15 Old-School Date Ideas
New research has shown that nostalgia can make us feel warmer, so get ready to kick it old-school for the hottest date night ever. By Lauren Levine, REDBOOK.
Shake it up at a malt shop
Grab your guy and lock eyes over a frothy milkshake at an old-fashioned diner - poodle skirts and letter jackets totally optional. We guarantee you'll be pinned by the end of the night.
Take a carriage ride
This old-fashioned means of conveyance carries an air of fairytale magic thanks to Cinderella and the pumpkin-turned-carriage she took to the royal ball. Step back into yesteryear (or into the fairytale) and snuggle under a blanket in the back of a hansom carriage.
Get lasered
Admit it: Playing laser tag was a total blast at the birthday parties you went to as a kid. Even back then, it was fun to flirt with your crush by chasing each other through the black-lit passages. Now that you're older, laser tag won't lose its neon luster if you get dressed up in your finest battle fatigues and have a strategy for total domination.
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Have a roller skate date
We're not talking about renting rollerblades to glide down a path in some park here. We mean going to a legitimate roller rink, renting rollerskates, and holding hands as you round the floor in circles wondering why this was so much easier when you were nine. Every skate is a couples' skate when you're out of practice. True love means never letting the other person fall on his or her butt.
Drive in to the movies
Admit it: Movie theaters can feel a little um, public when you're watching a flick and start feeling amorous. Drive-in movie theaters - while a dying breed - combine movie magic with the starry night sky for an extra-romantic, sort of al fresco date night.
Get bowled over
Tossing a heavy ball down a wooden lane in an attempt to knock down 10 pins is a time-honored American dating ritual where heels are strictly forbidden. Sign us up.
A bicycle built for two
"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do...We'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two." Singing that song is optional, but tandem biking is a great way to sync up and get your endorphins going.
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Hit up the arcade
It doesn't get more old-school - and by that, we literally mean "this is what we did in middle school" - than going to an arcade to play air hockey, Skee Ball, and Pac-Man. Don't forget: No arcade date is complete without at least 10 tries at that infernal, frustrating claw-grabbing prize machine. These days they even put cell phones in them. Picking up slippery plastic packaging is a total piece of cake.
Bust out your billiard skills
Stripes, solids, scratch, eight ball...we're less interested in the terminology and more into giving a special someone hands-on help with his cue.
Go "parking"
Although most towns no longer have unofficially designated "makeout points," back in the day (slash in the movie Grease), going "parking" on a date was quite popular. Young couples would drive to secluded areas for some harmless necking safe from their parents' watchful eyes. But no funny business now, ya hear? You are technically in public.
Go fly a kite
Unfortunately, Mary Poppins is unavailable, but you can still sing a hearty refrain of "Let's Go Fly a Kite." Why? It's a light-hearted, teamwork activity with an immediate payoff.
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Take a swing
Going to the batting cages to swing at some balls is a great stress-reliever and fun way to prove whose professed Pee Wee League prowess actually exists. "Yes, dear, you totally hit five home runs per game in first grade. Was it a T-ball league?"
Paint the town neon green
Did you know 10 Things I Hate About You came out 13 years ago? It feels like just yesterday we were teens in the theater swooning over Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger's paintball and paddle-boating date.
Medieval Times
Breaking: Just like landline phones, Medieval Times - one of the last vestiges of nineties dinner theater entertainment - still exists. You'll get totally swept up in the fierce competition between the White Knight and his jousting foes. Plus, you get to throw modern-day table etiquette to the wind for a night, eat with your hands, and wear a crown.
Sunrise, sunset
Before the advent of televisions so high-definition they sometimes alleviate the need to go outside to experience the majesty of nature, people would actually just sit and look at gorgeous, natural wonders. The next time the two of you plan to plop on the couch in front of the tube, look outside of the box. Go outside and watch the sun rise or set. It's so simple - and free.
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