It’s the end of the month again and that means the next Matters of Marriage post!!  In our opinion date night is so important whether you are newlyweds or years into your marriage. Going on dates makes you focus in each other and really spend time together without the kids and other distractions.  We have really been trying to have a date night once a week since we have been married and some months are just a big ultimate fail in that aspect. I think we are getting better at really saying tonight we are catching up on Arrow and The Flash and this is our date night as we snuggle up watching, but with it being summer (my favorite time of the year) there are way too many fun options for date nights to settle with watching Netflix every week. The first day of summer was last week and to kick off summer, we wanted to share 10 date night ideas for you to do this summer! The best thing about these dates is that they all honestly are easy and most of them don’t even require a lot of planning so if you need a last minute date night idea or something fun to go out and do on the weekend, we have you covered!! We also highly recommend doing these as double dates!!

1. Farmer’s markets- Head out to the local farmer’s market and try some new foods and see what local people are selling!! We just went to the Rexburg Farmers market a couple weeks ago for part of our date night. The Rexburg farmer’s market is on Friday from 3-7pm. And if you haven’t tried it, you have to try the Mexican Crazy Corn. It is my FAVORITE!!! I could easily eat 3 of those every time we go to the farmers market.. Yikes!! Be sure to hold hands and don’t rush. Just enjoy being outside in the soaking up the sunshine and trying new things.
2. Drive in movies- I know we said we were trying to get away from Netflix during the summer, but drive-ins are totally summer worthy!! We love going to the drive-in, especially if you have a truck and you can get it all set up to watch it and be outside. There is something about being outside and watching movies that just makes me happy!! With that being said, you could totally do your own drive-in movie outside at your own house. You can get a projector, sheet, and speakers to get the movie all set up and going. To get comfy, I have seen people fill inflatable pools with lots of blankets and pillows or if you have a tramp, you could be on the tramp. One last idea on having a drive-in movie at home or anywhere really, get out your fully charged laptop (if it still has a disc drive) and go out to wherever you want and watch a movie with your spouse!!
3. Go for a hike- Hikes are something you might need to plan a little more for if you are wanting a longer hike. I don’t always love being reminded of how out of shape I am, but I love getting to the end and having those views to look out on. It is always worth it in the end in my opinion. We have a few that are onour summer to do list- Packsaddle Lake. Packsaddle Lake isn’t a crazy hike, but you do drive up the side of a mountain and then you hike down the mountain to get to a beautiful, FREEZING lake! I did this one last year without Logan and I want to take him there and swim!! The hike up is definitely harder than the hike down. A couple 4th of Julys ago, we hiked Devil’s Staircase with my family and I loved it. There was waterfalls, wildflowers, and snow even at the top! It was a perfect hike, other than the fact that I almost slid down the side of the mountain. I would love to hike it again! We haven’t been to this one, but we have heard about GoldBug Hot Springs in Salmon, Idaho and I would love to go hike there! Disclaimer on this one is that many people hike up to the hot springs and then sit in the hot springs nude. Just a warning!
4. Frisbee golf- We LOVE frisbee golf. I currently think that Logan is kind of obsessed with it and would love it if I gave him a disc for every holiday/birthday. We take our frisbee discs with us everywhere, including when we went to Spokane for Taylor and Brianna’s wedding. You can bet that during our downtime we went and played! Once you each get a driver ($15ish each) then it is free to go!! All you need is the right discs. Trust us, you want to buy legit frisbee golf discs to play, they make a huge difference. We also each have a putter, but those aren’t necessary! The driver is what you would want. We enjoy playing because it gives us time to be out walking in the sunshine and we get to actually talk while we play! Our favorite park in Idaho Falls is Freeman Park!
5. Baseball games- A week ago today, we went out to the ball game 🙂 See what I did there. We went with some friends to the Idaho Falls Chukars baseball game and it was the perfect summer night for it. I’m not super into baseball, but it was fun to clap, stomp, eat over-priced cotton candy, and cheer for the home team. It’s a fun atmosphere and it really felt like summer!! Tickets for the Idaho Falls Chukars game are way reasonable too!! It made me so excited to go to the Yankees game while we visit the east coast in August!!
6. Picnics- I really love our cute picnic basket from Target that we got a couple summers ago. My mom made us a picnic blanket for Christmas a couple years ago and we love going to a park, spreading out the blanket, and eating our little picnic there. Plus, if it is a busy day at the park, it gives you a chance to people watch if you like that kind of thing 🙂 It’s also fun to bring card games or something that you can play together while you are eating or when you finish!!
7. Bike rides- It’s nice outside, so get outside!! Take 30 minutes and ride along the cute little paths in town or at a park. Idaho Falls some great places to ride bikes or longboard! We love the greenbelt, Freeman Park, and Snake River Landing for riding bikes and longboarding. With it being nice and hot, you can reward yourself with a snowcone or an ice cream afterwards! Or kill two birds with one stone and ride to the snowcone/ice cream place and then ride back!!
8. Swimming- As a kid I was like a fish, I swear! My parents bought me a swim pass to the city pool and I was there every day. I probably always smelled like chlorine, but I was also WAY tan because I was always swimming. I still love to swim and be tan, so now we go to places like Rigby Lake and play! Logan is a much better swimmer than I am, but he always stays with me while we swim out to the buoys in the middle of the lake. Then take a picnic and enjoy a lunch as you warm up on your towel!! At Rigby Lake, there is also a sand volleyball set up so if anyone wants to play sand volleyball with us there, let us know!! We’d love to play 🙂
9. Camping- This one definitely takes more planning, but it’s a good little overnight date adventure!! We always say we love camping, but we’ve only been 2 or 3 times since we have been married. We plan on changing that this summer!! Plus, we have a dutch oven so we need to learn how to cook those yummy camping meals in the dutch oven. We like the idea of camping because it gets you away from “life.” Logan and I have been so busy with school, the business, and family things, that I feel like we don’t always step away and just really take the time we sometimes need. I think camping is a really good way to make that happen. Plus, camping means a fire, which means smores!!! Maybe if you get far enough away from the cities, you can stargaze! That is one of Logan’s favorite things to do!
10. Playmill Theatre– When we were dating, Logan and I went to the Playmill theatre in West Yellowstone with his family and I loved it! We spent the afternoon walking around the streets of West Yellowstone, looking at the different shops, and then grabbing a bite to eat. Each summer, the Playmill puts on a few different shows and it’s always so fun to watch! Plus, if you are in West Yellowstone, you might as well head into the park and see some beautiful scenery!!

Now that we have given you 10 date ideas, we challenge you to go on 2 dates with your spouse during July!! If you are wanting more date night ideas, we have a Pinterest board full of ideas! Check that out here!

For more Matters of Marriage posts check out these!

Positive Words

Phone Rules

On Traveling