Date Ideas in Utah!

My husband and I try to do a date night once a week. I like to try new places and my husband likes what he likes, so we try to balance the new and the old. This list of date ideas are all dates we have tried out and approve of! There is so many things out there, so I'm sure I missed a lot of good things that I will have to add to my list.

Hale Centre Theater: This is the neatest place for a show. They have live acts for plays and musicals. The actors are so talented and the staging and props are done so well. The newer building is beautiful and the seats are comfy. Anywhere in the theater are good seats. My husband surprised me with a show one year for my birthday and we loved it!

Explore Downtown Salt Lake City: There is so much to do in downtown Salt Lake. We love the hikes in the area especially Ensign Peak and the Living Room Trail. There are a lot of trails and walkways throughout the city to either ride bikes, scooters or to just walk. The Capitol building is open to the public so we have gone and explored that. There is two malls to choose from that are both really fun. The food scene is pretty good there too! Temple square when it is open is a neat spot to check out as well. See my "Favorite Hikes" Blog for more details!

Sundance: Sundance is the most beautiful little getaway in the mountains. There are hikes, restaurants, shops and a really nice drive to get there. My husband and I did a day date here and walked parts of the hiking trails, sat by the fire pit, got a hot drink at the café and rode the ski lift to get nachos at the Bear Claw restaurant on top of the mountain. It is so peaceful up there and it has a lot of walk ways and areas to sit and eat, talk and just hang out. I hear the restaurants are delicious, too! Want to know more about Sundance? Check out my "What to do at Sundance in Utah" blog.

Gardner Village: Gardner Village is a cute place to go walk around, shop, and eat at. I love it during the holiday seasons. During Halloween time, they decorate with pumpkins and witches. Christmas are little elves all over the village. All year round the grounds are kept really well, so it's pretty anytime. They have a few restaurants, a candy shop, little boutiques to shop at and lots of places to sit and enjoy the scenery. My husband and I have gone for a walk around and then ended our date with a caramel apple from the Wagon Wheel candy shop.  

Logan Trip: We love driving to Logan for a day trip date. We have a few restaurants we love there as well as the cheese factory, the mall and going to Bear Lake. Angie’s diner is our all-time favorite food option in Logan, but there a few close seconds, too. They have a small mall, but have really fun stores in it so we like to stop there. Bear Lake is another half hour from Logan so we will sometimes drive that way for a famous Raspberry shake. You can rent ski doo's and go out on the lake or go relax at the beach areas along the lake. Logan really is the best little escape from the city life. I have a "What to Eat & Do in Logan, Utah" blog for some more ideas.

Midway Ice Castles: This is only done in the winter months since it needs cold weather to keep it going. We did this in January a few years ago and really enjoyed it. They have all these ice formations that create walls and beautiful structures. You can walk through them, get neat pictures, go down the slides and just enjoy the beauty of it all. It is a great walk and talk kind of date.  

St George: This would be more of a weekend getaway type of date, but it is one of our favorite date's to do! We usually stay a couple of days going hiking, eating lots of food, going to the mall, and to soak up some sun. We love Snow Canyon, but we have also gone to Zion National Park, Sand Hollow and it is close to other national parks that we haven't tried yet. There are a lot of fun and unique places for treats and food in St. George. Tuacahn theater is a great idea for a date night. We also have done a day trip to Las Vegas from St. George which was really fun, too. "Our Favorite Things to do in St. George" or "A New Way to Vacay in St. George" both have more ideas of what to do in St. George.

Boondocks: It isn't only for kids at Boondocks! We went for our honeymoon and loved it. We played miniature golf, laser tag, games, and did the go-carts. We laughed pretty hard while we were there. We had challenges for one another and was able to show off our skills. The food isn't the best there, but if you work up an appetite then they have some options for you, too. This is a good option to take your whole family on a date night here, as well.

