A couples staycation can be just as exciting, fun and romantic as taking a traditional vacation. These Staycation Ideas for Couples are a great way to explore your own city, enjoy each other’s company and make new memories.
Make staying home just as fun as traveling with these 25 Staycation Ideas for Couples.
What is a Couples Staycation?
What exactly is a staycation, you ask? It’s a vacation in your own home, backyard, neighborhood or hometown. It’s a vacation where you stay put and enjoy yourselves right where you are. It’s a chance to be spontaneous and put a little more effort into the things you do every day. It’s also the perfect way to reconnect with your significant other.
The key to a great staycation is to completely take a break from work and chores. Truly staycation as if you are on a faraway, remote vacation where you can’t sneak in a little work time.
There are a lot of ways to have fun at home, especially if you live in a city. Why not try going to a museum or a concert? A lot of cities have free concerts or other things that you can do for cheap. You can explore your own city in a new light and experience a whole new culture.
Or, if you’re staying in the house all day, you can always make your own fun.
Couples Staycation Benefits
There’s something special about staying home and having a couples staycation. There is no need to get up early and rush to the airport, there is no need to deal with the traffic, and you don’t have to deal with the stress that comes with your normal everyday life. Staying home for a couples staycation is a great idea that can offer you a chance to relax and enjoy some quality time with your significant other.
It’s time to unwind and have a little fun with your loved one by exploring your own backyard, explore your own city in different ways. By spending your vacation at home, you only need to do a little planning to enjoy huge savings, all while having a lot of fun together.
Benefits of a Couples Staycation:
- Budget-friendly.
- Remove the stress of traveling and travel complications.
- Easier to plan than a vacation.
- No need to pack everything you might need.
- Easily adjust your plans to the weather.
- Discover new places in your hometown.
- Include friends and family (or don’t).
- You won’t need a house sitter or a pet sitter.
- Comfortably sleep in your own bed.
How to Plan a Couples Staycation
Steps to planning a fabulous couples staycation.
- First, make sure your loved one is committed to disconnecting from work and household chores for the duration of your staycation.
- Decide on your goals. Are you looking for fun, romance, new experiences, staying in-home, seeing attractions or a mix of all of these?
- Determine your budget.
- Research the best places to visit, local restaurants to go to, and other tourist attractions in your hometown or surrounding areas.
- Look for good deals on local coupon sites.
- Create a (flexible) schedule so you don’t end up mindless watching TV instead of creating new memories together.
25 Staycation Ideas for Couples
A couples staycation is a great time to reconnect with your spouse or partner. It’s a time to get away from your busy lives and focus on each other and really connect with the person you love.
You can choose between fun staycation ideas for couples and romantic staycation ideas. And you can certainly mix and match your activities to encompass fun and romance!
Fun Staycation Ideas for Couples
Let’s start with fun!
Having fun with your spouse or significant other is important for a healthy relationship. You can never have too much fun, right? When you are both happy, your relationship will be happy. Having fun, getting away from the daily stresses and doing things together keeps you connected.
Here are some great fun things to do as staycation ideas for couples:
Take a Day Trip
If you’re after a little fun in a single day, a road trip could be just the thing for a nice change of scenery. There’s no need to pack your bags or go too far out of town. You’ll both get to learn about new places close to home and have a couples adventure without a major time commitment. Day trips are short, fun, inexpensive trips perfect for a fun couples staycation idea. Fill up your gas tank, and get going.
Hit the road for a fun destination that is within a few hours of your home. This could be a beautiful restaurant on the lake, a walk along the beach, an amusement park, water park, local national parks or any tourist destination.
In fact, be a tourist! Eat the dessert, walk the paths, ride the rides. Where ever you chose, enjoy it like a tourist seeing it for the first time. Your home state tourist attractions make for easy road trip destinations.
Try a Sip and Paint Class
Sip and paint classes are a huge hit for a fun night out of entertainment and libations. It’s a fun way to be creative with your partner and there’s no better way to learn a new skill than doing it while drinking wine.
There are a number of other similar-style classes you can also look into for unique couples staycation ideas.
Have you heard of the popular Wine and Wood classes? These are just as fun as painting but easier, as you get to use stencils to create gorgeous wood signs. Create a welcome sign with your family’s last name or a monogram sign with your “established” date. The possibilities are endless!
Learn a TikTok Dance Together
What happens when you add a little spice into that age-old process of learning a dance? You end up with a crazy fun experience that is definitely going to get your heart pumping.
Learning a new dance from TikTok is a fun and awesome way to bond and laugh with your spouse.
