Need unique date ideas? Here is a great list of 5!

New relationships are always nerve-wracking, particularly when it comes to figuring out what to do on the second, third, and sometimes even the sixth or seventh date; there are only so many times you can go to a dinner and a movie without it becoming stale. Here are a few date ideas that are more unique for those of you in relationships – old and new! – who are looking to try doing something a little different.

#1 Date Idea: Plaster painting

Remember those plaster-painting birthday parties you went to as a kid? Relive your childhood (or, for those of you unfamiliar with this pastime, create a new experience) by heading down to your local plaster-painting studio for your next date. Choose a plaster figurine and go nuts on it with paint. You don’t even have to be particularly creative – just have fun with it. You could paint a figurine each, or team up and collaborate on painting a figurine together. Either way, you’ll have a nice reminder of the date at the end of it.

#2 - Laser Tag

If you’re looking to do something a little more active and different, head to your nearest laser tag establishment. Try thinking of chasing your date around and shooting their laser vest as shooting your way to their heart, and the low neon lighting as “mood lighting” and get ready for an interesting, romantic night out.

#3 - Cooking Date

You don’t even have to venture out of the house to have an interesting date; all you need is a kitchen and a good recipe for a fun night in. If you’re not a great cook, start with something simple like sugar cookies or tacos. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, try something a little more challenging; maybe take a leaf out of Heston Blumenthal’s book and make ice cream with liquid nitrogen. If the dish is successful, you have a delicious meal at the end of it. If the dish fails spectacularly, at least you had fun making it (hopefully) and you’ll get an interesting story out of it.

#4 - IKEA

Have you seen the film 500 Days of Summer? If you haven’t, it stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt and features a scene in which the couple go on a date in Ikea; they pretend to live in the pre-made living rooms, pretend to cook in the fake kitchen and startle an unsuspecting family with their antics. Zooey Deschanel is the queen of all things quirky, so emulating anything she’s in is clearly the way to go.

#5 Last Unique Date Idea: Planetarium

Nothing is more romantic than lying under the night sky, except maybe learning about the night sky while looking up at it…right? Being able to look through a telescope to see the universe is definitely a unique experience, and who better to share it with than a person you really care about? Plus you get to learn about the universe to boot.

Hopefully that list got your imagination going, and you can come up with a few unique date ideas of your own.

Bio: Sarah Paige dreams of being a relationship advice columnist. She really hates used cars, and does not recommend you use one to take a date out. If you must, make sure you clean it thoroughly and use seat covers. Don’t want to scare the date away!