Horseback Riding: I have had horseback riding on my bucket list for years and we marked it off during a day date! We went through a company in Midway, Utah that gives tours through the mountain side area. It was beautiful and very peaceful. We rode close enough to talk and we only had a tour guide with us. We really enjoyed this activity together. There are plenty of tours throughout Utah, so find one near you and give it a try.

Outlet Shopping: Utah has some awesome outlet spots throughout the state. We love Park City, St. George, Farmington and Traverse Mountain. We tend to take a Saturday and do our running around the shops for some new clothes or shoes. It's the best feeling when you find great deals on things you are needing or wanting. We like to walk around the malls, too! We have a standing Black Friday date every year at the mall for Christmas shopping and it's my favorite!

City Creek Center: Another fun shopping spot for a date is City Creek. This is a fun spot all year long. In the summer they have the roof opened so it's an outdoor mall and during the winter the roof is closed for a more comfortable temperature. The food court has lots of good options and there is a chocolate store, too! The temple grounds are just right across the street from this mall so you can do a two for one date if you go there, too. During Christmas it is really fun to go to the Candy windows at the Macy's in the mall and then over to the lights on Temple Square.

Hiking: Hiking is our most frequented date in the summer. We try to go on Saturday mornings and then we stop for breakfast. There are tons of easy hikes and then more advanced ones depending on what you like. Our go to is Ensign Peak, but we have tried lots of different trails. The Living Room Trail or the Suspension Bridge hike would be my next favorite two hikes. I have all my favorite hikes in my "Favorite Hikes" Blog.

Movie Date: I know this is an obvious one, but it's one of my husbands favorite dates. We try to go right when our favorite movies come out, but we do try to go early to miss the crowds. We have the refillable mugs that help make it a little bit cheaper of a date. Our favorite movie theater is called Jordan Commons, it looks like a little town and has a chocolate shop, too! The cutest date night ever was when my husband surprised me with a movie date at the Centerville old-time movie theater. The drive-in in the summer is really fun, too! Sometimes movie theaters do a date night early release of movies, which we did one time and loved it. At home movie nights can be just as fun, too!

Sees Chocolate Date: Chocolate is the way to my heart so we have had a yearly date scheduled at See's every Christmas season. We look forward to it every year. That doesn't mean we don't go other times, but that is a traditional date for us. We love getting sweets and See's is yummy. Any dessert will do though for a fun date night.

Daybreak Lake: There is a man made lake in Daybreak and is a hopping place for a fun date. They have events throughout the year you can attend or just a normal day date is great, too. We would walk around the lake, walk to Soda Row for a treat, Kayak on the lake and go to the food trucks when they would have them. You see people having picnics, feeding the ducks, and just on a little stroll.

Drive the Canyons: We love the mountains in Utah. Each season brings a different look to the mountains. There are so many canyons to drive through. There are lakes you can walk around, hikes, restaurants, ski resorts and lookout spots. Go for a drive for the scenery or go for the food spots, both are good! We love Immigration canyon and stopping by Ruth's Diner, or the Alpine Loop for Sundance.

Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolate Factory Tour: This was a fun date day activity. You can tour the chocolate factory in North Salt Lake. They walk you through their story, show videos, samples, and let you see the factory. Each tour comes with samples and the money you pay goes to chocolate at the end that you can pick out. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves during this tour. We like to stop in once in awhile for some chocolate from there.

Great Salt Lake: You have to do the Great Salt Lake at least once living in Utah. My husband and I went for our second date when we first were getting to know each other and that is where he proposed. It is just a neat site to see. It does smell and there isn't much to do, but it is a must see in Utah. There is an art piece called the Spiral Jetty that is up north along the lake that would be a fun spot to visit. The drive out to the lake is a good time for talking and singing your favorite songs.

Bear Lake: We love day trips to Bear Lake. The thing we usually go for is the famous raspberry shakes. The ski doo's are really fun to take out on the lake, as well. The drive is beautiful and allows for some good talking. This is one of my favorite date's my husband and I have done.