If you find your couple’s staycation is lacking playfulness and fun, grab your partner and get to dancing. And if you’re feeling brave, take a video and upload your dance for all the world to see.
Visit Local Tourist Attractions in Your Hometown
Don’t want to spend all day away on a road trip? Visit your hometown’s local attractions. There are plenty of things to do in your own town and many local attractions feel like a new experience when the seasons change or during holidays when special events occur.
Take a bus tour, visit a local museum or a historical landmark in your town. Stroll through your hometown botanical gardens hand-in-hand and marvel at the newest seasonal flowers. Check out new art exhibits at the museum or head downtown to a popular lunch spot and get a selfie at a gorgeous city overlook.
Visiting a new place is always fun and a wonderful way to spend quality time as a couple.
Go on an Adventure Outing
Get the adrenaline pumping and have some fun at a local adventure outing. Grab your sweetie and your camera and make some memories close to home.
Always check local area coupon websites or Groupon for deals to save a few dollars on your adventure. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Zip Line
- iFly
- Hot Air Balloon Ride
- Parasailing
- Horseback Riding
- Paddleboat Tours
- Kayaking Tour
- Snowmobiling
- Indoor Rock Climbing
- Bike Ride
- Hiking
Virtually Travel Together Online
Cozy up together on the couch and virtually travel to all those far-off places you’ve dreamed of. Use Google Earth to travel through Machu Pichu, Tahiti or visit the Great Pyramids.
Or get cultured and browse famous museums online. The Smithsonian offers remarkable virtual tours of their exhibits. Visiting the Louvre online? Pair it with red wine and french cheeses. While you’re at it, visit the Eiffel Tower on Google Earth.
Taking a virtual vacation is a great way for couples to stay at home, spend a few hours traveling the world and figure out where you might go on your next vacation.
Play Games
Another staycation idea for couples is having fun playing games. Outdoor games to board games, have a fun competition or teach your partner a new game. On game night, it doesn’t matter the score or who wins. What is most important is simply having fun with each other.
Spend a few hours of your couples staycation playing one of these fun games:
- Putt-Putt Golf – mini golf is a popular fun game and there’s usually an ice cream shop or bakery nearby to relax after your spirited 9 hole course.
- Bowling – put on those fun looking shoes and knock down a few pins. Enjoy a beer or glass of wine and take your time bowling, it isn’t a race.
- Play Arcade Games – Do you have a local Dave and Busters? If so, enjoy appetizers or dinner and then play arcade games for a few hours and maybe win your partner a cute prize.
- Find a new board game or card game – No need to go out to have fun. Stay at home and play a new or favorite board game. Love Scrabble, Pictionary or Clue? Jenga? Have you tried Skipbo?
- Disc Golf – Find a local park that offers Disc Golf. Even wineries often offer a Golf Frisbee course. You can relax with a glass of wine first, then go play!
- Shuffleboard – find a local establishment where you can grab a cocktail and play a few rounds of shuffleboard.
- Pool – Head to your favorite watering hole where you can both try out your 8 ball skills.
Karaoke Night
Fun couples staycation ideas are all about letting your hair down! So, show off your inner rock stars with a fun night of Karaoke. Sing along with your loved on to your favorite songs or go heartfelt and serenade each other with a passionate duet.
Additionally, it’s a great evening out to enjoy appetizers and drinks with your loved one.
Karaoke is a fun activity for couples because it can be romantic, fun, full of laughter and bonding over the songs that you both love.
Make a Couples Bucket List
Make a Bucket List or “dream list” about any theme you’d like! Make a bucket list of festivals, live music concerts or experiences you both would enjoy.
Where would you both love to travel? Or keep it close to home and list out all the local experiences, restaurants and sights you want to see. Then open make plans on how to make your top bucket list items actually happen.
Creating fun couples goals will help you both look forward to your future together.
Go on A Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts and Geocaching are fun and mentally stimulating adventures!
- Make your own fun scavenger hunt for your significant other in your own home. Give them clues to find little gifts and cards you’ve hidden around the house, saving the best for last.
- Take a professional scavenger hunt tour of your city. This is a great way to see interesting and hidden gems in your own hometown.
- Sign up on the Geocaching website to challenge yourselves to find the hidden treasures left by other geocaching enthusiasts.
Attend a Comedy Show
Laughing with your partner really is great therapy! Book an evening out at your local comedy club for a night of belly laughs.
Plus it’s a great excuse to clean up, grab a bite to eat and enjoy a cocktail.
