Dating in college can quickly become an expensive endeavor. But college date nights don’t have to be a burden! There are countless cheap (but still super fun) date night ideas you can do any time of year. These range from outdoor adventures, cheap (or even free) event tickets, fun nights in, and so much more! So, if you’re looking for some cheap college date night ideas, you have come to the right place and just keep reading.
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Outdoor Adventure Date Ideas:
- Go on a hike: Use AllTrails to find a fun and rewarding hike near you. Be sure to look at the images provided on the hike to ensure the views will be worth your time. Don’t forget to pack the ten hiking essentials!
- Go for a scenic drive and picnic: Check out the nearest national park or scenic area near you for the afternoon. Be sure to pack a picnic!
- Go camping: Check out a campground near you and see if they have any open reservations. Most campgrounds have tent sites that can be as cheap as $5 a night! Some ideas for campgrounds:
- National Forest Service
- National Park Service
- State Park Service
- KOA
- Other Privately Owned Campgrounds
- Go on a skiing/snowboarding adventure: Most universities with nearby skiing or snowboarding opportunities have VERY discounted ski passes available. Take advantage!
- Rent a mountain cabin for the weekend: Airbnb offers countless cheap rental options that can easily be used for a cheap and fun weekend getaway. Be sure to book them far in advance to ensure a great price!
- Go mountain biking: Another fun adventure is mountain biking! If you don’t have the proper equipment, many universities have cheap rentals available.
- Book a group outdoor adventure: Head out for the day on a river rafting, skydiving, hang gliding, zip lining, rock climbing or other fun outdoor adventure in a group! Usually, you can find some killer group rates that will easily fit into your budget.
Related: The Ten Hiking Essentials: What You Can’t Forget on your Next Outdoor Adventure!
Night-In Date Ideas:
- Movie night: One of my favorite tricks that people surprisingly don’t know and/or don’t use is utilizing the public and campus library. Both libraries usually have an incredibly wide selection of movies that you can borrow for seven days… FOR FREE! If you can’t find what you’re looking for Amazon Rentals are a great alternative.
- Game night: Board games and card games can be so much fun for just two people! You just have to find the right games to play. Our current favorites are Pandemic, Terraforming Mars, and 7 Wonders.
- Home cooked meal: Nothing is better than a nice home cooked meal! Check out my tips on healthy meals in college for some inspiration.
- Challenge each other in a Chopped style competition: Better yet, make a competition out of dinner and see who can cook up the best meal with what ingredients you can find in the kitchen!
- Go stargazing: If the weather is nice and clear, head outside to see the stars. Better yet, check to see when the next meteor shower will be!
Related: 105 Fun Staycation Ideas for Couples
Downtown Date Ideas:
- Free museum day: Many big cities will host free community events at their local museums, zoos, gardens, and other locations. Be sure to see if yours has them and add them to the calendar!
- Free zoo day: Like the free museum day, your zoo may have similar free days. Many will only have them during feeding time, so you want to be sure to get in early to see them all.
- Free gardens day: Again, your local gardens may have free admission days as well!
- Free art walk weekends: Another great community event is the art walk! Many cities and towns host free art walk events where artists from around the area showcase their work. Many also have street performers, vendors, free art museum admissions and more.
- Farmers market: The farmers market is a great place to stock up on great (and cheap) produce, hear free live music, and so much more. They make a great outing for the day!
- Ballet: Ballet companies offer cheap group tickets that many universities take advantage of. Be sure to keep track of what tickets your university is offering. Last Christmas, we scored free Nutcracker tickets.
- Concerts: Similar to the ballet, your university may offer cheap or free local concert tickets! You can also sometimes find student discounts or other great deals.
- Drive-in theater: Drive-in theaters may be dying out but they are still a blast to attend! They are usually a great price too. The one we go to is $8 per person for a double feature.
- Movie theater: Going the regular movie theater is incredibly fun too. Make sure to eat a good meal before hand so you don’t spend too much at the concession stand. It is always fun to see a movie on the big screen!
- Sporting event: Sporting events can be so much fun! You can easily find cheap tickets in the nosebleeds or college-night discounts. Plus, the nosebleeds are where all the fun happens anyways…
- Go to a theme park: Local theme parks usually offer discounted tickets during their off season or during sales. We scored super cheap yearly passes for ours over the Memorial Day weekend sale.
- Go to the fair: Another cheap yet fun adventure is the local fair! Be sure to check your local fairgrounds website to see when their next event will be hosted.
- Go bowling: Bowling is such a fun, yet cheap activity you can easily do anytime of year.
- Go out for dinner: One trick we love to use is saving all of our restaurant gift cards for special date nights or celebration dinners. This way, we don’t stress about money and still have a fun date night planned!
- Be tourists for the day: Be a tourist in your own city! Snag a bike or walk around local hotspots. You will be surprised at what you might find!
- Volunteer together: Head to your local shelter, church, or community center and spend the day serving your community together.
- Run in a 5K together: Many communities have local 5K’s you can easily join for cheap. As an added bonus, most of them raise money for great causes!
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money in College
Campus Date Ideas:
- On-campus events: Many universities host special events (like during Homecoming Weekend) throughout the year, where admission is cheap or free for students. Be sure to take advantage of them! Some examples my universities have hosted include: Macklemore, Phillip Phillips, Wayne Brady, and this year, Adam Savage from Myth Busters!
- College sporting events: College football, rugby, lacrosse, swimming, gymnastics, baseball… they are all so much fun to watch and even more fun to watch at the game with all the rowdy college kids.
- Campus concert: University band and choir concerts are incredibly fun to attend, and usually free as well!
- Campus theater: Similarly, campus theaters usually host great plays and musicals throughout the year as well.
- Campus fair: Many college campuses also host different fairs throughout the year to promote different club events or holiday activities. Always be sure to keep an eye on what your campus event list looks like.
Related: 66 Romantic Rainy Day Date Ideas
Bonus: Create Seasonal Bucket Lists!
Creating seasonal bucket lists are a great way to add some fun date nights to your weekends. To help you get started, here are my current seasonal bucket lists:
- The Ultimate Winter Bucket List
- 50 Spring Activities to Keep You Busy All Season Long!
- The Best Summer Bucket List – 50 Fun Activities
- Top 50 Autumn Activities to Add to Your Fall Bucket List
- The Ultimate Halloween Bucket List
- 50 Magical Holiday Activities to Ensure You Cherish The Season
I hope these ideas have sparked some inspiration for your next cheap college date night. These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, there are countless other cheap ideas out there! Don’t forget to take advantage of student discounts and campus events; you might be surprised where you end up! Have fun!
Looking for more AMAZING date ideas? Check out this ultimate list – it includes 279 ideas!!!
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