Have you ever driven by a park and seen a gazebo and thought that it would make a good place to have dinner? No? Well, call me weird, but that’s what I think about when I drive by one. They’re usually in a really beautiful location, which makes a perfect setting for a candlelight dinner for two. This date idea is definitely not first date material; use this one to sweep your special someone off her feet, or set the hook deeper, to go back to the fishing analogy. Next time you want to impress your significant other, set up a dinner in a gazebo.
What the date entails is you making dinner or buying it and setting it aside, probably at your house. Do you need some ideas for what to make? Check out my food blog, In the Kitchen with Matt. After preparing or buying dinner, pick up your date and blindfold her. Tell her you found a really nice restaurant that you want to take her to, and then drive around until you get to the park or wherever the gazebo is located.
Special note about this date
If you have done a few of these creative ideas already with your date, the whole blindfolding trick may not work, so you’ll have to think of some other way to get to where you want to end up by making up an excuse, or just say that you want to go to a park to chat before dinner.
Make sure that beforehand a table has been set up with a tablecloth and candles, plates, etc. Have a friend dressed up as a waiter guarding the table. When you show up, they seat you and you take off the blindfold. If you want to get really creative, make menus and have them on the table, as well. Your friend serves you for the evening and you and your date enjoy the dinner together.
After you’ve finished eating, you can leave, or play some music and dance. Personally, I like the dancing idea. Slow dancing with someone you really like or love is a great way to spend the evening. Combine this with the stargazing date and it will be a night to remember for sure.
What you need for this dinner in a gazebo creative date idea:
You need several things. A gazebo in a great location—usually they are placed in a park or a flower garden, or near a housing complex. This goes without saying but I will say it anyway. Make sure to get permission to use it. If it is in a public park it shouldn’t be a problem. Then you need a card table that you can easily set up and that will fit in the Gazebo. Sometimes they already have a table in them. Next, you need a tablecloth and place setting for the meal. Do not forget the tablecloth! Candles and candleholders will make the dinner even more special. If you don’t want to use real candles you can use LED ones.
For the food, pick a favorite meal. Have flowers as the centerpiece on the table. Play nice classical music during dinner and then maybe her favorite love song mix while you dance. You can bring a nice speaker to improve the sound or just use the sound from your phone. You also need something to blindfold her with—a handkerchief works nicely.
My commentary on this date:
I don’t know why I think about having a romantic dinner at a gazebo every time I drive by one. I think I saw it done in a movie once and thought it was really spectacular. Eating dinner is usually mundane; you do it every night in the same place. Talk about boring. However, when you plan a creative dinner date, it brings excitement and adventure into the relationship, keeps your loved one intrigued, and builds the anticipation for the next time you’ll surprise with a truly creative dinner.
Also, make sure you don’t prepare or buy food that you eat all the time. Macaroni and cheese is just not going to cut it. Learning how to cook isn’t as hard as you think; make sure to check out my cooking blog, In the Kitchen with Matt, for some great ideas.
Watch this video I made about this dinner in a gazebo date idea
Do you have experience with this creative date idea? Let me know in the comments how it went and if your date, spouse, significant other liked it. You can buy a copy of the book 101 Creative Dates: ideas, tips, and personal experiences from the life of a hopeless romantic here or visit the shop.
Here are other creative date ideas you might like: