Cheap Date Night Ideas for the Outdoors Couple
We aren't the type of couple that enjoys dropping serious coin on dinner out. Don't get me wrong, we love good food, but we'd rather spend our money elsewhere. So when it comes to date night, you'll typically find us far away from any restaurant and instead outdoors doing something we love that brings us closer as couple. Most of these ideas are super inexpensive, if not completely free! Maybe a tank of gas, but overall thrifty ideas to enjoy each other without breaking the bank!
RIVER BANK SITTIN' - Grab a bottle of wine, beer, or some coffee/hot chocolate and head on down to sit on the banks of the lake or river nearest you! You could even bring a small backcountry camp cooking "stove", like this one from Cabela's, to melt chocolate to dip strawberries into! Or make some oatmeal to watch the sunrise! In South Dakota, during the months of August and September, Brian and I like to sit and watch the paddlefish jump out of the water. I lovingly refer to it as "midwest whale watching". We also sit and watch many a sunset fall on the Missouri River; something that never gets old and leads to so many incredible conversations.
HIKE WITH A CAMERA - This is something we started to do early on in our relationship, before we ever even went hunting together. I was already into photography and hiking, so this was a no brainer for me to enjoy. Brian, on the otherhand, isn’t someone who just inherently wants to hike around. He prefers to have a purpose. This is where taking along a camera comes in handy. We would spend time looking for interesting things to take photos of. And while photography was not his thing, he did find enjoyment in helping me find cool things to photograph and trying some for himself as well. This leads us also into the next topic…
SCOUTING FOR ANIMALS - Brian is an avid hunter and has been since long before I ever knew him. Scouting for animals is something we enjoy doing together. He has an incredible eye for finding animals with his naked eye and binoculars (he uses these, if anyone is in the market). It can be so peaceful to sit on a hillside, seeing as far as we can see, and locating as many deer (or other animal species) competing to see who can spot the most. Watching the sunset from that hillside is a pretty awesome perk as well!
COFFEE ON A TAILGATE - Fill a thermos with coffee or hot chocolate. We like these from Grizzly. Grab some extra mugs, like these. Head out down any gravel road, or find a piece of public land that sits high on top of a hillside, or near a river bluff. Put the tailgate down. Watch the sunset. Then lay back and stargaze!
SCAVENGER HUNT - This can be a lot of fun to see who can find the most of whatever it is you set out looking for. (Sheds, Morel Mushrooms, acorns, buckeyes, buck rubs etc). Pick something that interests you both, find a piece of public land or 2, and get exploring!
ARCHERY PRACTICE: Shooting our bows is one of our favorite activities when we are between hunting seasons. But flinging arrows is monotonous after a while. So we like to have some fun. We purchased a block target that has 9 bulls eyes, similar to this one here from Cabela's. We then take turns shooting and playing tic-tac-toe! We are a competitive couple so this can get pretty dangerous, but always ends in lots of laughs!
We'd love to hear from you! What do you and your significant other do for date nights?
