Practicing social distancing doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your love life. Whether you’ve been married for several years or just started getting to know someone—date night isn’t off the table just yet.

There are still plenty of ways to romance your special someone from the comfort of your own home — it just requires a little creativity. Join a virtual baking class, enjoy a bottle of wine from a local restaurant in your living room, or play a virtual game and let your competitive side run wild. To give you a few ideas during this crazy time, we created a list to help you plan your next date night in. Enjoy!

 

Take on a Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Photo courtesy of Lauren Allport via Decode

As Michigan’s top escape game, Decode in Ypsilanti offers some of the most interesting and complex escape rooms in the state. And even though you can’t visit them physically right now, Decode is still offering a fun escape experience for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home! All By My Selfie is a selfie scavenger hunt that will keep you and your sweetheart entertained for hours. The goal is to get selfies with at least seven of the items on Decode’s list—which includes prompts like “Something you shouldn’t eat (but probably will)” and “Something that holds water but wasn’t designed to” along with so many more. Take the game a step further and turn it into a competition by racing to find as many items as you can!

 

Have a Movie Night with Real Movie Theater Popcorn

Sure, microwave popcorn is good—but it doesn’t really have the same effect as authentic, movie theater popcorn does. Luckily, Saline’s own Emagine Theaters is offering a free 10-gallon bag of popcorn with every purchase of a $25 gift card (which you can use on a romantic date in the future!). Plus, it gives you the chance to support your community while enjoying some good, old fashioned movie snacks.

 

Stream a Virtual Screening From the Michigan and State Theatres

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A post shared by Michigan Theater (@michigantheater) on Mar 25, 2020 at 10:48am PDT

Want a movie to go with all that popcorn? The State Theatre and Michigan Theatre are hosting new virtual screenings every week, from award-winning documentaries to classic ‘90s family films. A portion of the proceeds go to help support the Michigan Theater Foundation. You can find this week’s and other upcoming selections here.

 

Tacos and Margaritas from Grizzly Peak Brewing

We are firm believers that nothing goes together better than a taco and an ice cold margarita. Thankfully, Grizzly Peak Brewing Company is offering both for curbside pickup! Their #TacoTuesday special includes a whole growler full of margaritas along with several pulled pork tacos for $20. You can call 734-741-7325 to place your order.

 

Do a Puzzle Together

Photo courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors

Located on Main Street in Ann Arbor, Rock Paper Scissors is a paper goods and gift store. In addition to their huge selection of personalized stationery and cards, they carry a variety of fun and funny gifts: mugs, glasses, books, candles, balms, cocktail mixers, keychains, decor and more. Right now, they also happen to have a massive collection of puzzles for sale—to help keep you and your loved one entertained even when you can’t leave the house. Order a few online and have them shipped directly to your door.

 

Date Night in a Box From Jolly Pumpkin

Since 2004, Jolly Pumpkin has been ingrained in the A2 community—from their pubs and tap houses in Dexter, Ann Arbor, Detroit and more, to their full-service, cafe and brewery downtown. Right now, they are doing as much as they possibly can to help support Ann Arbor, by serving great food, delicious beer and plenty of opportunities for us to stay entertained. Their Date Night in a Box special includes a starter, a pizza and a mystery bomber of beer for $25. And if you’d rather make dinner for yourself—they are now offering DIY pizza kits and sourdough bread starter kits that you can order by calling 734-913-2730.

 

“Go” to a Jazz Club

One of the biggest things we’re missing right now is experiencing Ann Arbor’s thriving music culture. While nothing beats hitting the town and watching music legends perform live in person, Blue Llama Jazz Club is offering us the next best thing—live, virtual concerts with some of Ann Arbor’s best musicians every weekend. Join them on Facebook Live every Friday from 7-9 p.m. Want to help support the artists? The streams always include links to Venmo or Paypal to give tips directly to members of the band.

 

Pick up Some Wine and Pasta From Savas

In our humble opinion, there’s no cuisine more romantic than Italian. Thankfully, Ann Arbor’s own Savas is giving us the opportunity to bring some of the romance home with takeout pasta dishes and bottles of wine! All you have to do is place your order online and head to the restaurant for curbside pickup.

 

Cook a Romantic Dinner with Help From The Lunch Room

Photo courtesy of The Lunch Room

The Lunch Room is the original location from the foodie team that has become a favorite here in Ann Arbor. Because only plant-based foods are served here, you never have to worry about the presence of meat, dairy, eggs, honey or anything processed with animal products. Right now, you can pick up your meal from the Detroit Filling Station and The Lunch Room Bakery. But if you wanted to cook a romantic, plant-based dinner for your significant other at home, The Lunch Room also posts some of their most popular recipes online—from vegan mac and cheese to Pad Thai.

 

Bake Bread with Zingerman’s Bakehouse

Zingerman’s Bakehouse is our go-to destination for baking classes in the Ann Arbor area. Here, you can learn everything from cake baking to cheese pairing—even when you can’t visit them in person. Right now, they are posting regular videos to their Instagram page, teaching you how to make a sourdough starter. Just follow along and you’ll be baking perfect sourdough in no time!

Have Fun!

Let us know what you’re planning to do on your next at-home date night in the comments!