In my opinion, there’s a few things needed for a marriage to last. 1: You need to communicate everything to your significant other. 2: You need to have chemistry. 3: You must make time for each other. In my world of toddler chasing and baby feedings, this means planning a date night every once in a while.

This past weekend, my husband and I were able to go out on a date. We didn’t do anything too crazy, but we had so much fun. It was nice just chatting with him, eating an amazing meal {while hot!} and holding each other’s hands like we did prior to needing to hold our children’s hands instead.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to create another big list — this time focusing on 50+ date ideas in Southeast Michigan. While I didn’t attempt to list every single spot, I think I have a good chunk started here based mostly off my own experiences or through friends. Please leave a comment with any suggestions you may have.

I broke the ideas into categories, so you can pick an idea based on your mood/budget/personality. Happy date night planning!

FOR ADVENTURE:

• Take a tour with Preservation Wayne, the Detroit Experience Factory or Motor City Brew Tours {Detroit}
• Rent a bicycle built for two at Wheelhouse Detroit {Detroit}
• Visit Eastern Market and purchase fresh ingredients for a meal you make at home together {Detroit}
• Segway tour in Plymouth
• Segway tour in Detroit
• Peddle your way to local pubs with HandleBar Detroit or the Detroit Cycle Pub {Detroit}
• Drink some brews and gamble on horses at the Hazel Park Racetrack
• Blow off some steam at a local shooting range {multiple locations}
• Climb walls at Planet Rock {Pontiac and Ann Arbor}
• Play detective at The Great Escape Room {Royal Oak} or the Puzzled Escape {Brighton}
• Zipline at Howell Nature Center or The Adventure Park in West Bloomfield
• Go to a Murder Mystery Dinner {Eastpointe}
• Visit breweries along the Grand River Beer Trail {Oakland and Livingston Counties}
• Do a strolling dinner and get an app, entrée, drink and dessert at various places. Head to downtown Milford, Brighton, Plymouth, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Rochester, Northville or Lansing for walkable towns with multiple places for food and drinks!

FOR SCENERY:

• Tour Ford House {Grosse Pointe}
• Take in the scenery of the Detroit Masonic Temple or the GM RenCen on a guided tour {Detroit}
• Belle Isle Park {Detroit}
• Rent paddleboats at Kensington Metropark {Milford}
• Rent a canoe or kayak in Milford or at Gallup Park {Ann Arbor}
• Visit Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum {Ann Arbor}
• Walk the gardens at Meadowbrook Hall {Rochester}
• Walk the gardens at Cranbrook {Bloomfield Hills}
• Walk through the gardens at MSU {Lansing}
• Detroit Princess Cruise
• Ovation Yacht {St. Clair Shores}
• Walk around the Mill Pond in Brighton
• Walk or bike the Detroit Riverwalk and Dequindre Cut {Detroit}
• Take a scenic horseback ride at Maybury State Park {Northville}
• Visit any of the area’s Huron-Clinton Metroparks

The Detroit Riverfront is a beautiful place to explore or bike

FOR LAUGHS:

• Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle {Royal Oak}
• Joey’s Comedy Shop {Livonia}
• Go! Comedy {Ferndale}
• Drag Queen Bingo {Royal Oak}
• Detroit Comedy Underground {Detroit}
• Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase {Ann Arbor}
• Try Painting With A Twist {Various Locations}

Lots of fun paintings available at Painting With A Twist

FOR PURE FUN:

• Feed the animals at Domino’s Petting Farm {Ann Arbor}
• Bowl at Lucky Strike {Novi} or Punch Bowl Social {Detroit}
• Cheer on the Detroit Derby Girls, Brighton Roller Dollz, Ann Arbor Derby Dimes or Lansing Derby Vixens
• Ford Drive-In {Dearborn}
• See an old movie at Redford Theater {Detroit}
• Grab quarters for games at Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum {Farmington Hills} or Pinball Pete’s {Ann Arbor}
• Play the football/bowling/horseshoes game at The Fowling Warehouse {Hamtramck}
• Visit Cadieux Café  for feather bowling {Detroit}
• Go to Palazzo di Bocce and play bocce ball {Lake Orion}
• Check out The Hub Stadium for Urban Bombowling {Auburn Hills}
• Play darts or shoot pool
• Try to win a cool prize playing games at CJ Barrymore’s {Clinton Township}, Dave & Buster’s {Livonia and Utica}
• Magic Bag for Brew & View or a concert {Ferndale}
• Pop into 3&UP Board Game Lounge to play board games {Plymouth}
• Visit any of the area’s casinos
• Play trivia {i smart Trivia rocks!}
• Try FootGolf at a local course {think golf, but with soccer balls…so fun!}
• Sign up for a cooking class at Mirepoix Cooking School {Located in Holiday Market in Royal Oak} or Ann Arbor Cooks
• Gaze at the stars at an evening event at the Longway Planetarium {Flint}, Cranbrook Institute of Science {Bloomfield Hills} or Michigan Science Center {Detroit}
• Feed the giraffes at the Detroit Zoo {Royal Oak}

FOR CULTURE:

• Detroit Institute of Arts
• Visit Greektown {Detroit}
• See a show by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Grab a drink and listen to live jazz at Cliff Bell’s or Baker’s Keyboard Lounge {Detroit}
• The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village {Dearborn}
• Dirty Dog Jazz Café {Grosse Pointe}
• See an indie flick at the Michigan Theater {Ann Arbor}
• Visit The Dio for dining and entertainment in Pinckney {or visit one of these community theatres}
• Watch a performance at the Flint Institute of Music
• See a show at The Whiting {Flint}
• Flint Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts is the perfect way to spend an afternoon, and it’s FREE for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

FOR A ROMANTIC DINNER:

• The Whitney {Detroit}
• Coach Insignia {Detroit}
• Iridescence {Detroit}
• London Chop House {Detroit}
• Bacco Ristorante {Southfield}
• Gandy Dancer {Ann Arbor}
• The Chop House {Ann Arbor}
• Troppo {Lansing}
• Red Cedar Grill {Williamston}
• River House Inn {Williamston}
• Holly Hotel {Holly}
• The Root {White Lake}
• Mabel Gray Kitchen {Hazel Park}
• English Inn Restaurant and Pub {Eaton Rapids}

Iridescence inside MotorCity Casino Hotel was one of our favorite meals ever

FOR A ROMANTIC NIGHT AWAY:

• MotorCity Casino Hotel {Detroit}
• Inn on Ferry Street {Detroit}
• Westin Book Cadillac + Roast restaurant {Detroit}
• The Townsend Hotel {Birmingham}
• The Inn at St. John’s {Plymouth}
• Royal Park Hotel {Rochester}
• English Inn {Eaton Rapids}
• Wild Goose Inn Bed & Breakfast {East Lansing}

Where are your favorite places to go on a date night?