Stargazing is a romantic, thoughtful date idea that your date is sure to love. If you’ve never gone stargazing before, you’re probably nervous about getting all of the stargazing date details right, like finding the best locations, when to go, and how to read star charts.
The good news is that these 30 stargazing date ideas will help you plan the perfect date you’ll want to redo as soon as it ends.
This post is all about stargazing date ideas.
STARGAZING DATE IDEAS:
1. Pick the time of year carefully
While you can go stargazing anytime, you’ll have the best luck in wintertime. Winter is the best time to go stargazing because the sky is usually clearer than on summer nights and it gets dark earlier so you don’t have to stay up until midnight unless you want to. Bonus points if you can go stargazing during a new moon. The moon is the smallest in the new moon phase, which means it will give off less light and let you see more stars.
2. Get to your spot while it’s still light out
Make sure you get to your stargazing location early enough that you get to choose the best spot to sit for a couple of hours. This doesn’t mean you have to leave as soon as you wake up, but it does mean you should plan on setting aside time to find the perfect spot for your romantic stargazing date night. Plus, you can talk, snack, and listen to music to take your romantic evening up to the next level.
3. Formulate a backup plan for cloudy nights
The only date that fails is the date that you give up on. It doesn’t matter if the sky is cloudy, there’s a full moon, or the city lights are getting in the way of the starry sky. You can still have fun on your date with some creative ideas and planning. Bring movie supplies, like a projector, earphones, or speaker, and you’ve got a solid backup plan.
4. Put together a picnic basket
The best picnic baskets balance savory with sweet. That means fresh fruit, like grapes, strawberries, or blueberries, cheese, think brie, hard cheese, and cheddar, and a beverage. You can opt for a nice white wine to pair with the cheeses, apple cider if it fits the vibe, or soda to finish off the meal. To get even fancier, you can bring a dessert. This can be cookies, cake, or some other type of sweet that sounds like a great way to end the snacking.
5. Identify a good location that fits your preferences and stargazing needs
Any location can be the perfect spot and give you and your date an unforgettable experience. It’s all about the details and how you manage the options you have. You can make your own backyard a stargazing oasis with a few touches like a fire pit, a string of lights, or a cozy blanket to keep you two warm.
6. Consider bringing an air mattress for comfort
To avoid laying on the hard ground, you can bring an air mattress. It can help you and your date cozy up to each other without bugs crawling all over you. Plan to make sure that your date doesn’t watch you pass out as you blow up the mattress on your own. Look for a pump that plugs into your car so that you can focus on the more fun, cute details of your date.
7. Keep extra blankets nearby
No matter how many blankets you bring, you’ll wish you brought more. That’s why you need to pack as many as you can find. If you choose to go during the winter, you’ll get cool pretty quickly, even if it means clear skies and a romantic stargazing experience. Bring blankets to make sure a fun, romantic date night doesn’t become way too cold for you two to stay out any longer.
8. Light a fire pit for coziness and mood
There’s nothing sweeter than looking at your date in the flicker of a fire pit. It makes the whole date into the perfect romantic date night. So, look for local fire pits or build one (safely) in your backyard. The light from the fire won’t be enough to ruin your view of the dark night sky, so you’ll be ready for twinkling lights in real time.
9. Research national parks near you to stargaze with a clear sky and no street lights
National parks give you the chance to view stars with little to no light pollution, which is hard to achieve in this day and age. So, go support your local national park and consider going for a hike beforehand. Get there early enough for it to be light out and enjoy the natural beauty around you.
10. Find open fields for less light pollution
If you can’t find a national park and you want to limit light pollution, your best bet is an open field. The goal is to find a location with enough space between you and the nearest street light or city light so that you can see some cool celestial bodies in a new and fantastic way. The best part is that you’ll be alone with your date for some quality time.
11. Bring a pair of binoculars for when the naked eye isn’t good enough
Elevate your date night idea by bringing binoculars or a portable telescope. That way you and your date can get a closer look at the stars. There’s no wrong way to see the stars, but there is a better way and binoculars are hard to beat when you see the details of stars or celestial objects in the sky.
12. Pack a star map or download a stargazing app on your phone
Find a star map of the night sky in your area to point out the stars you’re seeing in real time. Not only is it super cool to see something you’ve read about in real life, but you can also impress your date when point at a constellation and name it. There are tons of apps that you can use for a more precise look at the sky above you.
13. Research to find the highest likelihood of getting a clear night
Remember to look at the weather forecast. You can go during the winter, choose a new moon night to go out on, and still get terrible weather that will make a perfect date nonexistent. There are always ways to salvage a romantic night, but it’s easiest to do this before you go out of your way to get the best views of the night sky.
