Let me tell you—I’ve been on a lot of double dates.
Some of them were painfully boring, some of them were buck-wild, and most of them were memorable. And in any case, they always gave my partner and I fun things to talk and laugh about after the fact.
Going on a double date with your partner and another couple is a great way to cut down on the awkwardness of an early dating relationship, bring a bit of added excitement into an already established relationship, build some community, and make new friends as a couple.
No matter how you slice it, couple friends are important—especially if they’re similar to you and share a few of the same interests.
So in this post, you’re going to learn about 27 of my favorite double date ideas. If you’re looking for double date ideas that won’t suck, these are my top favorite options.
Let’s dive into it.
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12 Fun Double Date Ideas for Any Group
1. Eat a Classy Steak Dinner
What’s not to like about a great steak dinner? Invite your friends to a steakhouse, buy some wine, order a rare NY strip, tell your girlfriend to wear a little black dress, and have a great time.
2. Go to a Local Show
Local shows are always fun. Sometimes they’re crazy and chaotic. Other times, they’re surprisingly well-done and artful. This could include comedy shows, the opera, the cabaret, a local concert venue, a coffee house open-mic, etc.
3. Hit Up a Concert
Speaking of concerts—buying tickets to that big-named artist’s gig could be a great way to have some fun together on a double date. Loud music, people dancing, melodies and lyrics that everyone can sing along to—it’s just a recipe for a great time.
4. Go on a Road Trip
Did you know that frequent travel makes people 7% happier? It’s true—and it’s not surprising.
When we travel, we get to discover new things and have an adventure—and this is also an awesome way to develop chemistry for a double date.
Need some destination ideas? Check out this guide: Vacation Ideas for Couples: 39 Awesome Places To Visit With Your Partner.
5. Head to the Beach
There’s nothing quite as magical or as romantic as the beach. There’s something about the crashing waves and the vastness of it that really lends to romance and connection.
This is an amazing double-date idea that you’ll all be sure to remember fondly for years to come.
6. Embark on an Outdoor Adventure
You could go hiking, mountain-climbing, ziplining, canoeing/kayaking, tree-climbing (yes, that’s a real thing), stargazing, picnicking—whatever gets you out of the house and into nature.
7. Try Out a Specialty Restaurant
Specialty restaurants are always fun. You can try some ethnic foods that you’re not used to, or go for something completely new. Some of my favorites include Thai food, Korean BBQ, Indian food, and Greek food.
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8. Go Shopping (At Weird/Unusual Stores)
Every community has a few ‘weird’ stores that you probably usually just walk right past.
Well, it may be time to plan a tour of some of these stores, just to see what they’re all about.
For example—near my house, there’s an astrology store, an antique flea market, a weird little book-store, a flag shop, a vintage video-game store, several head shops, and a remote-control airplane store that would fit perfectly into this category.
9. Go Out to a Movie
Who doesn’t love the cinema? This is a classic date idea for several good reasons.
You can either go to a movie indoors, or find an outdoor movie viewing at a park or a drive-in (believe it or not, there are still a few around).
10. Visit Someplace That’s Haunted
Haunted places are so much fun. Plus, they also tend to be surrounded by weird history and stories.
Visiting one of these places is sure to give you an adventure that you’ll not soon forget.
You can also turn this into a Halloween double-date by visiting a haunted house, a haunted corn maze, a local escape room, etc.
11. Go Dancing
Dancing offers up a bunch of health benefits. But it also acts as a potent aphrodisiac.
When you and your partner move your bodies together in-sync to the music, you’ll be firing up all kinds of lust and romance-driving chemical processes in your brain.
Plus, dancing along with another couple gives you that group-activity vibe as well. It’s sure to be a win/win.
12. Help One of Your Friends to Explore Their Interests
Odds are good that one of the four of you has some kind of specific interest that you’ve been thinking about exploring.
Well, a double date could be a perfect opportunity for that.
For example—is your friend’s girlfriend really interested in taking a pottery class? Maybe the four of you should take one together to support her, then go out for dinner and drinks afterwards.
