60 Summer Date Ideas That'll Make the Sexiest Season Even Better

Craving a wholesome indoor activity? Find your nearest ceramics studio and paint a few items together! How cute would matching coffee mugs look in your home? Or a special set of plates you *only* use on date nights in? The only con: You often have to leave your products at the studio so they can be glazed and then go pick them up a few days later. But for such a sweet memento, it's worth it!

Did you know there are bars solely dedicated to board games? We're talking shelves and shelves of nostalgic fun. Take your honey to the one closest to you and bond over Candy Land or Operation and a few beers or mocktails.

For a romantic date night and a learning experience, take a cooking class together. Learn to make fresh pasta or a complicated kitchen technique you're determined to master.

Summer is the season for outdoor festivities, county fairs included! Tickets for these usually run pretty affordably, and you're guaranteed hours of delicious foods (hello funnel cakes!) and cute games. (Bonus points for your date if they win you a giant teddy bear.)

Let your competitive sides come to life with an arcade date! Pros: It's indoors, there's AC, it's on the affordable side, and with enough tickets, you might just win a prize. (Up the stakes by making it a sexy one the winner can claim later. 😉)

Embrace being outdoors with a trip to your nearest botanical garden. Even if neither of you has a green thumb, botanical gardens are beautiful places to spend an afternoon, and who doesn't enjoy looking at gorgeous flowers?!

Another handy indoor and air-conditioned date, have a cute bowling date! Order snacks and drinks to your table and bet on how many strikes you'll both have in the end—winner decides on the next date night activity.

Looking to try something new? Visit your local rock climbing gym. They'll likely have set-ups for both beginners and pros alike, so you don't have to be a professional rock climber to enjoy this kind of adventure. Plus, it's an excellent arm workout too. Cheer each other on as you reach the top!

One of the biggest joys of summer: Spending time in water, of course! If you live near a natural lazy river, find a tubing company that offers excursions. They'll have tube rentals and professionals nearby to guide you along. Some even let you bring your own snacks and drinks, so you can float along the river sipping on your fave bevs.

Another beloved summer activity: Water parks! Get your adrenaline pumping with giant slides and make it your mission to check off every single one on the park map. Don't forget your sunscreen and you're guaranteed a fun (thrilling!) date.

There are breweries everywhere! Find one close enough to drive or Uber to and spend the afternoon sampling a flight or learning how beer is made.

Want to get indoors? Visit the nearest aquarium for something different (unless you already see sharks every day, in which case, hi, cool!)! Plus, what better way to soft launch your partner on Instagram than with an ~aesthetique~ shot of them in front of a giant blue tank?

Just make sure you're giving your money to a credible zoo that treats their animals with respect, mkay?

Whatever your summer drink of choice—Aperol spritz, limoncello martini, or classic summer sangria—sharpen your at-home mixologist skills and challenge each other to a summer cocktail competition. In need of a little inspo? Here are the summeriest, spritziest beverages we’ll be sipping all season long.

While you may think of fall and winter as prime-time for baking, summer actually has some of the best sweet treats, in our opinion. I mean, lemon bars? Key lime pie? Literally anything blueberry? Bonus points if you make a day of it by picking your own produce at a farm (or hitting up a nearby farmer’s market) and bringing it home to bake your dessert together.

I mean, what can we say? ’Tis the damn season, folks, and TikTok’s “sundress challenge” is a seasonal fave for a reason. Full permission to buy that cute lil sundress you’ve had your eye on for your next date—and keep it on for any, uh, post-date activities, if you catch my drift. (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, feel free to educate yourself here. You’re welcome.)

There’s night sex and there’s morning sex, but allow me to introduce you to all-day sex. This is the hottest time of the year (literally and figuratively). Take advantage of it by setting aside a full day for the summer sex marathon of your horniest dreams—from the comfort of your air-conditioned home, of course.

Like, literally anything, on literally any boat. Harbor cruise, dinner and/or drinks on a docked ship—hell, even just catching the ferry somewhere instead of driving or hopping on the subway can be a fun way to spend a sunny day with your summer love/crush. Life (and love) is just better on the water, you know?

Hear us out: When they're not crowded or packed with screaming toddlers, malls are the perfect summer refuge because 1) they're cold, hello, and 2) there's tons you can do there. Have an event coming up, or always wanted to see your partner in a certain kinda 'fit? (They'd look amazing in plaid, they just don't know it yet!) Make it A Thing and pick out one outfit for each other. And don't forget to stop for a food court pretzel at the end.

Remember those viral TikToks about the Target challenge? No? Allow us to fill you in: You and your partner take a trip to Target (or whichever all-purpose store you have close-by!), separate, and buy each other the following: your/their favorite drink, snack, something that's their favorite color, something that reminds you of them, and an everyday thing (think: toothbrush, pillow case, new pair of shoes, etc). Feel free to mix up the categories, too! Maybe you go for an activity to do together, instead of one of the above, or a book you want them to read. Either way, you regroup at home and show 'em what you got!