and virtual games, laughs and fun.
14. Do you still have your Halloween costume handy or those neon shirts from an 80’s night? Make it a theme night by playing music, making snacks and dressing up.
15. Consider cooking with a DIY kit from your favorite places instead of ordering in: Giuseppe’s Pizza in Old Bridge is offering ready-to-go pizza making kits, Sushi Hana is giving you everything you need to create your fave sushi meal, and Tony Boloney’s offers kits and a live virtual cooking class to guide you in cooking up their famous dishes, including meatballs, burrata calzones, and pizza.
16. Grab a blanket, roast s’ mores and cuddle by the fireplace inside or if you have a fire pit, in the backyard.
17. Find that 1,000 piece puzzle that you have been avoiding and tackle it together.
Our nightly date is hiding in the basement with dessert and a movie after the kids go to bed.” -Emily T.
18. Have you always wanted to hike a trail in Utah or climb a mountain in Washington state? Go on a hike together by visiting these virtual parks.
19. Coordinate your dinner and a movie–cook a dish from a movie favorite and pop it in while you’re eating, or order out the cuisine that best fits the movie. 
20. Got a tent? If your kids are old enough to leave by themselves inside, spend the night “camping” out in your backyard. Or hang out in the tent, until it’s time to go to bed inside.
21. Plan a literary night together, open a bottle of wine, and listen to storytellers at The Moth.
We have a game room at home. The other night we put the kids to bed and then we drank wine on the deck and pretended to be at a patio bar. Then it started raining, so we came inside to play on the arcade.” –Shannon R.
22. Ever wish you could have dinner on the beach a la “The Bachelor”? Thanks to technology, you can—log on to a live webcam on a Florida beach, set the table as if you’re dining al fresco (bonus points if it’s warm enough to do outdoors), put votive candles all around, turn out the lights and listen to the waves while you dine. Pina Colada, anyone?