14. Consider stargazing from a hot tub
There are tons of options to choose from when you want to create the ultimate star gazing date. You can go for a warm blanket to share between you and your date or you can choose to see the stars in a more unique way. Hot tubs are a great date idea, as long as you two are comfortable wearing your bathing suits around each other. They keep you warm in the winter and they can be the perfect excuse to visit a cabin in a different location.
15. Bring your and your date’s favorite snacks
Bring your favorite snacks. You’ll have lots of downtime while you look up at the stars and that’s the perfect time to munch on something when you get a little hungry. If you bring snacks, you have a reason to stay longer and continue to enjoy each other’s company. Be sure to ask your date what their favorite snacks are if you’re not sure (they’ll love how thoughtful you are!).
16. Remember to stay off your cell phone
Keep your cell phone in your pocket. It’s easy to get bored and whip it out to look at social media. But, that sends the wrong signal to your date. So, put extra effort into not pulling out your phone whenever you get bored because you will have lots of downtime that will become boring if you and your date don’t talk or play games.
17. Research upcoming celestial events like a solar eclipse or meteor shower
Find out if you can go stargazing during a celestial event. This might look like flying to another part of the country or getting up an absurd time for a once-in-a-lifetime look a solar eclipse, meteor shower, or some other celestial event.
18. Be careful about planning this as the first date
Stargazing can be incredibly intimate, especially if you two are cuddling and talking for hours. If you’re thinking about planning this as your first date, make sure that you are ready to spend that much time alone with your date and that you know them well. Otherwise, this could be awkward and hard to escape.
19. Keep in mind that any location can be the perfect place
Any location can become the best local stargazing spot. All you need is some planning and thoughtfulness to make this the most amazing date night for you two. It can be as simple as researching the right time of year, the right location, or the right décor to make this night memorable.
20. Bring a bottle of wine or hot chocolate to make the night even better
While public intoxication is not legal, it’s totally fine to enjoy a glass of wine while you snack on some cheese and enjoy the glittery night sky with your date. The most romantic date nights never need to involve alcohol, but it can be nice to sip a yummy beverage, which could also be hot chocolate, while you look up.
21. Never underestimate the joy of going on a solo date
Even though this post is geared towards someone planning a couple’s date, stargazing could be just as magical (if not more) on your own. You get to choose all of the details to your liking. Plus, you’re out there with your thoughts which can be beautiful if your only company is the night sky.
22. Pack a flashlight to avoid twisted ankles
Bring your flashlight. It can even be the camera on the back of your phone, as long as it will protect your ankles and keep you from falling. This is a must-have if you are going out into a field or national park where the ground light is minimal.
23. Bring some bug spray just in case the mosquitoes get hungry
Bugs are the perfect way to ruin a date. There’s nothing worse than getting comfortable under a warm blanket while you look at the Milky Way only to get eaten alive by mosquitoes. Bring some bug spray just in case, that way you don’t have to retreat to your car or home for safety.
24. Bring board games to entertain yourselves before the stars come out
You can never go wrong with board games. If you’re worried that your favorite game of Life or Sorry will be too bulky, bring a deck of cards. The point of this date is to spend quality time with the other person, so use a board game or card game as a fun way to talk to your date without worrying about awkward silences.
25. Don’t be afraid to play your own music
Depending on where you’re located, you can play your own music to add to the mood. If you’re in a residential area or a well-known stargazing location with other people, it may not be the best idea. Music or not music, you can still have a great time on your date.
26. Take pictures of each other and pretend to be models
One of the best parts about going to a new location, especially if it has a beautiful, natural landscape, is that you can take pictures. So, feel free to model in some pictures before it gets dark. You can appreciate the landscape and have fun while you do it.
27. Prepare yourself with conversation starters
There’s nothing wrong with silence, but you might still want to prepare yourself with some conversation starters. If you’ve been dating this person for a while, it’s an even better idea to come up with questions you’ve never asked. Use this time to get to know your date and truly enjoy their company.
28. Wear the right clothing and remind your date to dress comfortably too
While you and your date both want to look cute, you also need to make sure you’re dressed for whatever adventure you’ll go on to stargaze. You may want to wear boots to hike in or a sweater to keep you warm at night.
29. Leave nothing but footprints, as the saying goes
Take everything with you when you leave. If you’re visiting a natural location, respect it and the animals that live there when you’re not there. Bring all trash and food with you when you go. Be sure to inventory what you bring so that you don’t forget anything when leaving in the dark.
30. Above all, enjoy the beauty of the night sky
While there are tons of details for you to think about when planning this date, the most important is that you enjoy yourself. The chances are you’ll create the perfect stargazing date no matter what you do and you’ll end with an unforgettable night you’ll immediately want to recreate. Enjoy the night sky in your dark spot and remember that stargazing is a great option for a date.
