Activity ideas
Free and cheap ideas, under $20 each.
A good side-by-side doesn't need a budget. When either of you says free only or under $20, the app sticks to ideas like these. There are 100 here.
Why these work
No awkward bill
Nothing to split, or so little it doesn't matter.
Easy to say yes to
Low cost means low commitment.
Often outdoors
Parks, markets and free concerts are some of the best first meetings.
The ideas
Harvest
- Apple picking
- Azalea gardens
- Blueberry or blackberry picking
- Bluebonnet trails drive and walk
- Cherry picking
- Chile harvest festival
- Christmas tree farm
- Citrus picking
- Fall-color drive and walk
- Hayride
- Lavender farm
- Maple sugaring
- Peach picking
- Strawberry picking
- Sunflower fields
- Tulip fields
Attraction
- Capitol or courthouse tour
- Dam or power-plant visitor center
- Architecture tour
- Factory or maker tour (chocolate, candy, a pottery works)
- Ferry ride to somewhere new
- Guided neighborhood walking tour
- Historic cemetery tour
- Historic mansion or landmark building
- Lighthouse or observation tower
- Mission or historic fort
- Public garden or arboretum
- Train or trolley museum
Culture
- Farmers market
- Free concert in a park
- Gallery walk
- Botanical garden
- Farmers market swapEach buys one ingredient for the other; guess what it's meant for
- Food or cultural festival
- Historic walking tour
- International grocery exploreEach picks a snack the other has never tried
- Museum favoritesEach picks a favorite piece in every room, then compare
- Museum with a guided tour
- Planetarium show
- Thrift store challengeTen dollars each to find the other a gift
Seasonal
- Holiday lights walk
- Kite festival
- Outdoor movie in the park
- Sunrise hike before the heat
- Volunteering at a holiday meal
- Wildflower walk at a nature center
- Corn maze or pumpkin patch
- County fair
- Garden tour
- Harvest festival
- Outdoor concert series opening night
Thrills
- Cars-and-coffee or a car show
- Air show
- Batting cages
- Butterfly house
- Driving range
- Glow-in-the-dark mini golf
- Hot-sauce tasting
- Ice skating
- Roller-skating night
Outdoors
- Citizen-science bird countLog as many species as you can in an hour
- Geocaching hunt in a parkFind three hidden caches together
- Guided birdwatching walk
- Nature center program
- Stargazing night
- Garden photo challengeTen photos on a theme the app picks
- Kite flying in the parkBuild or buy one each and see whose flies higher
- Pick-your-own farm
Games
- Local history scavenger huntFind five landmarks from an old photo set
- Trivia night
- Arcade best of fiveFive games, loser picks the next side-by-side
- Board-game café
- Board-game café puzzle raceRace another table to finish the same puzzle
- Bowling
- Mini golf
- Scavenger or puzzle hunt
Volunteering
- Animal shelter shift
- Build day with a housing nonprofit
- Community garden workday
- Food bank sorting
- Meal-packing event
- Park or trail cleanup
Books
- "Bring a book you loved" night
- Bookshop reading or signing
- Library talk or workshop
- Meet-the-author event
- Used-bookstore challenge (pick a book for each other)
Fitness
- Group hike
- Beginner yoga
- Charity 5K walk or run
- Pickleball open play
- Trail bike ride
Class
- Language conversation meetup
- Beginner dance lesson (salsa, swing, two-step)
- Beginner improv
- Photography walk
Spectator
- Open-mic nightWatch, and each predicts who'll get the biggest laugh
- Community theater
- Film festival screening
- Minor-league baseball game
Keep exploring
Pick what sounds fun. We'll handle the plan.
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