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11 Winter Date Night Ideas That Will Keep Your Romance Toasty

Romantic nights out shouldn't be on hold until the weather cooperates. Winter date nights are a must for couples to keep the love burning. We've put together some indoor date ideas so your winter nights stay warmer.

Suitcase
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Escape for a night

Heat things up this winter by planning an overnight getaway—you can take advantage of low rates and fewer people—especially with a resort destination. For an East Coast example, Atlantic City boasts celebrity restaurants, luxury hotels, and upscale retail shopping. Adjacent to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, the Water Club is the city’s first boutique-lifestyle hotel, offering a personalized guest experience within a distinctively cosmopolitan setting that’s a progressive departure from the old-school Atlantic City experience. The Water Club has 800 guestrooms and suites, a two-story spa, food and beverage hospitality by renowned Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, heated indoor pools and outdoor pools, and easy access to Borgata which features first-rate shows and restaurants from chefs including Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck.

Exercise
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Burn baby burn

Cycling delivers loads of health benefits (and can burn a ton of calories), and adrenaline and endorphins can be a key component of attraction. So try visiting a unique local fitness spot to up the energy during date night. Places like CycleBar, a fast-growing luxury fitness boutique, host special sessions for dates and offer themed music, reserved seating, post-workout champagne toasts, and showers to primp for dinner post-ride.

Painting
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Color your world

Imagine an evening spent sipping wine and creating art at Painting with a Twist, the nation’s largest paint-and-sip franchise. You get an evening in which you can paint with your significant other, drink a beverage of your choice, and discover your inner artist. With art instructors as guides, couples can come together for an evening of creativity as they create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. The brand even hosts specialty couples classes where each person paints one half of a painting. When the canvases come together, the painting is complete. Drinking wine during your art lesson keeps things on a fun and flirty track.

Ice-cream
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Eat dessert out

First, yes, you can have dessert—here are eight reasons why it’s healthy. Now throw on your coat, grab your sweetheart by the hand, and indulge in custom-made liquid nitrogen ice cream at Sub Zero. At this ice cream store, every order is hand-mixed right in front of you, so you’ll get dessert and a show. Additionally, there are virtually limitless flavors and combinations for everyone—including lactose-free, sugar-free, and vegan options. This unique date-night ends on a sweet note.

Dinner
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Have a gourmet dinner delivered

Ordering in doesn’t have to be pizza or Chinese food anymore. Wherever you’re staying in for date night this winter UberEats is making it possible to enjoy luxurious dishes like truffled lobster carbonara, or crown Russian caviar with your special someone—consult this list of 19 aphrodisiac foods before you order. Binge watch Netflix, catch up on your DVR shows, or spend the night sipping wine. Then when you are ready to have dinner, use an app like UberEats to order.

The average delivery takes 35 minutes from start to finish, and UberEats is in more than 150 cities. One really nice feature for date night is that you can schedule your UberEATS order in advance. No need to browse menus with your date sitting there. You can set your delivery time and choose the food you’d like all in advance, and you’ll get your order on time —without interrupting the evening.

Kitchen
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Cook together

There are a ton of things you can do together to solidify your bond—check out this list—and cooking in one of them. Try creating a romantic date night right in your kitchen. Meal-delivery services like HelloFresh provide everything you need to create a meal for two. Some of fancier selections include Gremolata skirt steak with cauliflower mash and warm heirloom tomatoes, pan-seared scallops with heirloom tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and Meyer lemon, and strip steak and truffle frites with freshly cracked peppercorns and a watercress salad.

Gym
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A gym date-night

The couple that works out together stays healthier. Many fitness centers are open late, and even have built-in babysitting. Keri Anderson, a nutrition program coordinator at Life Time Fitness in Minnesota, says a perfect indoor date-night idea would be attending a dance jam class together at Life Time, which is a studio class that has you moving like you’re on the dance floor—possible inspirations for this workout are funk, jazz, modern and more—followed by dinner at the club’s LifeCafe. “Several of our Life Time’s throughout the nation also serve alcohol so, if you want to have a cocktail while on your date, find a location that has a bar,” she adds.

Other fun gym-night ideas include taking a hot yoga class together like the Warrior Sculpt class. “Warrior Sculpt is a soulful, yet fierce fusion of yoga and weights—this sweaty, nonstop flow offers a demanding, energetic, yet surprisingly Zen-filled experience and the perfect way to get steamy on a night out with your loved one,” says Anderson. This is what your favorite workout says about you.

Tennis
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Find love on the court

Anderson says another fun idea would be to try an indoor tennis class together at one of Life Time’s 300-plus tennis courts throughout the nation. “Tennis is the perfect sport to play on date night as it offers an awesome workout, yet is an intimate experience with who you’re playing against,” says Anderson. “You can show off your competitiveness while having fun and getting in a good sweat with your significant other.”

Basketball
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Go to an NBA game

Professional basketball games are fun-centric and can create a romantic vibe for couples. Most professional sporting venues have great food options, tickets in varying price ranges, and everyone likes to root for the hometown team. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers who play home games in the Wells Fargo Center, have one of the most spirited fan bases in the country. See stand-out stars like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons take the 76ers to a new level of talent.

Game-night
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Have a game night

Tiya-Cunningham-Sumter, a relationship coach and blogger in Chicago, suggests a new spin on the old-school game night to get sparks going. “Find just a couple of the games we played as children, like Connect Four, Trouble, or Uno and add a little fun to them,” she says. You could also try online puzzles like this one. “When you lose a round you either do something silly or playful or, even more exciting, remove a layer of clothing.”

Paint
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Have a face-paint party

Choose paints made with organic and natural ingredients that easily wash off with just water like Natural Earth Paint. Whether trying to dress up as characters, showing support for your favorite team, or just having some fun, these clay and mineral-based face and body paints can add a bit of spice to an indoor date.

Erica Lamberg
Erica Lamberg is an experienced travel and business writer based in suburban Philadelphia. Specializing in family travel, cruise experiences, and tips for enriching and affordable vacations. Beyond travel, Erica writes about personal finance, health and parenting topics. Her writing credits include Reader’s Digest, USA Today, Parents Magazine, Oprah Magazine and U.S. News & World Report. Her favorite city is Paris and she dreams about visiting Greece and Israel. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park and is married with two children.