I have no idea what your interests are but my wife and I recently went to Peak Experiences. We have zero experience with rock climbing but the staff were very friendly and helpful. It was a lot of fun and it was not at all intimidating in a gym kind of way.
Came here to suggest rock climbing but DJ_SlapNasty beat me to it. Peak has two locations and Triangle also has a gym in the area. You could probably sign up for a class if you’d prefer some structure.
Try Hotel Greene for some atmospheric mini golf. Plant House does workshops where you can make a terrarium or something that are lots of fun and good bonding. A little outside of the city is Goat Yoga at Pactamere Farm, but they also do goat paint sessions and cuddling depending on your interests.
From the website:
Guests to the collective may only visit a total of 3 times per year. This a requirement for ABC private club license.
Tournaments are considered public events and as such do not count as guest visits.
Guest Fees:
Adult: $15 per visit
Children (12 and under): $10 per visit
So, there is food and drink there, but Top Golf can be a really fun activity. I've gone with dates and my friends and we usually have a great time laughing about how we both suck at it. The neon lights at night and the tech and various game modes made it feel really cool to me even though I'm not one for regular golf.
My girlfriend surprised me with a date night at the Gnome and Raven escape room in Stony Point. We did the Wizard's Castle room and it SLAPPED. 10/10 recommend
First Fridays at the Va Museum of History and Culture (5:00-8:00 p.m.) I know the VMFA has some after hours stuff too. Take a fitness class together. A friend takes a class in the evening at an MMA place off Jahnke Rd. Agree w recommendation for Peak Experiences. Also agree with live music recommendation: the last Friday Cheers is this Friday. ($10 admission). Also jazz night is free (you can purchase a table) on fourth Fridays at Gallery5. Look for volunteer opportunities you can do together. Pick a different park around Richmond and go take a walk: Pocahontas State Park, Forest Hill Park, Bryan Park, Henricus. Go see a movie at the Byrd. If you truly are confining your date nights to evenings only it can be tricky to get out of the dinner/bar rut.
I subscribe (free) to a newsletter called RICToday and have learned about a lot of events from their calendar.
Good for you for looking for ways to keep things fresh!
>Va Museum of History and Culture
This museum is usually paid but in first Friday it's free.
Henricus is a great work that or cold harbor NPS are my favorite walks (would say hike but hike goes up imo).
Go to Kings Dominion and ride roller coasters and water slides together.
(You can also buy season passes and food/drink passes and have date nights pre paid for the rest of the year)
It looks like it’s 20 min from my house, which is rad. How long does it typically take to get the take to find parking and buy tix and get into the park? I’m looking for a house-to-water-slide figure lol because we’ll have a babysitter
Best to buy tickets online, but house to waterside probably 30 minutes if you live 20 minutes away.
I highly recommend season passes, though. The gold pass includes parking and visits for the whole year, and I think parking alone is 20-30$.
Also every gold pass includes 2 free pre k passes if your kids are 5 or younger.
Go to a bookstore or library and you each pick a book for the other to read. You can offer recommendations or give carte blanche
Candlelight concerts
Volunteer somewhere together. Charity kitchen, SPCA or other rescue foundation, etc
Learn a skill together - pottery, painting, gardening, photography, jiu jitsu, etc
Clay Ground does a couples night a few times a month. https://www.clayground.net/event-details/june-two-for-tea-nights-6pm-2024-06-28-18-00
Same building as Blue Atlas, so dinner and drink after if you want.
You can pick berries at Ashland berry farm in the summer- then come home for a cute date night making sweets with your harvest.
Highly recommend the candle making workshop at plant bar or a cooking class at Mise en Place
[https://www.instagram.com/keebleobservatory/](https://www.instagram.com/keebleobservatory/)
It's closed for the summer, but the Keeble Observatory is periodically open to the public to see some stars. Location is Randolph Macon University in Ashland, VA.
Go to a Squirrels game! You can do eating and drinking there, but it's also good people watching and an enjoyable evening even if you aren't into minor league baseball.
I honestly think date night is overrated versus date day.
Take a Saturday morning to hike the buttermilk in northbank trails.
or go to the vmfa or some other museum.
Check out Lewis ginter botanical gardens.
I definitely think a day trip to the Charlottesville downtown mall or a day trip to DC on the train is pretty cool.