This approach can give you super creative ideas for meaningful double-dates.
More Good Double Date Ideas
We just discussed 12 of my favorite ideas—but that list is by no means exhaustive. Here are some other favorite options for more specific double-date criteria.
3 Holiday Double Date Ideas
1. Go to a Christmas Show
Who doesn’t love a great Christmas show? For example—almost every year, the local theatre in my city puts on their own rendition of A Christmas Carol.
It’s festive, it’s fun, people get to dress up in ugly Christmas sweaters, it’s romantic—it’s just all-around awesome.
2. Visit a Theme Park
Some theme parks really go over-the-top to decorate for the holidays. And this can be a very festive and fun atmosphere to partake of.
A local theme park about an hour from where I live really goes all-out for Christmas—and I’ve been on a few different double dates to this particular event.
It’s always a really good time (it’s cold though, so you’re gonna have to load up on that hot chocolate—and wear your mittens).
3. Go on a Specialty-Store Shopping Trip
There are also a lot of specialty stores that really go above-and-beyond for the holiday season. They set up Christmas sections that are decorated with beautiful lights, sounds, scenery, and music—and it’s just a really festive environment.
Plan a double date to do some Christmas shopping together at some of these types of stores. You definitely won’t be disappointed.
3 Double Date Ideas for Married Couples
1. Get Some Locally Crafted Pizza
Every married couple loves pizza.
You know how it is. You get married, and before you know it—you’re going a little bit lax on your diet and fitness.
Well, don’t do that. Keep those fitness and attraction levels high.
But if you can fit it into your calorie count, there’s almost nothing better than a double-date with your married-couple-friends to a local pizzeria (I’m talking about real local pizza, not that mass-produced chain store nonsense).
2. Visit a Local Brewery
I have a soft spot for local breweries because there are so many of them in my city.
I’ve literally gone on double-date tours of several breweries all in the same evening—and it was a lot of fun.
3. Hit the Book Store
Sometimes, when couples get older and get married, they start enjoying boring stuff—like reading at night (I’m kind of joking—I love to read). Well, why not schedule a visit to your local bookstore and talk books for a while?
You can finish it up with a luncheon. Nothing pairs well with books like a turkey sandwich or a gyro. It’s tremendous.
3 Cheap Double Date Ideas
1. Play Some Board Games
I’m a big fan of board games. I’ve been known to host many couples’ nights with either a board game or a card game, some great snacks, some great drinks, and a bit of music to set the mood.
It costs barely anything, and it’s a great way to have a good time.
2. Hook up the Retro Console
If you love video games, then you might have an old console sitting around that you don’t use much anymore.
For example—I once hooked up my old Super Nintendo console and fired up Mario Kart for a double date. It was a ton of fun.
Pair this with some wine and you’re sure to have a great time.
(Speaking of wine—if you’re not a wine expert, read this post to brush up on it.)
3. Stay In for a Movie Together
Sometimes nothing beats getting two oversized fluffy blankets and just parking yourselves on the couch to watch a movie.
You could watch something new, something old, or something really cheesy and just make fun of it the whole time. Pair with popcorn and some drinks, and it’s a date.
3 Fun Double Date Ideas in Winter
1. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating may not be for everyone. But for those of you who enjoy getting out there and actually doing stuff in the cold, this can be an awesome way to limber up the limbs while also laughing and moving (and hopefully not falling too hard) together on the ice.
2. Visit a Local Coffee Shop
Every community is sure to have at least a few local coffee shops.
And odds are good that the four of you probably enjoy coffee (at least to a certain extent).
Grab a locally brewed cup of joe and just spend some time hanging out together.
This date idea makes for great company, conversation, and atmosphere.
3. Take a Baking Class
Sometimes, learning together is a great way to grow together as a couple.
But the same is true when you partake in a learning activity with friends.
In the winter, baking is a necessary skill (if you want that fresh raisin bread and those amazing cinnamon rolls, anyway—and don’t you dare forget that rum cake).
