You never know when you might need some rainy day date ideas. Because in addition to ruining your hair, rain has a habit of ruining any outdoor plans. Cute impromptu picnic? Forget it.
That music festival ? Probably not. You're definitely not going skydiving. When a sudden rainstorm interrupts your plans for a date, you have some choices: (a) brave the weather, (b) choose an equally fun indoor activity, (c) straight up refuse to leave the house and instead stay in together, or (d) be that person who asks for a last-minute raincheck (don't be that person).
But if you find yourself needing a little inspiration for your backup plan, here's a list of some classic rainy-day date ideas for when you're sick of going to the movie theater as your only dry option. We polled the Glamour staff for their favorite rainy day activities with a significant other. Go bowling.
A frizzy ponytail goes well with those shoes anyway. “I love a bowling alley date regardless of the weather,” says deputy editor Anna Moeslein. “A little friendly competition keeps things interesting.
Plus, it's a good double date option.” Sing your heart out..
.or not. If you're brave enough to sing in public, a karaoke bar is an easy way to pass time and bond over your shared taste in music.
Not there quite yet? Find a trivia night, musical bingo, or some other indoor activity at your local pub. Enjoy some art. This is the perfect opportunity to finally go to that art gallery’s new photography exhibit everyone is talking about so you can quit pretending you're just as cultured as your hip friend who always manages to do that stuff before you even hear of it.
Get cultured. Find a random local performance that you probably didn't even know was happening—a concert or a play or a comedy show—and snag the cheapest seats for a fun date. You might discover a new favorite band, but even if it ends up being awful, at least it will be dry.
Visit a museum. It doesn't have to be an all-day ordeal either. “We've recently discovered the short museum visit,” says copy director Talley Sue Hohlfeld.
“We give ourselves two hours, max, and pick one section of a local museum to go to. It helps me avoid ‘museum overwhelm,’ and I find myself thinking about the art, or the exhibit, more later than after long, long visits.” Bonus: More time to talk about what you just saw over a glass of wine or coffee at the museum's cafe.
Act like kids. Think of the fun stuff your parents took you to do when you were driving them nuts inside the house. Playing at an arcade or visiting a roller-skating rink (so retro!) is a much more fun indoor activity than sulking.
Go shopping. We're not talking about those awkward mall dates you had as a teenager. Go buy something you both can do together, like fun new game, or hit up an international grocery store for a new wine to try (Lebanon and Georgia—the country, that is—have some great ones).
Make it a spa day. De-stress from all that anxiety you had over your plans getting canceled by booking a last-minute couple's massage or even just hitting up your local gym's sauna together. “What's better than getting a massage or facial on a rainy day?” says Chantal Waldholz, senior global director of audience development.
“Not much in my book. I love how relaxed and refreshed I feel; I also love that I didn't miss out on good weather while being inside all day.” Going out not an option? Stay home and give each other manicures or test out a sexy massage candle .
Check out the local booze scene. Got a craft brewery, distillery, winery, in your area? See if they have any available tours or tastings that day, or make a day of hopping between them (just have Uber be your DD). Or a local pizza spot.
“Whenever it's gloomy outside, nothing hits the spot quite like a pie from my favorite pizza place,” says Waldholz. “Pair it with a beer and some friends, and you won't even miss the sunshine.” Play grown-up games.
Pool halls are basically the arcades of the older set. Being inside a dingy, dark bar on a glorious spring day would be a waste, but it's the perfect use of a cold and rainy one. If pool's not your thing, find one that offers other activities like Ping-Pong or video games while you sip from that questionable glass.
Head to a café or wine bar. Enjoy a cappuccino or a glass of red wine at your favorite coffee shop with a view of a bustling street. It's either gloomily romantic or cheerfully hilarious as you watch people outside get soaked.
See a movie at a dine-in theater. Yes, I know I said earlier that this list of indoor date ideas would offer more than just going to a movie theater, but hear Moeslein out: “Places like Alamo Drafthouse or Nighthawk Cinema in New York offer a different experience than your average movieplex,” she says. “My husband and I love getting a cocktail and seeing whatever new release is out.
