Hellllooo friends! How are y'all this week? Today I have a big ol list of date ideas for you. These may not all be brand new ideas, but I did choose them with specific criteria:

• They can be done on any type of date, not just the romantic kind.
• Most can be done for under $100.
• These can mostly be done at anytime of the year, but I was thinking about fun things to do in this half winter, half spring weather.

Let me know if you try any of these or if you have anything to add! Have fun out there, love birds <3

Make something dates

You know that sexy scene in Ghost where they throw clay together on the wheel? Channel those vibes in a DIY workshop! Make something dates are perfect for romantic dates, friend dates, parent/kid dates, maybe even first dates?! Here's a few fun places to make something:

​Clay Collective is a small studio on State Street that offers date night clay classes on Friday nights. It's $90/couple and you will both make something out of clay, start to finish!

​A Way With Clay is a paint your own pottery studio. Choose from one of 400 clay pieces (pot, bowl, vase, plate, garden gnome, etc) and then paint it however you want! They also have weekly classes.

​Boise Art Glass offers a variety of glass-blown art classes. Make a cute lil keepsake together!

​Paint 'n Sip at CHOW has walk-ins, open paint studio and classes every day of the week! Appointment or scheduled class recommended. It's in CHOW Food Hall, so super easy to make it a lunch/dinner date.

​Season + Taste is a cooking school in downtown Boise that offers cooking classes. They have allll kinds of classes for adults, families, kids, and teens to learn how to cook things like pies, pasta, different cuisines, and more. These are intimate classes and fill up quick, so it's recommended to book asap!

Do something dates

​Top Golf is kinda obvious because it's brand new. In addition to the main golfing game, they also have mini golf and food/drinks.

​Treasure Valley Skate is the place to go for roller blading/skating. You can byo or rent there. It's really fun!

Play some games! Go to Idaho Pinball Museum, Dave & Busters, and Wahooz.

Rage Rooms are a new-ish thing where you go into a room and break stuff. We have two: Ragers Smash & Axe (it also has axe throwing) on Fairview/by the mall and Hammer Time (also has paint splatter, axe throwing & a shooting gallery) in Nampa. There's all kinds of things you can smash and all kinds of ways to smash. Going to one of these for a first date could potentially tell you a lot about a person, just sayin lol.

Go dancing! Ochos in downtown Boise has Argentine Tango, Salsa & Bachata lessons & open dance on Wed & Fri, first & third Saturdays, and the last Thurs of the month. The Buffalo Club in Boise has swing and line dance lessons Wed-Sat every week.

Outdoor dates

Go skiing/snowboarding at Bogus Basin or make a day trip to Tamarack Resort or Brundage Resort in McCall. If you are a beginner, you can take lessons & rent gear from all of these resorts! I highly recommend a lesson at Bogus - that's how I learned to ski and didn't kill my partner in the process lol.

Go snowshoeing! I loveeee to crunch around on snowshoes and there's so many good places close to Boise. A few close to home options are Stack Rock, Boise Ridge Road, Rocky Canyon Road and the Bogus Basin Nordic trails (Nordic day pass is $17-$24), which has some snowshoe specific trails. Bogus Basin also does guided snowshoe hikes, including full moon hikes! Also if you check out the Ridge to Rivers trail map, look for the blue trails and click on the trail to see conditions - some trails like Stack Rock will say "plan on snowshoes". Day trip options: Adelmann Mine and Idaho City Park N' Ski trails (Banner Ridge and Whoop Um Up Loop are great and easy to access from parking lot).

Soak in a hot spring. Nothing like going for a soak this time of year. The Springs at Idaho City and Mountain Village Resort are easy because you can make a reservation. Undeveloped options are Kirkham Hot Springs, Gold Fork Hot Springs, Rocky Canyon Hot Springs (you have to wade across the river to reach this one), Bonneville Hot Springs, and Pine Flats. There's lots more obviously, depending on which way you are headed.

Go for a walk/hike. Going for a walk is an underrated date option. It's such a good way to talk & spend quality time together while getting fresh air & not spending any money! Some great hikes for this time of year: Cervidae Peak, Bethine Church River Trail, Rim Trail in SE Boise. Also the 12-mile Snake River Petroglyph Tour hike is a great full-day option.

Go for a drive. Pack a picnic and go find something cool! Some places I love to go explore: Celebration Park (there's a cool bridge here, hike to the top of a butte, and petroglyphs!), Snake River area (great bird watching), Bruneau Dunes State Park (play in sand), Blacks Creek Road (this is where we got engaged and saw a massive bald eagle - it's awesome), Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway, and Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument are a few.

