30 Anniversary Date Ideas That Aren’t Dinner and a Movie
Whether you’ve been with your significant other for one year or 20 years, an anniversary is a milestone worth celebrating. Still, planning the perfect date for such a special occasion is easier said than done, which is why we’ve put together a list of anniversary date ideas that ensure romantic success. From bowling to boat rides and everything in between, here are our top picks.
The 24 Best Fall Date Ideas to Try
1. Road Trip
Justin Paget/Getty Images
Pick a spot on the map (preferably somewhere not too far away), queue up a playlist with music you both love and hit the road together for an intimate and memorable adventure.
2. Apple Picking
Cavan Images/Getty Images
Picking sweet fruit with your partner on a picturesque orchard is a recipe for romance. Needless to say, if your anniversary coincides with apple picking season, this one is a no-brainer.
3. Amusement Park
Digital Vision./Getty Images
If you’re scared of roller coasters, your SO will just have to hold you tight.
4. Boat Ride
Erik Isakson/Getty Images
A moonlit boat ride with your better half is the perfect way to celebrate an anniversary—assuming you live near a body of water, that is. Bonus points if you bring a bottle of wine along and toast to many years of smooth sailing ahead.
5. Visit Your Wedding Venue
JovanaT/Getty Images
Take a trip back in time to the day you said ‘I do’ with a sentimental visit to your wedding venue—just be sure to pack some tissues in case someone starts crying happy tears.
6. Go to a Museum
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images
Soak up some culture with your sweetie by visiting a nearby museum that speaks to both of your interests. When you’ve made the rounds, head home together for an evening of stimulating conversation about what you saw and learned.
7. Go Record Shopping
HEX/Getty Images
If you don’t have a record collection already, start one. Building a music collection with your SO is an intimate bonding experience and a fun project, too—and arguably the best part is hopping from store to store in search of an album you both can get down with.
8. Tour a Vineyard
Dimensions/Getty Images
Sure you can just pop a bottle of wine at home, but if you swirl and sip at a vineyard instead, you’ll be rewarded with a scenic backdrop and a bit of education too.
9. See a Stand-up Comedy Show
doble.d /Getty Images
Whether you buy tickets to see a comedian you both know and love or risk it by attending an open mic night at a comedy club, a good time is practically guaranteed.
10. Go to a Concert
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
Research has shown that music is a powerful tool for bonding and a live performance takes it to the next level. Score some tickets to see an artist you both love, and it will be an anniversary to remember.
11. Get a Couples Massage
PeopleImages /Getty Images
Set yourselves up for a successful anniversary celebration by booking a side-by-side appointment for a massage that melts the stress away.
12. Have a Spa Day
FG Trade/Getty Images
You don’t have to go all in on a pricey couple’s massage; a little R&R in the form of a mani-pedi or even just some time in the steam room together should do the trick.
13. Visit a Sculpture Park
Morsa Images /Getty Images
Here, an anniversary date locale that boasts cultural appeal and romantic picnic potential, to boot.
14. Stroll Through the Botanical Gardens
PhotoAlto/Ale Ventura /Getty Images
An anniversary is an ideal occasion to stop and smell the roses with your sweetheart, don’t you think?
15. Go to a Sporting Event
PhotoAlto/Belen Majdalani /Getty Images
You know what they say—the couple who cheers for the home team together, stays together.
16. Visit a Bookstore
Luis Alvarez /Getty Iamges
Bookstores are inherently romantic places, and celebrating another year of storybook love with a trip to one is, well, rather poetic.
17. Take a Candle Making Class
JulPo /Getty Images
That candlelit dinner will be so much more romantic if you make the mood lighting with your twin flame.
18. Recreate Your First Date
Evgeniia Siiankovskaia/Getty Images
Because you don’t have to be married to take a romantic trip down memory lane together.
19. Take a Cooking Class
NoSystem images/Getty Images
Many culinary institutes offer cooking classes, but you could also go the virtual cooking class route if you want a more intimate way to heat things up with your SO.
20. Try Ballroom Dancing
MoMo Productions /Getty Images
Learning a new skill with your partner will bring you closer, especially if that new skill involves spending the afternoon pressed up against each other and moving rhythmically to the tune of tango music.
21. Go Rock Climbing
Adie Bush/Getty Images
Prefer to get physical? No problem—just head to an indoor rock climbing gym together for an endorphin-boosting workout that will prime you for romance. (Hint: The science says that endorphins play a role in attachment, bonding and sexuality.)
22. Go to the Opera
goodynewshoes /Getty Images
What better way to celebrate such a special day than by dressing to the nines for a night out at the opera?
23. Paint Together
supersizer/Getty Images
You don’t have to be Picasso to have a blast painting with your partner—just maybe steer clear of portraits, lest anyone get offended by the finished piece of art.
24. Go to a Karaoke Bar
HEX /Getty Images
Throw back some liquid courage if you need to and drag your partner on stage for the best rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that you can manage.
25. Picnic on the Beach
Jordi Salas/Getty Images
This one is particularly romantic if your anniversary falls during the off-season.
26. Do a Couples Photoshoot
FG Trade /Getty Images
Get some new family pics for the living room wall or hey, why not capture the sexy side of your romantic relationship with a couples boudoir photoshoot?
27. Go Bowling
SeanShot /Getty Images
Bowling is just downright fun—and who knows? The friendly competition might even get you and your boo to start flirting like it's your first date all over again.
28. Watch an Outdoor Movie
Twenty47studio/Getty Images
Netflix and chill has grown a little tiresome, but an outdoor viewing experience—be it on a projector screen in your backyard or at the drive-in—is a special occasion-worthy way to breathe new life into your movie night routine.
29. Hiking
The Good Brigade/Getty Images
Hiking is yet another way to get those endorphins pumping, and if you pick your trail wisely, the pay-off might also include an oh-so romantic view from the summit.
30. Progressive Dinner
Jordan Siemens /Getty Images
We know, we know, we said no dinner date ideas. And sure, dinner at a restaurant isn’t exactly groundbreaking as far as date ideas go…but going to a different restaurant for every course is a whole other story.
60 SUMMER DATES THAT ARE ANYTHING BUT BORING, FROM STARGAZING TO OYSTER SHUCKING
