2 Quirky 'Valentine's Day' Date Ideas For Adventurous Couples

Running low on date ideas for Valentine's day? Here's two that are perfect for fun-loving couples.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | February 14, 2025

If you're running low on date night ideas for this Valentine's Day, you're not alone. Relationship experts emphasize that regular dates are essential for maintaining a strong and fulfilling connection, but when every outing starts to feel like the same dinner-and-a-movie routine, date nights can lose their magic. The problem here isn't date night itself; rather, it's the repetition. Predictability, after all, is the enemy of excitement.

Thankfully, this Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to cut loose from monotony and inject some adventure back into your relationship. If you're looking for something fun, playful and a little out of the ordinary, here are two date ideas that promise to bring laughter, spontaneity and lasting benefits to your relationship.

1. Take A 'Left-Right' Roadtrip

The "left-right" game is the perfect way to bring spontaneity and adventure back into your relationship. The idea is simple: you and your other half jump in the car—no GPS or maps allowed—and drive.

There is no set final destination, nor should you be actively searching for one; all you need to do is take the first left you see, then the next possible right. Keep rinsing and repeating the alternating left and right turns, and observe the world around you.

After a while, the odds are that you'll come across neighborhoods, people and places that you've never seen before—or get lost. Don't panic if you do; this is the point.

Dates like these—in which couples find themselves in new, unexplored territories and situations—are essential. As 2013 research from the Oxford Handbook of Close Relationships explains, novelty is key for self-expansion within a relationship—that is, the sense that you're still growing and developing as a person, and as a couple.

New, exciting or unfamiliar experiences are paramount in this sense: they epitomize novelty and exhilaration. Even if the activity itself doesn't leave you with any new skills or resources, the experience of novelty alone is enough to instill a lasting sense of refreshment and invigoration.

Considering this, how the left-right game ends is really up to you. The best way, however, is to stop when you see a new place that catches both your and your partner's eyes. It could be an old-school diner, an antique store, a sexual wellness store, a pet store or a farmers' market—all that matters is that it's a place that's new, fascinating, unfamiliar or strange.

From there, explore everything the place has to offer. Eat the strangest thing on the menu, befriend the grumpiest pet in the shop, try on the ugliest clothes in the store or ask the owner questions about the place. There should be no goal other than curiosity, exploration and novelty.

At the heart of this date is the thrill of the unexpected: every left, every right and every choice is a venture into the unknown. By stepping outside of your usual routine, you can rediscover the excitement of not knowing what comes next, while also reaping the tangible benefits of novelty and self-expansion. You might even find a hidden gem in your own city—or, at the very least, walk away with a good story to tell your friends.

2. Find An IKEA And Play House

For children, there's never a shortage of fun things to do. Put Legos, a box of old clothes, some crayons or even dirt in front of them, and they can find something to do with it. Through imagination alone, they can create entirely new things, ideas and people.

Old clothes turn into costumes for quirky characters, and backyards become backdrops for action-filled scenes and games—even that dirt can become an ingredient for a pretend meal, potion or painting.

Of course, imaginative play was both essential and fun in childhood; it taught us how to problem-solve, communicate, share and be creative. While we may have mastered all these skills already, play is still just as essential and fun in adulthood—most especially in romantic relationships.

As research from Personal Relationships explains, play gives rise to an array of positive emotions—such as happiness, joy and surprise. When enacted with a romantic partner, playfulness simultaneously results in a palpable boost in relationship satisfaction. Sharing the forgotten joy of play allows for couples to feel closeness and intimacy in ways that feel nostalgic and frivolous.

However, for adults, it's easy to feel like there's no room for imaginative play between work, chores and the recovery that follows—unless you actively carve out the time. That's why date night is the perfect opportunity to bring playfulness back. The challenge then becomes finding a way to play, especially since most adults are out of practice.

This is why there's no better place for it than an IKEA—your local, adult-sized, pre-furnished dollhouse, and the perfect setting to play house. The goal of this date is to have fun stepping outside of your usual routine by stepping into a new, pretend one. Embrace the role-play of building a life together, no matter how silly or dramatic it gets.

Before you enter your new home, assign yourself and your partner a role. Will you be a newlywed couple walking into your dream home for the first time? A quirky, old married couple who can't agree on anything? Ultra-rich socialites loudly critiquing the peasant furniture? From there, all there's left to do is move in and get comfortable.

Create fake morning routines in the display bathrooms. Sit down and watch non-existent TV shows together on the blank walls. Make lavish, imaginary dinners together in the showroom kitchens. Hash out pretend domestic disputes over furniture choices. And, of course, end your long day by heading to one of your many beds.

This kind of date brings out a lighthearted, playful side of your relationship that often gets buried under the weight of non-pretend adult responsibilities. It's a rare chance to be silly and laugh at yourselves. And while it may all feel like a short-lived game, remember that every day with your partner is a game of house—all you need is some imagination to rediscover the joy in domestic life.

Are date nights a thing of the past in your relationship? Take this science-backed test and find out if it's cause for concern: Relationship Satisfaction Scale

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.