5 Spring Date Ideas
April Daniels Hussar, SELF magazine
Spring has sprung! Daffodils, tulips and cherry blossoms are in bloom, and love is in the air (along with all the pollen!). It's time to store your winter boots, come out of hibernation and make the most of this time of regrowth and new beginnings, starting with your romantic life. No more movie nights on the couch! To get you inspired, we've got five great ideas, whether for your next outing with your long-term guy or for your next first date.
"Because of the great weather, spring dates are typically much more active than their fall and winter counterparts," says Ariana Anthony of HowAboutWe.com, a new kind of dating site where, instead of focusing on lengthy profiles, members show who they are by posting date ideas that begin with the words: "How about we..."
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Anthony and her team analyzed over 500,000 date ideas proposed and accepted on HowAboutWe.com, and for spring, "outside" is in! "Outdoor dates such as hiking, biking and going on picnics are especially popular at this time of year," says Anthony. "We've also noticed that the best dates come in three parts -- it's the formula, if you will, for an ideal date." That formula is ... 1 part alcohol (or other indulgence, if you don't drink) + 1 part physical activity + 1 part specific location.
Speaking of alcohol, according to Anthony's data-crunching, spiked lemonade is an impressive 20 times more popular in the spring. With this in mind, Anthony shared these fun spring date ideas with HealthySELF:
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Seize the day: Enjoy an early morning bike ride and watch the sunrise, then grab coffee to wind down your morning and gear up for the day.
Barefoot in the park: Head to a farmer's market and pick out your favorite seasonal picnic snacks. Then, set up camp at a nearby park, nosh and throw a Frisbee around. Don't forget the spiked lemonade!
Make up a mock triathlon: Propose playing three sports in quick succession. Afterward, you can reward yourselves with a three-course meal.
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Get your game on: Play a game of "HORSE" or "Around the World" at a nearby basketball court. Winner gets treated to a beer at the nearest bar playing March Madness games (basketball-related dates are 10 times more popular right now on HowAboutWe).
Get creative: Artsy dates are posted on HowAboutWe.com 22 percent more often in the spring; drawing and photography dates are especially popular, with drawing dates receiving about six responses per mention, and photography dates receiving five. With that in mind, grab your cameras and go on a photo safari at the closest botanical garden. Happy Spring!
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