Lancaster, PA Date Ideas for Every Kind of Couple

We all enjoy a little time with the one we love, but finding a new date night idea may be a challenge. We’ve all been there. Day-to-day activities take over, and it’s easy to feel stuck in a slump. Let us help ease the pressure of planning your next date. Here's a 30+ Lancaster County date ideas!

Adventurous Date

1. Go for a hike! Lancaster is home to many scenic hiking trails. Find trails to conquer together!

2. Test your strength with rock climbing at Spooky Nook Sports.

3. Throw axes and have an exhilarating experience at Stumpy's Hatchet House.

4. Take a guided tour to see the stunning natural underground beauty at Indian Echo Caverns.

5. Experience the rush of Lancaster County waters with kayakLanCo.

6. Zoom through the countryside on a 50cc scooter with Strasburg Scooters. They even have a "Date Night" tour to book!

7. Whether it's a full moon or not, the Wolf Sanctuary of PA is an immersive wolf experience - right here in Lancaster!

8. Elevate your date night with Refreshing Mountain's ziplines, elevated obstacle course, giant swing and more!

9. Climb, white water kayak, cycle, or float with Chiques Rock Outfitters!

Find Outdoor Adventure

Dining Dates

1. Find Lancaster's hub for aspiring restauranteurs inside Southern Market. The Market features a large bar, coffee shop, and a wide range of food stations with everything from sweets to sushi.

2. Taste the finest wines of Lancaster County for a fun and intimate date experience.

3. Visit Lancaster's oldest farmers' market building - Central Market. Full of fresh produce and cut flowers, hand-crafted goods, locally sourced meats, and more!

4. Whether you're local to Lancaster or visiting for the weekend, you're sure to be surprised by the amount of international cuisine available here.

5. America's largest smorgasbord buffet, Shady Maple is the perfect place for your next date! The wide range of foods available is sure to please even the pickiest eaters. And, on your birthday, the buffet is free!

6. Have an upscale, fine dining date night at one of Lancaster's premier restaurants!

7. Get something sweet for your "sweet"! Check out our locals' favorite ice cream spots! Between April - September 2023 the Lancaster County Ice Cream Trail is free for all to join!

8. Have lunch or dinner inside a historic working microbrewery - Lancaster Brewing Company. Depending on the time of year you can choose from over ten award-winning varieties of beers. They also offer Brew Tours Mon. - Fri. 1pm - 3pm and Sat. - Sun. at 3pm.

9. Become certified pretzel twisters during a tour of Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery!

10. Beverages and bowling anyone? Decades is a six-lane boutique bowling alley and arcade with a full service restaurant and bar. The perfect, up-beat environment for a first date!

More Dining Options

A Thoughtful Date - involving history or books!

1. Take an enjoyable stroll through our city with the Historic Lancaster Walking Tours.

2. LoKal Experiences is the go-to tour company for a unique and off-the-beaten-path excursion. You'll learn so much on their curated and intimate tours.

3. Take in the magnitude of authentic freight locomotives at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. It's an Instagram-worthy museum too!

4. Are you and/or your date into classic cars? Barry's Car Barn is the perfect date idea! Take a trip down memory lane with Barry's collection of American muscle cars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s (along with a few others).

5. Have a romantic date as you stroll through Lancaster Museum of Art.

6. Test your skills at solving mysteries at Escape Room Lancaster!

7. A Concrete Rose is America's first bookstore and micro-winery. Think of it as a book boutique plus wine & tapas! They also host events such as spoken word open mic and live music.

8. Aaron's Books is the perfect place to make connections and connect with the community. Shop their eclectic selection of books and learn about new books to add to your lists!

9. Columbia Crossings River Trails Center is located in Columbia River Park on the banks of the Susquehanna River. This is a premier visitor and river education center at the southern trailhead of the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail. It's a great spot to pack a picnic and spend the afternoon by the water!

10. The Weightlifting Museum showcases the history of strength sports, from mythology to early Olympic Games, and from 19th and 20th century strongmen to modern Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding.

Find more museums

An Artsy Date

1. Gallery Row is a handful of galleries along North Prince Street in Lancaster City. It's the perfect area to spend a few hours exploring and appreciating local artists at their galleries.

2. Visit even more local artists at their galleries all around the county!

3. At Stiegel Glassworks 1976 you can blow your own glass using traditional techniques used in 1762. It's a fun, interactive date and the chance to do something new together!

4. BYOB and food to The PotteryWorks studio and paint your own masterpieces!

5. Have a fun and engaging date night at Painting with a Twist! No experience is needed, the instructor will walk you step-by-step to creating a beautiful painting to take home with you. And of course, bring a bottle of wine to enjoy while you paint.

6. See an amazing performance at one of Lancaster's top-tier theatres. Find upcoming shows to start planning your next date!

Try Oz-inspired cocktails when you purchase a ticket to Prima Theatre's Off the Yellow Brick Road production, happening February 9th - 24th.

7. Take a "date night" class at Lancaster Creative Factory. They offer three different classes: wheel-throwing clay to make your own pottery, painting a masterpiece, and learning how to blow your own glass flower!

8. Enjoy getting crafty with a variety of artistic projects at Pinspiration! Let your creativity flourish in their studio space or enjoy their one-of-a-kind Jackson Pollock-inspired "Splatter Rooms"!