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Fun date ideas in NYC
Ditch your typical date-night routine for some exciting and fun date ideas—NYC has endless possibilities!
If you and your significant other are in desperate need of switching up your trite dinner and a movie routine at one of the best dine-in movie theaters in the city, try these super-fun date ideas! Sure, there are plenty of romantic restaurants and romantic bars that would surely impress your next Tinder date, but we’re here to offer you some variety! So whether you’re looking for quirky ways to shake off first-date jitters, or want to try something unique and exciting with your sweetheart, these activities are the essence of F-U-N.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to date ideas in NYC
Fun date ideas in NYC
1. Make the climb
You and your boyfriend or girlfriend might need to overcome some barriers that developed since you started dating, so now’s your chance to face those walls, head-on, and make the climb with bae. Head to one of the best places to go rock climbing in NYC and watch your relationship reach new heights. Trust us, you’ll be laughing, smiling and (most likely) sweating on the way up.
2. Fly—indoors!
Want to try something new and exciting with your lovah? Fly, you fools! That’s right, you can go skydiving without risking your lives at iFly—an awesome indoor skydiving activity zone. Disclaimer: iFly is technically located in Westchester, but since it’s only a 20-mile hike away from Manhattan and really, really awesome, it’s totally worth a trek. This activity will cost you, though ($89.95 for two flight per person). But it’s certainly a unique way to spend date-night!
3. Hit the slick stuff
Searching for a good way to break the ice during a first date? Hit the slick stuff! NYC is chock-full of outdoor rinks where you can strap on the blades and glide on frozen H2O. We’ve ranked the top places to go, so whether you want to skate at Rockefeller Center or NYC parks like Central Park, you certainly have a multitude of options. Get ready for some major hand-holding (y’know, if your date is a first-time skater and refuses to let go).
4. Play ping-pong and listen to jazz at Fat Cat
When you’re searching for a date-night bar that offers more than, well, booze, hunker down underground and bring your sweetie to Fat Cat. You can kill many an hour at this cheap, scruffy and jovial spot playing pool, Ping-Pong and shuffleboard ($6 to $7 per person, per hour), foosball ($1 per game) and chess ($1 for unlimited play). Once you've exhausted those options—and yourself—snuggle with bae on one of the comfy worn couches and nod along to that night's jazz band. If you’re feeling particularly daring, ask the lad or lady to dance!
5. Jump inside a bounce house at the Museum of Sex
Pull a Marvin Gaye and prepare to get it on (or, at least, think about it) at the MoSex, which showcases tastefully erotic and downright outlandish work in a jaw-dropping (but totally cultural) context. “Jump for Joy” and get giddy inside a tantalizing and enjoyable bounce house and enter an immersive wonderland of vivid sights, sounds and sensations inside the “Splendor in The Grass” exhibit to shake (or bounce off) those date-night jitters. Before you go, make a pit stop at the spacious gift shop that’s stocked with books, sex toys and aphrodisiac elixirs to keep the fun (wink, wink) going at home.
6. Kayak on the Hudson
Sure, it’s not a romantic gondola ride in Venice, but kayaking on the Hudson still sounds romantic to us. (We swoon over those skyline views!) There are plenty of boathouses and spots that offer free kayaking in NYC—Manhattan Community Boathouse, North Brooklyn Boat Club, Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, to name a few. So grab your water shoes and get ready for some fun in and sun with your S.O.!
7. Play shuffleboard at The Royal Palms
You and your date can take a trip to Florida without leaving New York thanks to Royal Palms—a pastel-streaked, palm-covered Floridian playground located in Gowanus. The name of the game at this bar is Shuffleboard, but if even if you and bae are court virgins, the waitstaff is quick to offer tips and demonstrations.
8. Ride the Cyclone at Coney Island
Carnival games, rollercoasters, cotton candy and a chance to strip down to your skivvies and sunbathe on the beach? You and your sweetheart are signing up for a full-day of fun when you trek to Coney Island. Word of advice: You and your date should go to Luna Park and ride the cyclone before stuffing your faces with some Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs (y’know, just in case.)
Going on a first date?
Check out the best first-date ideas for New Yorkers
Your crush said yes (congrats!), now take a peek at these brilliant and fun first-date ideas to really woo them