Sponsored by Derluj

Tis the season for a sale...

​Derluj, a cute lil gift shop on the bench, is having a big huge sale! This summer, Derluj is closing for a bit while she searches for a new location, which means everything is on sale! This is the perfect place to get v-day gifts, Mother's Day gifts, stock up for bdays, anniversaries, etc. I always find something here, and right now everything is 50% off!

Check out Derluj at 701 S Latah St on the Boise Bench.

Watch something dates

​The Flicks is a indie movie theater in downtown Boise showing indie, foreign and art films. They also have Rick's Cafe American, which serves burgers, sandwiches, snacks, desserts, wine and beer and full espresso bar.

​The Egyptian Theatre plays classic & well-loved movies throughout the month on varying days. This month's movies include Back to the Future, The Godfather, Star Trek, and 10 Things I Hate About You.

​Boise Spectrum has Edwards Cinema and CHOW Public Market. Dinner and a movie? Easy.

​Steelheads Hockey games are so fun. This month the Steelheads have home games on Feb 8, 10, 11, 22, 24, and 25.

​Ballet Idaho is performing Anthology this week, Thursday Feb 9 through Sunday, Feb 12.

​Boise Philharmonic is performing Sorcerer’s Apprentice on Sat Feb 25 and has more performances coming up in March and April.

See a live theater performance at Stagecoach Theatre, Boise Contemporary Theatre, Boise Little Theater.

Comedy shows are a great date (unless your date is easily offended...lol). Of course, refer to my comedy section in the Thursday newsletters! But Mad Swede seems to have regular comedy shows throughout the week.

Live music is always a good option in my book. Neurolux, The Olympic, Knitting Factory, The Sapphire Room all have regular show calendars. To just drop in and hear some tunes, check Pengilly's Saloon, Ironwood Bar & Grill, New Colony Beer Co. Also just check B-Side Mag's calendar!

Eat & drink something dates

Combines one of these with something from the above or just do a good ol fashioned dinner date:

​Watson's Cafe has a ton of different interactive events throughout the week, including trivia, murder mystery dinners comedy dinners and more.

​The Modern is one of my fave date night dinner spots. The food is always good, drinks hit the spot, it's intimate and cozy. Also easy to book a room if you want to make a staycation out of it!

​Amano is always, always good and worth the drive to Caldwell. They were just nominated for a James Beard Award!

​KIN has amazing cocktails (and NA cocktails!), out of this world food, and lots of ways to try both. You can do one of their prix fixe dinners, grab food and a drink at the Art Haus Bar, and they have a new bar called the Ampersand Bar on the top floor of the One Capital Center building on Main Street.

​Wepa Cafe in Garden City is a fun one with delicious Puerto Rican food. They take reservations!

​Apericena on 13th is a newish little restaurant with amazing food and a very cozy vibe. They have an upscale menu but can accommodate many different dietary needs.

​Little Pearl Oyster Bar is another fave for me. You really can't go wrong here.

​Water Bear Bar is my fave cozy place to nook up with my lover and have a beverage. They have so many options and creative drinks, plus the plant-filled, dark & moody vibe is just like, sexy lol.

Don't leave the house dates

For those who don't want to find a restaurant, babysitter, outfit, etc, but also don't want to do the dishes. I feel ya. Here's some great take out spots for din:

​The Butcher Block from Chandlers. The dinner for two is $100 and includes 2 proteins (they come hand cut, trimmed and ready-to-cook at home), 2 salads, 2 side dishes and a dessert.

​The Wylder has an amazing yet kinda hidden take out menu. If you go to the online order menu, you can choose the Wyld Night + Suppers menu. This has a Fried Chicken dinner with sides ($17), house made Lasagna ($18), and the Wyld Night in, which is a pizza, veggie side, salad & bottle of wine or 2 cocktails ($35-$55).

​Fork has a take out menu featuring their classic meals and they have a limited to-go cocktail menu!

​ÁLAVITA also has a take out menu featuring their classics. The burrata is my fave! Also you can order their pasta to prepare yourself at home. Fun!

​Cucina di Paolo is amazing & perfect for date night at home. The have take & bake lasagna and pot pies, and you can add salad and/or garlic bread. Also the weekly desserts are soooo good.

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Ok that's all I got for you today. What's your fave date spot??

Thanks for reading!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

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