80 Creative Dating Ideas

Lately, I’ve been looking for different date ideas for my hunny and I to enjoy together. We’re working on our 15th wedding anniversary this year!!! So, I hunted up some ideas and decided to post them here for your reading … and dating… enjoyment.  Oh, and there's a few links to Baton Rouge places.

1. Sketch your dream-house floor plan and talk about the possibilities for each room.

2. Write the story of how you met. Get it printed and bound.

3. List your spouse’s best qualities in alphabetical order.

4. Tour a museum or an art gallery.

• LSU Museum of Art

5. Notice the little changes your spouse makes in his/her appearance.

6. Float on a raft together.

• Baton Rouge Recreation Boat and Canoe Rentals

7. Take a stroll around the block – and hold hands as you walk.

8. Stock the cupboards with food your spouse loves to eat. (But ONLY if he or she ISN’T on a diet.)

9. Give your spouse a back rub.

10. Rent a classic love-story video (or go out to a movie) and watch it while cuddling.

•  Movie Date ideas (these are really cool!)

11. Build a fire in the fireplace, turn out the lights and talk.

12. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride.

13. Go swimming in the middle of the night.

14. Write a poem for your spouse.

15. Remember to look into your spouse’s eyes as he/she tells you about the day.

16. Tell your spouse, “I’m glad I married you!”

17. Hug your spouse from behind and give him/her a kiss on the back of the neck.

18. Stop in the middle of your busy day and talk to your spouse for 15 minutes.

19. Create your own special holiday.

20. Do something your spouse loves to do, even though It doesn’t interest you personally.

21. Send your spouse a love letter.

22. Build a snowman together.

23. Watch the sunset together.

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24. Sit on the same side of a restaurant booth.

25. Picnic by a pond.

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26. Give your mate a foot massage.

27. Put together a puzzle on a rainy evening.

28. Take a moonlight canoe ride.

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29. Tell your spouse, “I’d rather be here with you than any place in the world.”

30. Whisper something romantic to your spouse in a crowded room.

31. Have a candlelight picnic in the backyard.

32. Perfume the bed sheets.

33. Serve breakfast in bed.

34. Reminisce through old photo albums.

35. Go away for the weekend.

36. Share a milk shake with two straws.

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37. Kiss in the rain.

38. Brush his/her hair.

39. Ride the merry-go-round together.

40. Dedicate a song to her/him over the radio.

41. Wink and smile at your spouse from across the room.

42. Have a hot bubble bath ready for him/her at the end of a long day.

43. Buy new satin sheets.

44. Tenderly touch your spouse as you pass one another around the house.

45. Reminisce about your first date.

46. Plant a tree together in honor of your marriage.

47. Go kite flying.

48. Attend a sporting event you’ve never been to together.

49. Take time to think about him/her during the day, then share those thoughts.

50. Drop everything and do something for the one you love.

51. Dinner on the beach.

52. Eat in a jail cell – preferably not because you HAVE TO!

53. Progressive dinner – have a 7 course meal, but each course is in a different room, or house.

54. Paint balling

55. Go on a scavenger or Treasure hunt throughout town (I think this is now called Geocaching!)

56. Watch movies blind folded.

57. Go rock climbing.

58. Go fishing.

59. Set up a table and eat in the bed of a truck.

60. Eat on top of a bridge.

61. Go to a driving range.

62. Go “House Hunting” and check out all of the open houses – pretend that you are looking for a house.

63. Go hiking.

64. Go to the zoo.

65. Go Christmas Caroling – in August.

66. Do charity work together.

67. Go to Chuck E. Cheese.

68. Go mini golfing.

69. Have a picnic on top of a roof. Check out the stars while you are up there.

70. Feed the ducks or pigeons (depending on where you live).

71. Get 2 disposable cameras and take pictures all over town, then get them developed and make a mini scrapbook of your date.

72. Go to a video store. Walk in blindfolded and randomly choose a video off the shelf. Watch it.

73. Go out for ice cream.

74. Go get old fashion pictures taken.

75. Go to a fair or amusement park.

76. Go target or skeet shooting.

77. Dress up in Black-tie attire. Have dinner at McDonalds and go to a movie.

78. Get on a chat line together.

79. Get a tattoo together.

80. Make dinner together and eat it.

Hey - These are ONLY 80 ideas!  If you have any to add, please feel free to make a comment!  I LOVE Comments!

Date Night, Pt. 2: Bookstore Fun!

Lately, I have been searching for different things to do on Date Night with my Dahlin'.  Frankly, I was getting bored with the standard dinner and a movie.  I want to do other things.  So, I've subscribed to different websites, such as The Romantic and Loving You, that directly email me ideas.  Some of them get my creativity going...others...well, they go to File 13.  

