Top 10 | COVID-Safe Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Here are 10 romantic and COVID-safe date ideas for you and your long-term partner — or new boo — to enjoy this Valentine’s Day.

1. Write each other love letters

This date idea may be a little bit risky if you just recently started dating the person. But if you have been seeing each other for at least a couple of months (bonus points if you two have already said “I love you”), writing each other love letters could be a beautiful way to commemorate and celebrate the holiday.

This is also a great way to strengthen your bond and share how you feel about them and your relationship. If you’re not the best at sharing your feelings, especially in person, then writing them down and letting them read your thoughts in the privacy of their home or another room in your apartment can still help you get the message across without any of the awkward word vomit!

Don’t know where to begin? Here are some writing prompts to help you get started:

Write down your five favorite things about your relationship.
What I love most about you is …
Something I have never told you before, but I want you to know is …

Once you have both written your letters, you can exchange them IRL or mail them out.

2. Rent a romantic getaway for a night

If you have extra money to spare and you’re looking for some adventure, consider booking a sweet getaway or staycation somewhere local for the night. The two of you may be able to forget about the stresses of everyday life and enjoy each other’s company in the comfort of your own little escape for a day.

Check out the Airbnb app or a popular hotel or travel site like Expedia or Hotwire to scope out available cabins, spas, or private rental spaces in your area. If you’re feeling adventurous enough, you can also head an hour or two away from home so you’re super secluded without any distractions that might pop up if you were to stay close by.

3. Take a virtual cooking class

Cooking and eating together is an intimate act that can bring you two closer together, especially on Valentine’s Day. You can whip up something with the ingredients that are already in your fridge, buy groceries for a special dinner, or order takeout, like heart-shaped pizza pies or sushi rolls. But if you’re sick of making or ordering the same old thing, why not take a virtual cooking class?

This will be a fun way to challenge or help each other in the kitchen. After all of your hard work, your reward will be a delicious home-cooked meal that you get to enjoy together in the same home or from a distance via Zoom or Facetime call!

Bonus: Make chocolate-covered strawberries, a rich chocolaty cake, or another sexy dessert after.

4. Play an intimate card game

What better way to get to know each other than to ask one another questions that inspire vulnerable conversations? Instead of struggling to come up with unique, thought-provoking questions yourself, you can play an intimate card game that does the legwork for you!

Card games, like We’re Not Really Strangers, for example, have each player pick a handful of cards that feature questions like:

WILDCARD: Ask a question you’d be too afraid to ask. Something you wouldn’t dare to ask.
How are you, really?
How would you describe the feeling of being in love in one word?
What did your worst heartbreak teach you?

The conversations that stem from these games can get very deep. You might be surprised at how much you learn about your date and how much closer you become after playing.

5. Go see a drive-in movie

Going to a drive-in movie theater is a great Valentine’s Day date idea for new or long-term couples. That’s because drive-in movies are casual in nature but can also be as sweet as you would like them to be, all based on how you approach it.

You can bring snacks, like popcorn or chocolate-covered strawberries, recline your seats, and cuddle up under a cozy blanket while you watch whatever is playing on the big screen. If you can find a designated friend to come to drive you home later, a bottle of wine could be a romantic touch, too.

6. Visit a museum

For the folks who would like to spend their holiday of romance learning or sightseeing with their partner, consider heading to a local museum.

If you live in New York, maybe make the trek into the city to visit the Museum of Sex. Otherwise, there are tons of museums with rotating exhibits all around the country that you can scope out with your date. Just pop in a quick Google search for museums in your area, along with any other words that might interest you (like history, art, nature, space, etc.), and spend the day touring the different rooms together.

7. Go for a hike

Are you looking for an activity that will get your blood flowing? Spend the day going on a hike with your date! Catching some fresh air will feel nice, and you will also be COVID-safe in the great outdoors. But if it will help you feel more comfortable, you can always wear a mask … both for health and safety’s sake as well as keeping your face warm from the winds in high altitudes.

If it’s not too cold out where you live, or if you two are willing to bundle up and bring flashlights, stay out there long enough for the sun to go down. That way you can catch a beautiful sunset from the mountain tops or a starry night sky.

8. Make vision boards

Go to a local crafts store, pick up some large cork boards, pins, and tape, and gather a bunch of old newspapers, magazines, and photographs that you like. Side by side or on a virtual call, each of you can craft your own vision board full of what you would like to bring into your life over the next year — from new homes to adopting a pet to landing your dream job.

Not only will this bring out your creative sides, but it can also inspire conversations about what you two want out of life in the short term and long term. What’s more romantic than planning out your futures together? And who knows? It could even lead to talks of creating a life together and what that might look like.

9. Go ice skating

If you and your date don’t really know each other too well yet, an outdoor date might be more enticing. Going ice skating is a fun date idea that might leave you falling … for them or on the ice rink.

This Valentine’s Day date idea is casual enough to not feel too serious, but it can also be pretty romantic if you hold hands while you skate around the ice together. If nothing else, it could just be a funny memory of the time you and someone you met off a dating app had a painful date.

But this isn’t just for people who just started dating. Long-term couples can enjoy ice skating too! This plan could be great for all partners, no matter how long they have been talking.

10. Stargaze around a fire

If you have access to a backyard, rooftop space, or local beach that allows bonfires, spend the night with your date around a fire. You can cozy up with some sweats and blankets, roast s’mores to snack on, and cuddle together underneath the stars. Talk about your dreams, goals, and whatever else is on your mind while the sparks fly.

If you end up resorting to date idea number two (a getaway), some cabins and beach spots will already have fire pits and the makings for s’mores. So you can combine two date ideas in one for extra romance and fun!

Making Your Plans

Whether you just met someone on Zoosk or Match that you plan to take out this year or you and your partner have been dating for a while now, there are many different ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you don’t have anyone to date this year, don’t worry! It’s not too late. You can hop on one of the best online dating services on the market and start chatting with someone special sooner than later. If you do that now, there is still time for you to find somebody to take out for one of these date ideas on this holiday of love (or lust … whatever you are into). Otherwise, treat yourself to one of these dates! Valentine’s Day is a day for self-love and single people, too.