Turning date night into an activity in Des Moines? Down. Always Down.
It’s date night. Dress up, sip a cocktail, enjoy a romantic restaurant. While that is a winning combination, I find myself wanting to forgo the classic dinner date and instead brainstorm a unique atmosphere that spurs creative conversation while still maintaining quality time together. Grab your partner (or a friend!) and try one of these activity-based dates!
Local Cooking Classes
The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, right? Book a cooking class and impress your date in the kitchen! There’s a few different options that you should know about.
Cooking with Alessandra and Kitchen Collage provide both private and public classes to create delicious dishes of various cuisines. They also tend to sell out EARLY, so this is something we don’t regularly promote cause it’s already so popular.
Two other chefs on the scene are Chef Cass, Culinary DSM and the brilliant minds at Moxie. Chef Cass is a fellow 2022 Flourish Fund finalist and is opening an amazing kitchen space in the Valley Junction called The Culinary Annex. She has a rich history of hosting and leading cooking classes in the Des Moines community and we can’t wait to see what she does this year.
Moxie is a group of culinary experts looking to elevate the Des Moines food and hospitality scene. Check out classes and events with the chefs from Nourished, Crafted Food Services, and DSM Pasta Co. at their space on University Avenue.
Stay In And Cook From Local Grocery
Rather stay in your own kitchen? Create a themed dinner by choosing a random country and cook according to its cuisine. To create a fully authentic experience, buy the ingredients at one of Des Moines’ local grocers. Try C Fresh Market for Japanese, Korean, or African; New Oriental Food Store for any Asian dish, Graziano Bros. for Italian, or La Tapatia and La Michoacana for Mexican.
Game Night
Get competitive! Grab playing cards or board games and head to your favorite coffee shop or brewery. If you don’t own many games, check out Fox Brewing or Pots & Shots where they provide a wide selection of games for guests. The Rook Room and The Dealt Hand are pop up local businesses with amazing game related events around the calendar so keep an eye on their socials. We love Puzzlepalooza. There’s also recurring board game nights added to our weeknight guides so keep your eyes on those.
If these aren’t your types of games, no worries! If you have nostalgia towards arcade games, challenge your date to one of the 60+ games at the Up-Down in East Village. Skee-ball champions over here.
Craft Night
Spark your creativity with a craft night. It could be a pottery class (think Kunzler Art Studios or Glazed Expressions), painting (Painting With a Twist – in studio or at home kit), woodworking (Board & Brush), or creating a customized scented candle (Candle Bar). Even if you decide to simply pull up Pinterest and assemble a craft at home, you can be confident that you’ll finish with a personalized result and entertaining memories.
Sports. Sports. Sports.
Be a good sport and try a new athletic activity that will challenge both you and your partner to learn new skills. Whether it be collaborative or competitive, the exercise will have your endorphins flowing! During the winter months, try rock climbing at Climb Iowa, boxing at Title Boxing Club, yoga, or dancing. Check out our full fav fitness studios guide for the full details.
In the summer, try archery, tennis, pickleball, or golf. Smash Park = pickle ball capital of Des Moines. Looking for indoor golf? We’ve heard Broheim’s and Range in the western suburbs are nice!
Escape Room Vibes
Make it a double date and double down on brain power to crack the codes and beat the clock in a one hour escape room challenge. Transport your group to a casino, haunted house, or crime scene at the Escape Chambers near Downtown or Breakout Rooms in Urbandale.
Can we bring bowling back?
If you know of a cool bowling alley that we should host a meet up at, let us know. Oh, what are our monthly meet ups? If you’re looking to meet new gals in the Des Moines area, check out our monthly meet ups. Some are free, some are ticketed, some are for charity! We’d love to meet you in person.
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