Visit a Farmer’s Market or Local Food Festival
A trip to your local farmers’ market is a great way to start the day. Pick up some fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits while browsing the homemade delectables. Always grab local honey and fresh farm eggs too. Plan out your romantic dinner and buy any herbs and spices you’ll need.
Romantic Staycation Ideas for Couples
You can certainly combine fun and romance! Create romantic getaways right in your own home or local area. Make your staycation a romantic vacation with these ideas.
At Home Wine & Cheese Tasting
You can visit a local winery for a fun wine tasting event, but you can also host your own at home as a romantic staycation idea for couples.
Picks out 2-3 wines and 2-3 gourmet cheeses. Make a cheese board and taste test those new bottles of wine. Sip each one and give it a rating on a scale of 1-5.
You both might find a new wine you’ll love to share.
Spa Day
Treat each other to a Spa Day in your home for a romantic couples staycation idea. Act as though you’re staying at a spa resort with all the amenities for a relaxing day or evening. Here are a few favorite spa activities to include in your pampering day:
- Breakfast in bed
- Relax in the hot tub
- Foot rub
- Share a bubble bath
- Hand massages
- Body massage with aromatic essential oils
If you don’t want to create a spa day at home, a nice way to enjoy a relaxing afternoon is to book a couples massage at a luxury hotel or local spa.
Picnic or Sunset
Visit your favorite place to for a picnic or that special location to watch the sunset. Take some time to soak in the beautiful scenery all around you. Make sure to bring along a picnic basket with a few simple snacks and cozy drinks to share. Enjoy the views.
Movie Night
Of course, Movie Night is on the list! Make it a special evening at home with your favorite romantic movie or find a new one to watch.
Purchase or make romantic movie snacks such as chocolate-covered strawberries, heart-shaped cookies or serve slices of a special cake. Open a bottle of wine or serve your favorite drinks, then snuggle up.
Slow Dance
Looking for an intimate couples staycation idea? Put on your favorite romance tunes and slow dance throughout the evening in your living room. Cuddle up close and feel the music moving your feet in perfect harmony.
Make Dinner Together
Cooking together is fun and it’s romantic. Try new recipes or work together on a tried and true favorite. Instead of one person doing the cooking while the other is off doing something else, spend this time together in the kitchen focusing on the same goal: a fabulous dinner together.
Stargazing in Your Own Backyard
The best part is you don’t need to leave home to look at the stars. Take a few blankets and pillows outside, cozy up and try to find the constellations in the sky. Use a stargazing app on your phone to help identify the stars and planets within your view of the night sky. And watch for those satellites zipping across the sky. It’s amazing how fast they move!
Hotel Staycation
A local hotel staycation is a great opportunity to get pampered and spend a romantic night or two focused on each other.
Book a fancy hotel room, partake in the hotel’s luxury amenities and order room service.
One of the best things about a hotel staycation is you only need to pack lightly and someone else will cook dinner and clean up. All you need to do is create the romance.
Stay at a Bed & Breakfast or Unique AirBnB
If luxury hotels aren’t for you or in the budget, look for a quaint Bed & Breakfast nearby. Another option could be a unique AirBnB out in the countryside or downtown so you can enjoy the city without needing to drive back and forth.
A great thing about staying somewhere else for the weekend is it is easier to focus on the romantic things when you are away from any stresses of home. You won’t be thinking about laundry or getting the roof fixed.
Create a Romantic Indoor Picnic
Set the stage with a blanket, a few pillows and romantic candlelight. Layout a small feast right there on the living room floor. Make a meat and cheese charcuterie board with a few different types of crackers and top it off with a sweet dessert.
Rather not spend time making food? You can have just as much sweet romance over a glass of wine and take-out pizza. Create your own ambiance!
Dress Up for a Date Night
You’ll feel more romantic when you’re both looking your best. Dress up in your fancier clothes and head out to your favorite restaurant or book a fancy dinner at a new location you haven’t tried before. Swoon your dinner date with compliments and savor a delicious meal.
Reminisce
Spend a few hours looking through a photo album or two and reminisce about the memories you’ve made together. Reconnect to your old selves for a few hours and enjoy remembering all your adventures and milestones. These are the moments you loved so much you wanted to always have photos to remember them.
Recreate Your First Date
Remember that exciting feeling of your first date? Recreate the night and remember what is what like when you first met.
Even if you don’t live in the same place anymore, you can semi-recreate that first date. Find local places that are similar and talk about how you both felt that night.
Pick your favorites from this list of best couples staycation ideas and enjoy the perfect at-home vacation with your special someone. Don’t miss the opportunity to create new memories, enjoy some romance and have fun together just because you are staying at home.