But there was this one idea that I came across that I thought was just so cute!  So, tonight, I decided to spring it on the Dahlin'.  I decided to surprise him with the Bookstore Date idea.  After our dinner at Charlie's, we loaded up in the SUV and headed out to the nearest Barnes and Noble.  Of course, Dahlin' had no idea where we were going.  He was just the lowly driver turning left and right as I directed him.  He's such a good chauffer!

We got parked right in front of Barnes and Noble and exited the SUV.  We entered the store and then I sprung it on him.  I handed him a list and promptly endured a look from him that said, "What are you up to?"  I smiled and told him to complete set one and meet me over in the lounging area in 15 minutes with the books he had chosen.



At our first meeting, we discovered that we had picked up the same book!!!  :D



He found a recipe for a baby goat stew!  Eww!  I found one for Cornbread Sausage Pecan Dressing.  Hmmm.

 

Ummm, I'm not telling!

 

For the last challenge, we were s'posed to

1. Find a book that you once read in high school (for me that was White Fang).
2. Find a book that has the words "Happily Ever After" in it (for me that was Snow White).
3. Find a self help book that applies to you.  (for me - well see the pic below).

 HIS answer for all three requirements of the challenge?

He says he read it in high school....he swears it has the words "Happily Ever After" in it (though he couldn't show me)...and he claims it's his "self help" book.  **rolling eyes**  But I love him anyway!  :D

Date Night, Pt 1: Charlie's

For our Date Night tonight, we decided to try out a local little hole in the wall place that we've know was there but we just haven't taken the time to experience.  So....off we went to dine at Charlie's over in Springfield, LA.   If there was a website for this little gem of a place, I would link it.  But they don't have a website.  They DO, however, have many reviews if you only Google it.

Charlie's seems to be quite the popular little place.  When we arrived, there was a waiting line!  We put our names on the list and were told it would be about 10 minutes or so before we could be seated.  Once our waitress got us settled and returned to take our drink order, she was also kind enough to snap a little picture of us to document our first visit to their establishment.



Me and my Dahlin'



The dining room

I was absolutely flabbergasted with our waitress' speed upon her return with our drinks.  When she set them down on the table, we told her we were ready to order.  She whipped out that little notepad that waitresses use and stood at the ready with her pencil in the air.  Once she got our order down, she disappeared again and before I could turn to say something to my husband, she was back with our salads.  Doesn't this one look yummy?

While we had both ordered salads, I wanted to try a cup of seafood gumbo.  What a treat!  I ended up giving the last half of it to Dahlin' because I wanted to save room for the entree.



Seafood Gumbo

After we enjoyed our salads and my gumbo, we were left to sit for a bit.  I fully expected the waitress to return with our plates of steaming seafood in the same quick manner she had previously served us, but that didn't happen.  Dahlin' and I conversed about the different plates we saw passing us by....humongous plates of stuff mushrooms, fried fish platters piled so high on the plate that it looked as if the tower of fish would topple right off and onto the floor.  We were salivating for what was to come.   

While we waited, we noticed a row of lights above the doors leading to the kitchen.  Each light was a different color....red, yellow, green, and white.  We also observed the waitresses who seemed to be assigned a particular light color.  When the green light would shine, a waitress practically ran to the kitchen and came out with her arms piled high with food.  It took a few moments before I realized that OUR waitress was apparently assigned to the red light.   It lit up twice more before she came to our table with our dinner.   I thought to myself, "What efficiency!"

Dahlin' order Charlie's Seafood Platter and as you can see from the pic, it was LOADED!  I should've gotten a shot from the side so you could get the perspective of just how tall this was!



Charlie's Seafood Platter

I played it safe with four grilled catfish fillets, six grilled shrimp, two hush puppies, bread, and fries.  I also immediately asked for a "to-go" box because I knew there was no way I was gonna make a happy plate.

Grilled Catfish and Grilled Shrimp dinner

In the end, this entire meal costs $48 and some change (minus the $6 tip we left).  I would venture to say that given today's restaurant prices combined with efficient wait staff, our meal at Charlie's was worth every penny.  They serve generous portions as well as tasty entrees and appetizer's.  Compared to Baton Rouge's Brunet's Restaurant, they seem to be just as good (minus the atmosphere) and in a safer urban location (see my post on Date Night: Robbery Excitement).  We will DEFINITELY be going back to try out some of their newer additions to the menu.

Date Night: We Saw Dead People!

Naw, not really. DH and I were looking for something different to do for date night. Usually, it's dinner and a movie or something. I'd read about this production in a newspaper article last week and thought it looked interesting. Since my husband is a history buff, I decided to surprise him with this date activity.

I told him prior to leaving the house to dress comfy and be prepared to leave the house by 6:30 p.m. He gave me a strange look and replied, "Ooooookay?".