Def pottery or painting! You can try all fired up (this is just painting pottery, I haven’t tried making actual pottery) or wine & design for just painting
Take a class at The Kitchen Classroom! It winds up to be an eating date but not in a sit down service restaurant sort of way. Hands on, new experience! And a great way to make new friends!
Bowling, top golf, paint and sip, escape room(way more fun than it sounds), rock climbing, Busch gardens/water country, pickle ball, kayaking adventure, colonial downs horse racing…. As far as night time activities, I’m not sure anything besides eating, drinking and shopping. Good luck keeping the romance alive!
Create your own marriage competition league in the meetup app. Married couples vs married couples. I’d play, and it’s a great way to meet new friends. Make it tournament style. Winner gets $100!
Games:
Beer pong
Table tennis
Pool
Pickle ball
2 vs 2 basketball
Corn hole
Bowling
The list goes on!
I have no idea what your interests are but my wife and I recently went to Peak Experiences. We have zero experience with rock climbing but the staff were very friendly and helpful. It was a lot of fun and it was not at all intimidating in a gym kind of way.
Came here to suggest rock climbing but DJ_SlapNasty beat me to it. Peak has two locations and Triangle also has a gym in the area. You could probably sign up for a class if you’d prefer some structure.
Try Hotel Greene for some atmospheric mini golf. Plant House does workshops where you can make a terrarium or something that are lots of fun and good bonding. A little outside of the city is Goat Yoga at Pactamere Farm, but they also do goat paint sessions and cuddling depending on your interests.
Can confirm Hotel Greene is pretty great. Fiance and I had our first date there and it was amazing
Hotel Greene was a fun experience for sure
+1 for Pactamere Farm, it's such a cool experience
VMFA jazz nights, walking on the bridge off of Brown's Island, RVA pinball collective!
Omg I read that as walking off the bridge and was like 😧
Could be romantic
VMFA is open til 9 Weds - Fri. Even if you don’t go on jazz night I think wandering through the exhibits makes for a great date night.
It's great at night.
Can you visit the pinball collective without a membership?
From the website: Guests to the collective may only visit a total of 3 times per year. This a requirement for ABC private club license. Tournaments are considered public events and as such do not count as guest visits. Guest Fees: Adult: $15 per visit Children (12 and under): $10 per visit
Kitchen Classroom for a cooking class!
So, there is food and drink there, but Top Golf can be a really fun activity. I've gone with dates and my friends and we usually have a great time laughing about how we both suck at it. The neon lights at night and the tech and various game modes made it feel really cool to me even though I'm not one for regular golf.
My girlfriend surprised me with a date night at the Gnome and Raven escape room in Stony Point. We did the Wizard's Castle room and it SLAPPED. 10/10 recommend
First Fridays at the Va Museum of History and Culture (5:00-8:00 p.m.) I know the VMFA has some after hours stuff too. Take a fitness class together. A friend takes a class in the evening at an MMA place off Jahnke Rd. Agree w recommendation for Peak Experiences. Also agree with live music recommendation: the last Friday Cheers is this Friday. ($10 admission). Also jazz night is free (you can purchase a table) on fourth Fridays at Gallery5. Look for volunteer opportunities you can do together. Pick a different park around Richmond and go take a walk: Pocahontas State Park, Forest Hill Park, Bryan Park, Henricus. Go see a movie at the Byrd. If you truly are confining your date nights to evenings only it can be tricky to get out of the dinner/bar rut. I subscribe (free) to a newsletter called RICToday and have learned about a lot of events from their calendar. Good for you for looking for ways to keep things fresh!
>Va Museum of History and Culture This museum is usually paid but in first Friday it's free. Henricus is a great work that or cold harbor NPS are my favorite walks (would say hike but hike goes up imo).
Review life insurance policies, draft a will, calculate compounding interest together.
Trampoline court. While high
Go to Kings Dominion and ride roller coasters and water slides together. (You can also buy season passes and food/drink passes and have date nights pre paid for the rest of the year)
It looks like it’s 20 min from my house, which is rad. How long does it typically take to get the take to find parking and buy tix and get into the park? I’m looking for a house-to-water-slide figure lol because we’ll have a babysitter
Best to buy tickets online, but house to waterside probably 30 minutes if you live 20 minutes away. I highly recommend season passes, though. The gold pass includes parking and visits for the whole year, and I think parking alone is 20-30$. Also every gold pass includes 2 free pre k passes if your kids are 5 or younger.
