The iconic neon sign hung at the Gateway Mall has a point: Salt Lake City is for lovers. Though the city has much to offer couples from all walks of life, the same restaurants and downtown hangouts can become a little stale after a while–even if what you order or how you spend your time is just as good as the first time you and your partner visited a favorite spot.
To keep things fresh between the two of you, and explore more of what the great city of SLC has to offer, check out these fun date ideas for your next night out.
1. Solve a Mystery
One of the best ways to spend quality time with your lover is to engage in a little teamwork and hit up an escape room Salt Lake City residents use to really test their cooperative skills. These escape rooms have different themes, from historical adventures to creepy circumstances, and there’s no better way to determine whether you’d make a great team, or if your collaborative skills need a little work, than by giving one of these escapades a go together.
2. Take a Walk
Salt Lake City is a city with gorgeous scenery, charming neighborhoods, beautiful parks and plenty of walkable pathways. Head out for a stroll with your date in one of the area’s beautiful and interesting gardens, including Red Butte, Gilgal and Temple Square, or just use a neighborhood walk on a street lined with historic homes as an excuse to hold hands with the one you fancy.
3. Explore a Museum
SLC has no shortage of culture, and there are dozens of fascinating museums to prove it. Take your date to one of the many interesting museums in town, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, The Leonardo, The Natural History Museum or The Clark Planetarium.
4. Go For a Ride
Thanks to Salt Lake City’s bike paths and wide downtown sidewalks, you can zip around on any of the city’s rentable wheels either between date locations or as a date itself. There are a number of rentable bicycles and scooters that can be reserved using an app and taken out for as long or as short as you’d like, and you can even bring out one another’s competitive sides and make a race out of it. Just be sure to follow sidewalk traffic and don’t speed off too fast.
5. Paddle Around
At the south end of Liberty Park, you and a date can head out on the pond during the warmer months for a little bit of romantic time on the water. The reasonably sized body of water is perfect for the park’s two-seater, rentable paddle boats, so you and your lover can float around and enjoy great conversation, fun people-watching and the joy of one another’s company.
6. Take a Class
Give your date something to brag to their friends about and take them out to learn a new skill. The city is full of opportunities to join a class to learn how to be a better cook, painter, potter, gardener, dancer or even a better meditator.
7. Go Shopping
Perhaps the most notable downtown shopping area is right across the street from Temple Square. City Creek Center has something for everyone, no matter if you’d like to purchase some new designer goods or just pick up a smoothie to enjoy while you window shop together.
8. Get Outside
Utah is a state full of self-proclaimed outdoorsy types, but you don’t have to get in on the climbing scene or take one of the state’s long hikes to really enjoy the scenery. Drive up one of the valley’s canyons, such as Little or Big Cottonwood, and enjoy a cup of coffee together as you sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of some of the most beautiful natural areas in the world. For a bigger adventure, set off and enjoy one of the state’s many stunning state or national parks. Just make sure to bring a camera to capture some of the epic moments the two of you are bound to experience together.