So, we hit the road and were on our way. About halfway to our destination, he asked where we were going. I responded by asking what he thought was the fastest route to the corner of Florida Blvd. and 22nd street. He turned and said, "That's the cemetery! What are we going to the cemetery for? I'm not spending the evening doing geocaching. If that's what you've got planned, let's do something else."

I was like, "The cemetery? Really? That's where it is? Now, just how is it that you KNOW the address to a cemetery!? What's the deal there?"

Now, I don't know if he had also previously read the same article I had, but I had a sneaky suspicion that he already knew what was up. However, he kept quiet, which was nice since I was trying to spring this surprise on him.

At approximately 7:15 or so, we finally arrived at our destination where the annual Magnolia's Memories was being played for the 7th year.

We were admitted to a "staging" area where attendees could browse book and CD vendors, enjoy a bowl of Shrimp and Corn soup, imbibe in a fine wine, and listen to some outstanding bluegrass music provided by Thibodeaux's Mosspickers.

The "staging" area is also where we waited to be angelically escorted into Baton Rouge's old Magnolia Cemetery which is where the major action of the August 5, 1862 Battle of Baton Rouge took place. Many of Baton Rouge's prominent citizens are buried in this fascinating place.

My sweet hubby patiently waits his turn to "cross over".

Once we were escorted to the other side (meaning the cemetery across the street from the "staging" area), we were greeted by Mr. Charles Rabenhorst. (Okay, so it isn't REALLY him but a local actor - Robert Wilson - who is portraying him). Mr. Rabenhorst regaled us with stories of how he came to the U.S. as a 14 y.o. boy, met and married his wife, and lived his life. He also enlightened us as to how he came into the funeral business.

When Mr. Rabenhorst finished his 15 minute monologue, we were then escorted by one of several individual musicians strategically placed throughout the cemetery. Each one played some sort of period instrument and a respectful melancholy tune.

At our next stop, we "met" siblings Henry and Sarah Morgan who grew up in Baton Rouge as children of Judge Thomas Gibbes Morgan. The family lived on Church Street which is now called 4th street. There is a historical marker located at the home site which is now the Chase Bank building (I think). Sarah also wrote a diary called "A Confederate Girl's Diary" in which she wrote about the Union troops garrisoned in Baton Rouge at the time.

We also "met" Cecil Morgan, who led the fight to bring about the impeachment of Huey P. Long as governor in 1929. We were entertained by the political bickerings of early Baton Rouge mayors James E. Elam, Henry Schorten, and Leon Jastremski. A funny moment happened when Schorten and Jastremski were loudly bickering and Elam interuppted them with, "Fellas, we don't have forever."

Schorten and Jastremski stopped bickering and slowly turned while gazing at their surroundings. They then turned their attention back to Elam and said sarcastically, "Really?"

A more recent honoree of the evening was Bill Long, a talented Baton Rouge photographer who was just getting his business started when his life was cut short by a heart attack.

Our final stop of the evening was at the tombstone of Joshua B. Hare. Captain Josh Hare was the first chief of police in Baton Rouge. He also holds the "honor" of being the first Baton Rouge police chief to be killed in the line of duty. He and his widow Clara, shared stories about their lives in Baton Rouge during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After the Hares' dialogue, a string band approached as the Hare's walked off into the distance while holding hands. The musicians began playing a haunting tune called "You Will Be My Ain True Love".

We were then escorted out of the cemetery and hubby mentioned that he was hungry. It seems the Shrimp and Corn soup just wasn't enough dinner for him. Looking at the clock, we realized that most restaurants were probably closing. We chose to visit a Waffle House on the way home and rehashed the evening's events.

What a wonderful change of pace from our other date nights! Hubby even mentioned that it stirred up the history bug in him and now he has the urge to do some personal research! I think I might rent that movie, "All the King's Men" to watch this week. :D

Date Night: Catfish Charlie's

NightOn Thursday evening, our family went to a little restaurant out in Hammond, La called Catfish Charlie's. It's located at 14256 W. Club Deluxe Road. Their specialty is seafood...mostly fried. However, there are a few healthy selections on the menu. We started out with a little appetizer of Gator Bites and salad. The waitress then brought the rest of our foods. The kids weren't in a seafood kind of mood so they all ordered standard kid's fare.....fried chicken tenders. Hubby ordered the Soft Shell Crab platter and I ordered the Grilled Shrimp and mushrooms dinner. Yummy stuff!!!

The food is good but the prices......well, not so good. For our family of 6, our evening out set us back $110.00!!! Maybe they'll come down on prices but I don't think it'll be any time soon.

Catfish Charlie's decor

The best part of enjoying a meal at Catfish Charlie's is the duck, turtle, fish feeding experience. The restaurant provides buckets of leftover biscuits for the kiddos to take out to the back deck and throw into the water to the wildlife.

