Paying bills, choosing a preschool, working a 9-to-5 job. The duties of adult- and parenthood can make you long for the days when you didn’t have a care in the world. Sometimes parents can press pause on the duties of adulthood—if for only an evening—on date nights. But if you’re tired of the same old dinner-drinks-movie routine, we’ve compiled a list of seven date night ideas in New York City that will make you feel like a kid again. So book your kids’ favorite babysitter, and re-create some of your favorite childhood memories—or fulfill some childhood dreams.
Soar through the air.
Nothing takes us back to childhood like the thrill and adrenaline rush of a zooming through the air. The Bronx Zoo recently opened its Treetop Adventure, which features a 400-foot zip line and seven aerial adventure courses. While riding along the wires, adventurers will pass through the zoo’s 265-acre forest and see the Bronx River’s wetlands from 50 feet in the air. The last ride is at 5pm, so this is a great way to kickoff your childhood-adventures date!
Learn some circus skills.
If you ever wanted to run away with the circus as a kid, or are dying to learn some Cirque skills, Trapeze School New York, located on Pier 40 in Greenwich Village and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, should be your next date-night destination. The school offers a variety of aerial classes, including flying trapeze, silks and rope, trampoline, and aerial hoop. And the Manhattan location is outdoors, so you’ll be front row to some spectacular evening views of the Statue of Liberty.
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 Courtesy Trapeze School New York
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| Adventurous couples can learn aerial skills at Trapeze School New York, plus the Manhattan location is an outdoor facility with spectacular views. |
Complete a heist.
You’ve undoubtedly seen photos on your newsfeed of a group a friends holding either “We escaped” or “We didn’t get out in time” signs. Know where those are from? Escape rooms, in which participants work with a partner or a team to solve the puzzles in an allotted amount of time to free themselves. While some rooms are bank heist or jail break themed, there are a slew of escape rooms in NYC that offer other themes, including spy, prohibition, aliens, and medieval.
Challenge your partner to a duel.
We’re not talking the Hamilton-Burr type, though. There are a handful of bars in New York City that are also home to nostalgic games we all used to play as kids, so battle it out against your partner. Full Circle Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is home to Skee-Ball and offers a Brewskee-Ball league, trivia night, and free Skee-Ball on Sundays and Thursdays. Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, located in Gowanus, Brooklyn, has 10 shuffleboard courts—and if you’re not familiar with the game, everyone gets a free lesson! If Forrest Gump’s hobby is more your style, SPiN, located in the Flatiron District, is a ping-pong paradise with 19 tables for playing. Up the ante: No matter where you go, whoever wins the most games gets out of dishes duty for a week.
Take part in the street art scene.
Anyone who lives in NYC has absolutely seen graffiti, from beautiful murals to random tags. If you’re a creative-type, you may be itching to try your hand at street art, and you can do just that with Graff Tours. The company offers 1½-hour street art tours and 1-hour graffiti lessons in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and you can make an afternoon of it by doing both. Start off with a tour to see area street art and learn about the artists, then head over to a lesson (all supplies are included), in which you’ll learn tips and tricks of aerosol art from an NYC graffiti artist. Plus, you can bring items to spray paint as a one-of-a-kind souvenir.
Play the now-vintage games of your childhood.
Forget the latest gaming system, classic arcade games are back in style (though did they ever go out?)! The popular Barcade is exactly what the name suggests—a bar-arcade combo that focuses on classic video games and American craft beer. The original location is housed in a former metal shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with two more locations in Chelsea and the East Village. More of a pinball wizard? Head over to Milo’s Yard in Ridgewood, Queens (right next to Bushwick, Brooklyn), which is home a selection of pinball machines, a backyard, and a vintage jukebox.
Bust out those Xanadu dance moves.
Or, if you’re like me, relive your middle-school Friday nights at Lakeside in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Every Friday night through Oct. 13, Dreamland Roller Disco hosts a dance party on the roller rink for those 21 and older. Each disco is themed—upcoming themes include Spice Girls, Ziggy Stardust, and Michael Jackson Tribute—and everyone is encouraged to come dressed for the theme.
Main image: Graff Tours offers street art tours and graffiti lessons in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Courtesy Graff Tours
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