So why not hone your baking skills while also enjoying a double date?
3 Double Date at Home Ideas
1. Cook a Meal Together
Eating a meal together is the ‘normal’ way to double date.
So with this idea, you can go the extra mile—and invite your couple friends to cook dinner with you.
Each one of you can contribute a dish, and plan to make it all in the same kitchen.
If you really want to make it a party, play the ‘bartender’ at the event and mix some manly cocktails.
2. Watch the Game
If your lady and your friends are also sports buffs, and if you all happen to be looking forward to the next game—why not catch it together on your big-screen? You could even spruce up your man cave just for the occasion.
You could also head down to the local pub to join in with the rest of the bar-fly crew (and order a couple pitchers while you’re at it).
3. Brew Your Own Beer or Wine
This is more fun than you might realize.
It’s actually a lot of work to brew your own wine or beer. Mead is a bit easier. But the key here is to do it together, as a foursome.
Get the supplies, put on some awesome music, put someone in charge of the instructions, and set yourselves to the task of creating your own at-home line of drinkage for a future date.
Key Things to Consider for Double Dates
If you’re thinking about planning a double date, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Let’s go over them.
1. Plan Something Everyone Will Enjoy
It’s just plain awkward to plan a date that only two or three of you will enjoy.
Trust me—it’s no fun to plan a game-night if the other dude’s girlfriend is just going to sit in the corner bored and on her phone the whole time.
So try to be strategic when planning the activities.
Hey, you can’t always bat 1000%. But at least you can try.
2. Choose the ‘Other Couple’ Carefully
Some couples are just going to mesh better together than others.
Whatever you do, don’t invite a couple on a date if there’s already some kind of existing weirdness.
Inviting the dude from work to go on a double date with you and your girlfriend isn’t going to go well if his date is an old ‘frenemy’ of your girlfriends.
Take it from me—if you can smell the possibility of drama, it’ll probably happen.
3. Sometimes It Takes People Time to Open Up
If you invite a new couple to go on a date with you and your lady, understand that it may take some time for all of you to get acclimated—so don’t be disappointed if people don’t open up all at once.
In fact, sometimes it might take a hangout or two to really break the ice. So give it a bit of time, and be patient.
4. Try Not to Have Any Expectations
One of the worst things we can do as men is to set high or specific expectations of our double-date plans.
Here’s the thing.
You’re going to set yourself up to have the best time if you just plan the date and let go of any preconceived notions.
Be spontaneous and let the evening go where it may go.
Don’t try to ram a square peg into a round hole.
Just be yourself, have fun, and enjoy the experience.
In Conclusion
Hopefully this post has given you everything you need to know about how to schedule and plan the best double date of all time.
Just remember to have a good time, and to let the event flow naturally. You’re sure to have a great time. At the very least, you’ll end up with some great memories and fantastic stories to tell.
If you’re interested in more tips, tricks, and advice for men, make sure to follow us on Instagram.
Go with grace, my friends. And never give up your power.
FAQs
Is it good to double date in a relationship?
Absolutely.
Going on double dates enables you to make friends as a couple, which is really important.
This can even be a crucial tool for developing better community support for your new or existing relationship—and there are many benefits to that.
Who pays on a double date?
For the most part, it’s customary for the men on the double date to pay for themselves and for their dates respectively.
In other words, if you invite another couple to go with you on a double date, it’s not expected that you’re going to automatically pay the way for the other couple.
Now, with that being said, if you invite a couple on a double date, and you decide that you’d like to cover the whole thing (tickets, drinks, dinner, or whatever…)—feel free to do so. This is a very generous gesture, and it can certainly make you look like a true alpha gentleman.
In fact, if it would mean a lot to hang out with this couple again (for example, if they’re great people who you would like to continue to have in your life) then it may be in your best interest to get the bill the first time around, just to let them know that you appreciate their company.
In that case, odds are good that they’ll return the favor on the next one.
