100 Free or Cheap Dates Ideas!

Spending time with your special someone doesn’t have to break the bank. We gathered up a whopping 100 cheap date ideas to help keep the romance alive without busting your budget!

Cheap Date Ideas

Happy Friday!! In the spirit of weekend fun I’ve compiled a great list of 100, yes 100, fun and cheap dates night ideas, (and some are totally free date ideas!) most should be under $20 (depending on where you live.) So no excuses this weekend-go out with your honey and have some fun!!

100 Creative Cheap Date Ideas

1. Hiking
2. Rollerskating – indoors or out!
3. Bowling – look for discount nights!
4. Minor League Baseball– less expensive than the major leagues but still so much fun!
5. Volunteer together
6. Board Game Night gather up your games and make a night of it, better yet make it a double date and invite friends to join in
7. Exercise together
8. Paint your own pottery
9. Tour Open Houses in your area – for the House Hunters lovers!
10. Poker Night
11. Work on a Puzzle together
12. Pick seasonal fruit or berries
13. Rock Climbing
14. Browse Art Galleries
15. Attend a local Community Concert
16. Fly Kites it’s cheap and surprisingly fun, you’ll feel like kids again!
17. DIY Fondue at home
18. Camping
19. Go Thrift Store Shopping spend some time finding treasures together! Flea markets are another fun place to explore.
20. Visit a Farmer’s Market 
21. Find a local Historic Tour
22. Happy Hour move date night earlier and get a discount on your cocktails!
23. Attend a Community Theater Performance
24. Go Stargazing does it get more romantic?
25. Swim at a community pool
26. Attend a “Free Day” at a museum most museums have monthly or quarterly discounted or free admission days, take advantage!
27. Go out for Ice Cream
28. Attend a showing at a Dollar Theater check your theater for discounted showings
29. Take a walking tour of a nearby town or city
30. Go to the Arcade and play video games there’s nothing like some old school pac-man!
31. Watch the Sunset together grab a blanket, pack some wine and cheese and choose a great spot to watch the colors of the sunset
32. Sing Karaoke fun and free!
33. Visit a local farm or petting zoo
34. Have a picnic pack your favorite foods and pick a picturesque spot
35. Visit a Botanical Gardens
36. Play miniature golf Putt-putt or mini golf is fun and inexpensive
37. Visit the library and browse books/read together
38. Ride Go-Karts
39. Play at the Batting Cages
40. Play Laser Tag we did this recently and I had side stitches from laughing so hard, it was a blast!
41. Attend a Matinee Movie another case of how moving the time of your date can help you save cash!
42. Have a Shrimp Boil
43. Visit a Winery take a tour and try the wine flights after, they are usually quite affordable and a great way to taste test the wine
44. Have a bonfire and make S’mores
45. Rent a tandem bike and go for a ride
46. Attend a Wine Tasting
47. Take a Scenic Drive together make sure you stop to explore anything interesting you come across!
48. Play pool (billiards)
49. Have a Redbox movie marathon
50. Go garage sale hopping
51. Take a Ballroom Dance Class many studios offer your first class free
52. Have a Netflix TV Series Marathon
53. Attend a High School Football game cheer for your local team!
54. Test Drive your Dream Car
55. Go Canoeing or Kayaking rentals are very affordable
56. Tour a local factory
57. Play Frisbee
58. Go to the circus
59. Take a day trip to a lake, beach, state park, or mountains enjoy the beauty of nature near where you live
60. Bake cookies together
61. Play tennis you can often find very inexpensive rackets on Craigslit of Facebook marketplace if you don’t already have them
62. Go horseback riding
63. Play bingo at a Bingo Hall
64. Attend a show at a comedy club earlier shows are often less expensive than late night shows
65. Go to a drive-in movie
66. Go sledding
67. Go fishing
68. Cook a new, exotic recipe together
69. Attend a local festival check your newspaper for things happening in your area
70. Visit an aquarium
71. Have a candlelit dinner at home
72. Try geocaching
73. Build a snowman
74. Take a class at a community center and learn a new skill
75. Take a slow walk around your neighborhood holding hands just enjoy each other’s conversation and maybe take a walk down memory lane
76. Visit a local park or playground and play like you’re 8 again!
77. Go to the Zoo
78. Go snorkeling if you are near a beach or lake
79. Attend a poetry reading
80. Tour a brewery like the wineries, they often have inexpensive flights to taste their different brews
81. Go to a carnival
82. Have a water gunfight
83. Feed ducks at a lake
84. Write a Bucket List together dream up adventures you’d like to share
85. Look at travel books at the bookstore and plan a dream vacation
86. Attend an Open Mike night at a local coffeehouse or bar
87. Take a cooking class together
88. Help out at a local animal shelter together
89. Go out for breakfast at a local diner breakfast is less expensive than a dinner date most of the time!
90. Enjoy a cup of coffee at a coffeehouse and people watch
91. Have your palms read
92. Go window shopping at stores you can’t afford
93. Go to a driving range
94. Take a run together
95. Attend a lecture at a local university or college
96. See a local band play you might just find the next big stars!
97. Have a themed cuisine night at home-Italian, Mexican, etc
98. Go to a Fair
99. Walk around town taking silly tourist-y pictures
100. Have an at-home romantic spa night-bubble bath, lotions, you get the picture!

I hope you found some inspiration in this list of free and cheap date ideas…did I miss any fun dating ideas? Leave them in the comments! You can also look at my money-saving DIY Gift ideas as well!