And here's a shot of the wildlife! Before we even exited the building, they heard the footsteps on the hardwood floor and came running....or swimming ....or flying. They wanted some biscuits!


Does this look like a duck? At first my son yelled "Otter!" but it is in fact, a nutria rat. They are not native to Louisiana, having been imported in the 1930's for the fur farming industry. They were release, either accidentally or intentionally into Louisiana's coastal marshes.

Date Night: Copeland's

The hubby came home a little earlier than usual tonight and said, "Honey, do you have plans for tonight?" After thinking a second, it dawned on me that .... NO! I didn't have any plans! No choir practice, no piano lessons, no handbells, no Boy Scouts, nothing!!! Woo Hoo! and so I told him..."No, I don't have plans. Why?"

He says, "Wanna go out?" How romantic huh? "Wanna go out?" .... to which I delightedly answered, "Why Shore!!!"

So, we leave the little ones in charge of the older ones and we head out for a dinner without all the leg tugging and "can I have a bite?"s. Not sure of our destination, we just hit the interstate and pointed the surburban to the west. Hubby mentioned that he was in the mood for some decent seafood. In light of a previous date night experience, he opted to avoid our favorite restaurant, instead choosing a restaurant that we'd never been to.

We ended up at Copeland's of New Orleans over on Essen Lane in Baton Rouge where we were greeted and seated within seconds! Shortly after we were seated (and I do mean very shortly), our waiter, Bryan, joined us to take our drink orders. There were no little containers of sugar, Sweet N Low, or Equal packets on the table....only a drink menu, a candle, and salt & pepper shakers. Nothing else. Honey ordered a draft beer while I ordered a southern sweet tea. If I had spied the previously mentioned packets of artificial sweeteners, I would have ordered an unsweetened tea and used the pink stuff.

Bryan then asked us if we wanted an appetizer to start off with. I chose the Bayou Broccoli since it just looked like an interesting name. I don't have a photo of this appetizer but trust me when I tell you it was delish!!!! The Bayou Broccoli is a ball of broccoli, bacon, and cheese, all rolled up and then deep fried and served with a dipping sauce. They serve 7 of these little hush puppy sized balls. At a cost of $7.49 for this appetizer, that comes to just over $1 per ball. However, they are well worth it! Yum Yum!!!

Hubby chose the Copeland's Famous Fried Seafood Platter ($22.99) which comes with Golden fried oysters (seasonal), shrimp, crawfish tails, crabcake and thin crispy catfish also served with French Fries, thin sliced Onion Rings, and garlic bread. I could not believe the size of this plate when it was set down in front of my husband!! The following photos were taken with hubby's cell phone. Once I purchase my new camera, I will certainly take better quality pictures.

It was my turn next to order my dinner. Knowing that I could not possibly eat as much as my hubby, I chose to experience the Crabcakes and Shrimp Alredo plate which features two fried crabcakes and a handful of shrimp on a bed of angel hair pasta topped with a light shrimp alfredo sauce with a homemade biscuit on the side. May I just say, OH My God!!! this is GOOOOOOOODDD!!! Much more than I could possibly eat. In fact, I picked out the shrimp and ate one of the crabcakes, giving the other one to hubby. The pasta was just the right texture with just the right amount of sauce.

After enjoying all that good southern food, I could not resist tasting one of Copeland's main attractions. A slice of their cheesecake. Hubby said he just didn't have room for dessert but I was determined to try this cheesecake. I ordered the Signature Cheesecake, Copeland's original cheesecake recipe with a buttery pecan crust. With several toppings to choose from, I chose the raspberry sauce. When Bryan served it, he informed me that they usually put whipped cream on top but the whipped cream machine had malfunctioned tonight. I guess that means that I'll have to do without it. After my first bite, I thought, "Who cares about whipped cream! This stuff reminds me of that scene with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in When Harry Met Sally." You know the scene, in the restaurant, where she fakes the .... well, you know! The bottom line is .... I have never in my life ever put anything on my tongue that tastes this good! I didn't even have to chew it. I just let it sit there and melt. Absolute heaven!
After dinner, hubby decided that he wasn't in the mood for our regular after dinner movie. Therefore, we ended up in the toy department at Target, playing with anything that would respond to a pressed button here or a pulled string there. The Toy Story toys are my favorite!!! I ended up pulling out a pen and paper to make a Christmas list for the girls. But ultimately, what fun we had in the toy department acting like little kids again without having the little kids along reminding us to behave like adults!

Then, we headed home. Hubby does still have to go to work tomorrow. I couldn't keep him out all night ya know.

So, there ya go, our date night. If you are ever in the Baton Rouge area, be sure to visit Copeland's for some fine Southern dining!