101 Free or Cheap Dates Ideas for 2021!

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!

Free & Inexpensive Date Ideas

Outdoor Dates

1. Hiking-Find your nearest state or county park and spend some time outdoors together. Hiking is the perfect activity to be active and still be able to have great conversations!
2. Pick seasonal fruit or berries-Summer is perfect for picking blueberries or strawberries, while fall offers pumpkin patches and apple picking!
3. Rock Climbing-Get adventurous and find a local rock climbing area or indoor climbing facility. You’ll challenge yourselves and make great memories in the process.
4. Fly Kites-Flying kites is cheap and surprisingly fun, you’ll feel like kids again! It makes for guaranteed laughter, I promise!
5. Camping-Pack your tent and find the nearest local campground. Make s’mores around the campfire and sleep under the starts for a date night to remember.
6. Visit a Farmer’s Market 
7. Go Stargazing does it get more romantic?
8. Watch the Sunset together grab a blanket, pack some wine and cheese and choose a great spot to watch the colors of the sunset
9. Have a picnic pack your favorite foods and pick a picturesque spot
10. Have a bonfire and make S’mores
11. Rent a tandem bike and go for a ride
12. Go Canoeing or Kayaking rentals are very affordable
13. Play Frisbee
14. Take a day trip to a lake, beach, state park, or mountains enjoy the beauty of nature near where you live
15. Go sledding
16. Go fishing
17. Try geocaching
18. Build a snowman
19. Take a slow walk around your neighborhood holding hands just enjoy each other’s conversation and maybe take a walk down memory lane
21. Visit a local park or playground and play like you’re 8 again!
22. Go snorkeling if you are near a beach or lake
23. Have a water gunfight
24. Feed ducks at a lake
25. Take a run together

At Home

26. 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.
27. Exercise together
28. Have a Netflix TV Series Marathon
29. Poker Night
30. Cook a new, exotic recipe together
31. Work on a Puzzle together
32. DIY Fondue at home
33. Have a Shrimp Boil
34. Have a Redbox movie marathon
35. Bake cookies together
36. Have a candlelit dinner at home
37. Write a Bucket List together dream up adventures you’d like to share
38. Have a themed cuisine night at home-Italian, Mexican, etc
39. Have an at-home romantic spa night-bubble bath, lotions, you get the picture!

Under $20

40. Rollerskating – indoors or out!
41. Bowling – look for discount nights!
42. Minor League Baseball– less expensive than the major leagues but still so much fun!
43. Paint your own pottery
44. Attend a Wine Tasting (or have one with friends-everyone bring one bottle to share!)
45. Happy Hour move date night earlier and get a discount on your cocktails!
46. Go out for Ice Cream
47. Attend a showing at a Dollar Theater check your theater for discounted showings
48. Go to the Arcade and play video games there’s nothing like some old school pac-man!
49. Play miniature golf Putt-putt or mini golf is fun and inexpensive
50. Ride Go-Karts
51. Play at the Batting Cages
52. Play Laser Tag we did this recently and I had side stitches from laughing so hard, it was a blast!
53. Go to a Fair
54. Attend a Matinee Movie another case of how moving the time of your date can help you save cash!
55. 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
56. Play pool (billiards)
57. Take a Ballroom Dance Class, many studios offer your first class free
58. Attend a High School Football game cheer for your local team!
59. Go to the circus
60. Play tennis you can often find very inexpensive rackets on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace if you don’t already have them
61. Go horseback riding
62. Play bingo at a Bingo Hall
63. Attend a show at a comedy club earlier shows are often less expensive than late night shows
64. Go to a drive-in movie
65. Visit an aquarium
66. Take a class at a community center and learn a new skill
67. Go to the Zoo
68. Tour a brewery. Like the wineries, they often have inexpensive flights to taste their different brews
69. Go to a carnival
70. Take a cooking class together
71. Go out for breakfast at a local diner breakfast is less expensive than a dinner date most of the time!
72. Enjoy a cup of coffee at a coffeehouse and people watch
73. Have your palms read
74. Go to a driving range

Around Town

75. Volunteer together
76. Tour Open Houses in your area – for the House Hunters lovers!
77. Browse Art Galleries
78. Attend a local Community Concert
79. Go Thrift Store Shopping spend some time finding treasures together! Flea markets are another fun place to explore.
80. Find a local Historic Tour
81. Attend a Community Theater Performance
82. Swim at a community pool
83. Attend a “Free Day” at a museum most museums have monthly or quarterly discounted or free admission days, take advantage!
84. Take a walking tour of a nearby town or city
85. Sing Karaoke fun and free!
86. Visit a local farm or petting zoo
87. Visit a Botanical Gardens
88. Visit the library and browse books/read together
89. Take a Scenic Drive together make sure you stop to explore anything interesting you come across!
90. Go garage sale hopping
91. Test Drive your Dream Car
92. Tour a local factory
93. Attend a local festival check your newspaper for things happening in your area
94. Attend a poetry reading
95. Look at travel books at the bookstore and plan a dream vacation
96. Attend an Open Mike night at a local coffeehouse or bar
97. Help out at a local animal shelter together
98. Go window shopping at stores you can’t afford
99. Attend a lecture at a local university or college
100. See a local band play you might just find the next big stars!
101. Walk around town taking silly tourist-y pictures

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!