How to Plan a Perfect Indoor Camping Date

As the seasons change, more and more people likely dream of camping out and long nights by the fire. Over 65% of all households in America consider themselves campers. You and your partner may have gone camping together before, but sometimes, the weather doesn’t allow for spontaneous trips. 

If you have the itch to go camping with your significant other, you don’t have to wait for the temperature to warm up or cool down. You can build a campsite from the comfort of your living room and have a beautiful indoor camping date.

So, how can you have the perfect indoor camping date night? Here are some activities to try.

1. Set up a tent in the middle of your living space

Push furniture out of the way to make space for your tent. You and your significant other should have enough room in the tent to recline comfortably. You can place pillows and blankets inside the tent to make yourselves feel more comfortable. Camping without a tent just doesn’t feel the same, so even if you’re indoors, the tent can make the night.

If nowhere in your living space is large enough for a tent, you can build one using the side of your couch and blankets. Your tent doesn’t have to be large to be functional. Sometimes, all it takes is a few pillows and blankets draped over the back or an arm of a couch to set the mood. 

2. Build a menu with ingredients you’d use at a campsite

When you’re planning a meal for an indoor camping date, you should remember the food you have readily available when actually camping outside. You don’t want to create an elaborate feast if you have a camping date outdoors, so why would you make one indoors? Aim to use ingredients and elements that you’d have on you while at a campsite.

You can still use a stove since it works like an indoor campfire. Consider making a combination of sandwiches to share, full of ingredients you can enjoy year-round and may also see at a campsite. If you make soup with these sandwiches, you’ll add another cozy feeling to your meal that may stir up old memories of sitting around the campfire.

Once you’re finished with dinner, consider making s’mores on the stove or in the microwave. If you have a traditional fireplace, you may be able to roast marshmallows for s’mores more easily without leaving the coziness of the living room. Monitor your fire carefully so it doesn’t grow out of control.

3. Share campfire stories, scary or otherwise

Campfires are great places for the spoken word. Whether you used to sing songs or tell stories around a campfire, you know that it’s a welcoming place where everyone’s story is celebrated. Consider singing well-known songs with your date or telling stories about camping from your childhood. If you both camp often, you can swap stories about the first time you went camping on your own.

Consider looking up scary stories before the date. It gives you something to practice and look forward to before your date begins. Make sure to tailor your stories toward your date’s interests. If they aren’t fond of scary stories, choose something lighter or maybe even comedic. If your date loves horror stories, try to find an obscure one they’ve never heard of before. Finding a great story will help you impress your date.

4. Make room for your partner’s kids

If you or your significant other have children, you can include them in your camping date night. They may enthusiastically help you set up the tent or create fun treats to snack on. When they hear about the date you have planned, they’ll want to take part in it, too. 

Kids who go on your indoor camping date should enjoy any efforts you make to create a more immersive environment for them. Consider sprucing up your camping space with fun animal or plant decorations that can help children feel like they’re really outdoors. By transforming your living room into an outdoor space, you can make the indoor camping experience that much more fun for children.

5. Turn off your devices and go “off the grid”

When you want to enjoy the moment with the person you love most, being surrounded by devices that constantly blink and notify you of everyone’s posts will likely take you out of the moment. 

If you can’t turn off your phones, at least put them on silent or do not disturb. This way, you’ll be able to focus entirely on your date and what they have to say. Having an uninterrupted time together can help you bond and have an even more pleasant time. You might learn something new about the person you love most in the world.

6. Play fun camping games to pass the time

While camping, you don’t just sit there and allow the time to pass. When you’re not talking and telling stories or cooking fun snacks, you’re playing exciting games that will enable you to get to know your loved ones better. If you’re drinking with your partner, consider a game of Truth or Drink that will allow you to get to know one another better. The best questions make players wonder if they really should tell the truth or if they should take a drink and decide not to answer.

Without alcohol, you might focus on a simpler game of Truth or Dare or something that may not involve much movement, like I Spy. You might also choose to break out a board or card game to play. Your options for fun are limitless when you’re spending time with the person you love most in the world.

Make Camping a Date Any Time of the Year

You don’t have to wait for the prime time of the year to go camping. While most people go camping in the summer months from June to August, you can build a campsite in your living room and celebrate the occasion with the person you love most in your world. Plan things out, and you should have the best date night ever — doing something that both you and your significant other love.