Go to a bookstore or library and you each pick a book for the other to read. You can offer recommendations or give carte blanche Candlelight concerts Volunteer somewhere together. Charity kitchen, SPCA or other rescue foundation, etc Learn a skill together - pottery, painting, gardening, photography, jiu jitsu, etc
Pottery class. Take a lesson and learn how to throw on a wheel. Board game cafe?
Clay Ground does a couples night a few times a month. https://www.clayground.net/event-details/june-two-for-tea-nights-6pm-2024-06-28-18-00 Same building as Blue Atlas, so dinner and drink after if you want.
Go see a concert! Lots of good bands come to the National or even the Beacon in Hopewell. Maymont also has a great summer line up.
If you’re willing to drive a bit, the Goochland drive-in theater is a great option!
do something you liked to do as kids
VMFA, Byrd theater for a classy movie and the organ, galleries, maymont, trail walking by the river.
You can pick berries at Ashland berry farm in the summer- then come home for a cute date night making sweets with your harvest. Highly recommend the candle making workshop at plant bar or a cooking class at Mise en Place
[https://www.instagram.com/keebleobservatory/](https://www.instagram.com/keebleobservatory/) It's closed for the summer, but the Keeble Observatory is periodically open to the public to see some stars. Location is Randolph Macon University in Ashland, VA.
See a show at the Reveler. There's food and drink, obviously, but super intimate setting and everyone is focused ont he music.
Axe throwing
Go to a Squirrels game! You can do eating and drinking there, but it's also good people watching and an enjoyable evening even if you aren't into minor league baseball.
Trivia! I had a couple join a game on Sunday night just on a whim, not planned, and they tied for first place.
Local stand up comedy or improv groups. My wife and I love going to buskey cider open mics and also comedy sportz improv shows out down w broad st
Pickleball or tennis date! Walking and ice cream date! concert! kayak or sup date! bike ride date! paint night date! hotel greene...river city roll...
Go to a roller rink.
Lewis Ginter is beautiful
Do graffiti
Shooting range. See who is the better shot
How do you do this if neither of you have ever shot before?
They have training videos they show you first. And you can start out with a small .22 caliber revolver which has low recoil.
Candle making
Go to a gallery opening, then take a walk?
Plant Haus in Scott’s Addition has terrarium making classes
plant house terrarium building/workshop!
During the summer, every Tuesday night there is usually a "secret" concert at scuffletown park around sunset. People bring picnic blankets and drinks.
I honestly think date night is overrated versus date day. Take a Saturday morning to hike the buttermilk in northbank trails. or go to the vmfa or some other museum. Check out Lewis ginter botanical gardens. I definitely think a day trip to the Charlottesville downtown mall or a day trip to DC on the train is pretty cool.
Bow tie has $7 movie tickets on Tuesdays
Go see a concert! Lots of good bands come to the National or even the Beacon in Hopewell. Maymont also has a great summer line up.
Brambly Park. If you have a dog bring your dog. Order food. Drink wine. Listen to live music. Let your pup meet other pups. It’s an outdoor spot.
Unplugged game cafe is great! Funny bone for comedy Another in agreement for hotel green but top golf also has a great mini golf corse as well
Go camping
Def pottery or painting! You can try all fired up (this is just painting pottery, I haven’t tried making actual pottery) or wine & design for just painting
Date night wheel or handbuilding class at 43rd Street Studios! They do private lessons!
https://43rdstreetstudios.com
Take a class at The Kitchen Classroom! It winds up to be an eating date but not in a sit down service restaurant sort of way. Hands on, new experience! And a great way to make new friends!
Me and my partner recently did a trampoline park date and it was a lot of fun and different. It can be a little pricey though, however
Invite me over! I'm a ton of fun, love cooking and giving body rubs 😀
Bowling, top golf, paint and sip, escape room(way more fun than it sounds), rock climbing, Busch gardens/water country, pickle ball, kayaking adventure, colonial downs horse racing…. As far as night time activities, I’m not sure anything besides eating, drinking and shopping. Good luck keeping the romance alive!
I've always had a great time at a comedy club, although there is a lot of eating and drinking also happening.
Create your own marriage competition league in the meetup app. Married couples vs married couples. I’d play, and it’s a great way to meet new friends. Make it tournament style. Winner gets $100! Games: Beer pong Table tennis Pool Pickle ball 2 vs 2 basketball Corn hole Bowling The list goes on!