The atmosphere is so nice, we'll often stay for a drink at the bar after to talk about what we just saw.” Find a cat cafe. “Cat cafes are a date idea unicorn (as long as, you know, you like cats),” says senior editor Stephanie McNeal.
“It's low pressure and inexpensive, but gives you something a little more to do besides just nurse a coffee or cocktail. It also is hilarious and fun; what better way to get to know someone than seeing how they interact with animals? The fact that most cafes give back to animal welfare organizations (and some even offer cats for adoption) make this date even more purrfect .” Splash like children in puddles.
Use those new rain boots you just went shopping for. Walk in the park. Braving the raindrops (only if there's no lightning—keep it safe!) will give you private access to a normally crowded public area.
Play photographer. Any fool with a phone can take a beautiful picture of a sunset on a clear evening, but snap a waterproof case on and take some nature shots for social media. Rain paint.
Use water-based markers or paint to create homemade art, then take it out in the rain and see what happens. Take a trip down memory lane. Go through each other's high school yearbooks and crack up at your mutually regrettable style choices.
Pick a DIY project. Maybe this is the boost you needed to finally learn a new skill like how to crochet or scrapbook. “My partner and I keep a small yet mighty supply of crafting supplies on hand for rainy days: oven-bake clay, watercolors, collage material,” says commerce editor Jake Smith.
“On top of giving us something to do other than staring screens all day, it’s also a great way to be alone together; it’s more social than scrolling through TikTok, but involves less intense interaction than, say, a board game. Who cares if you’re not very good at your craft? Just put on some music and let your brain roam free.” Create an indoor scavenger hunt.
It's like an escape room from the comfort of your own home. Depending on your mood, you can make it practical—come up with a list of things around the house you both can never seem to find, then organize together—or silly (who keeps the weirdest thing in their nightstand, for example) Video game tournament. Now's the time to dust off that old video game console you collected from your parents' house—or finally get to play two-player mode on your shiny new game.
Work on a puzzle together. “Puzzles are underrated,” says contributor Elizabeth Logan. “They only require part of your brain so you can also watch a movie or have conversation, but you can't be on your phone.
” Catch up on the classics. Rainy date night ideas don't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as streaming an old movie neither of you have ever seen.
Might I suggest Singing in the Rain ? Or get into something new. Are you the only one of your friends who isn't obsessed with Love Island yet? Me too. A rainy day is the perfect excuse to Netflix and chill and catch a few or all of the episodes of TV show you've been meaning to watch but can't seem to fit into your rotation.
Create a one-day book club. Pick a book to snuggle up with and read together, then talk about it. OK, maybe a short story if you're not a fast reader.
Build a fire in your living room. But you know, only if you have a fireplace. Otherwise it's just dangerous and not cozy.
Play board games—with a twist. What, you haven't ever played Strip Monopoly? Now's the time. Play games—without the twist.
Is this a first date? Or maybe adult card games aren't really your thing. Whatever the case, there's no shame in a classic game night with Monopoly, Clue, or whatever interests you both. Take a bubble bath for two.
Getting wet outside comes with all kinds of annoying problems, like pants that are soaked to the knee and broken umbrellas. Getting wet indoors, however, is much, much better. Cook a luxe meal together.
You have nothing else on your agenda tonight, so you both might as well try that complicated recipe you've been meaning to make someday (coq au vin is a cozy one, and more simple than it seems). Even if you're both not super handy in the kitchen, cooking together is great for bonding—and recipe fails always make for good stories, if it comes to that. A simple meal works too.
“Making a fun recipe we wouldn’t usually do—not necessarily a complex one, just one you don’t often think to do like making pizza—is one of my favorite easy at-home dates,” says associate beauty editor Danielle Sinay. Bonus points if you make an indoor picnic out of it for a romantic date. Oh, geez, just skip it all and have sex.
Open the windows for some sexy sound effects and a little dampness, and get right to the best part of date night. Thanks for cutting right to the chase, rain..
