One bit of marriage advice seems to be universal: continue to date your spouse. Setting aside time to spend together as a couple is a crucial ingredient in happy relationships. My husband works 2nd shift, leaving home in the afternoon and returning around midnight. This schedule works well for our family in many ways, but it leaves little to no time for us to be alone as a couple. With five kids at home, we crave that time together. Occasionally we have snuck out after our littles are in bed and our teenager is home to hold the fort. But it’s a late start for a date, and it’s usually on Sunday nights when everything tends to close early, and our energy is waning. Recently, I decided to try for a day date. Thankfully, we have a dear friend who is retired and loves us so much that she gave up the better part of her day to allow us some time away. Once I had childcare covered, I needed to make a plan for our date. The options for day dates are somewhat different than evening dates, as you can imagine. Cold and rainy weather further limited our options, but I was still able to come up with a few fun ideas. I made a list and had Ben choose the activity. If you’re in date rut and need some fresh ideas, maybe you can try a day date to change things up!
We live in Salem, Alabama so Auburn, Opelika, Phenix City, and Columbus, Georgua are all equally accessible for us. Being able to travel to the Eastern Time Zone opens up a few more options for us. For our date, we had from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m including drive time. Here is the list I made:
Stars & Strikes Family Entertainment Center (Columbus, GA)
This location opens at 10 a.m. Eastern on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends. Activities include bowling, arcade and virtual reality games, laser tag, and bumper cars. They offer daily specials and occasionally you can find a Groupon for other deals. I imagine during the school year they’re not too busy on weekday mornings, and they even have a Sunday morning bowling special if you need a weekend day date.
Escape This Live: Columbus (Columbus, GA)
Have you done an escape room on a date? It’s a unique way to spend an hour together! This location opens at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Wednesdays – Saturdays and at 4:00 p.m. on Sundays and has five rooms to choose from. You’ll need to reserve your time slot for your desired room online. No prior experience is necessary to enjoy an escape room. If you like puzzles, brain teasers, or cooperative games, I think you’ll have a great time together!
Museum Crawl
We love museums. You can always learn something new! The quiet, serene environment is a nice change of pace from our boisterous household. I put three Columbus museums on our list, but there are more there, as well as the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn that opens at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday – Sunday, and The Museum of East Alabama in Opelika, which is open 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and 2-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Ben chose the National Infantry Museum and it was a great decision! We certainly did not see everything, and hope to go back on a nicer day to see the outside grounds as well. We ate lunch at The Fife & Drum Restaurant located inside the museum, which was as tasty as it was convenient.
Outdoor Options
On another occasion, I’m sure we will enjoy an outdoor activity on a day date. You could go for a walk or hike at MANY locations in our area. Check out Kreher Preserve and Nature Center in Auburn, Davis Arboretum on Auburn University’s campus, Chewacla State Park in Auburn, and Chattahoochee RiverWalk in Columbus. For more adventure you could try one of the offerings of Whitewater Express in Columbus such as whitewater rafting tours, kayaking instruction, ziplining, or bike rentals. I’ve had my eye on this Groupon for the Blue Heron Adventure for some time. It would be an exciting day date!
Have you go on any day dates in our area? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