UTV or 4-Wheeling: There are so many options for riding in Utah. We have gone in St. George and in Salt Lake. Both areas were beautiful for different reasons. You can rent them or go with others who have them, we have done it both ways. It's a fun way to get some wind in your hair and enjoy the outdoors.

Gymnastics Meet: Utah has such good college gymnastics teams. We try to go to a meet at least once a season. This last year we went to the meet where all four Utah teams competed, which was really cool. Our favorite is going to the Huntsman center and grabbing Dippin' Dots and watching the Utah Utes beat every team that visits. The Utah Jazz basketball games are really fun to go to in person. Any sporting event is way better in person so if you get a chance take your loved one on a date to it!

Local Artist Performance: My husband and I have been to some really neat concerts and speaking events in Utah. We have a lot of talented people right in the state. There was a free suicide prevention concert hosted by Alex Boye that was really neat. Al Carraway had speaking events while she lived in Utah. For Christmas, my mom gave us tickets to see David Archuleta's Christmas concert. The Maverick Center or USANA are both great event venues for some fun concerts.

This is The Place Heritage Park: Halloween time is my favorite time to go here. My favorite haunted house experience has been at This is The Place Heritage Park. The buildings are all separated, so you have to walk from house to house which adds to the intensity of the scariness. Each house is a different theme, so you don't know what you are walking into. It doesn't hurt to hold hands during this date or jump in their arms for safety.

Breakfast Date: Breakfast for some reason is my favorite time to go out to eat. I know it is so cheap to make breakfast at home, but this gets us out of the house first thing which I love. We have found some really yummy breakfast spots in Utah. The Park Café, Kneaders, Waffle Love, Pig and the Jelly Jar, First Watch and Penny Anne's Café are all our go-to's. We usually hike early Saturday morning and then go to one of these breakfast spots.

Try a New Treat Spot: If it were up to me, all I would eat would be treats. Good thing my husband isn't too much of a sweet eater. He is a good support to go with me though when we do try new treat spots. There are sooooo many sweet shops in Utah. It is my favorite thing ever. For some of our date nights we would go try a new treat spot. My list could go on and on, but I'll tell ya my top three: Gourmandise, Ruby Snap Cookies, and Beaumont Café. Check out "My Favorites Desserts & Treats" blog for more ideas.

Date Night in One Area: We have found some fun areas to do a whole date night in. In Sugar House you can go to Millie's Burgers for dinner, walk around the little shopping area, and then grab Mochinuts for dessert. On 9th and 9in in Salt Lake you can go to Crack Shack for dinner and Spilled Milk for dessert. There's a little downtown in Daybreak where you can get an ice cream from Rockwell Ice Cream and walk around the lake. In Salt Lake City we like to get Cheesecake Factory, walk around the mall and go across the street to Temple Square. In the Riverton outdoor mall called Mountain View Village we like to get Capriotti's, Chip Cookies or Rita's and then go to the stores. Provo has a ton of options like this, too! It's been one of my favorite date nights when we find a cute area and can try all sorts of things without leaving the area.

Walk Along Legacy Park Way Trail: We moved to North Salt Lake and found that Legacy Parkway walk way is accessible from all different spots in the area. That ended up being our favorite spot to go out for walks. It was a good way for us to talk to each other, get in the fresh air, and was perfect for a sunset siting. Getting outdoors to walk around lakes, neighborhoods, anywhere near you is a great way to spend some time together. Liberty Park is a big open park for a nice stroll. Daybreak has a beautiful trail along the manmade lake.

Kayaking: Any fun thing in or on the water is another fun way to go on a date with your loved one. We have gone kayaking and ski doing which both have been such fun experiences. Each time we go out on the water we just laugh and feel at peace. There are tons of lakes in Utah to go to for these kind of activities. Our favorite spot is Bear Lake, Sand Hollow in St. George, or just Daybreak Lake which is super close to Salt Lake.

What are your favorite date's that you have done?