With the stress of an overwhelming spring semester and facing a global pandemic, life has certainly adjusted since last year. One particular way society has had to adapt is learning how to maintain healthy and positive relationships.

A majority of college couples have had to struggle through long-distance relationships, even finding ways to be together while still following COVID-19 safety precautions and regulations set in place.

This list has compiled ten affordable and safe, but still enjoyable date night ideas. There are a vast range of activities to do from the comfort of your own home or locations which are mandating safety regulations set in place for the Greene County area. In a poll conducted on a popular social networking site, these were ten of the most innovative and inexpensive date nights for couples to participate in.

1. Bowling: Although this activity may be considered not as “cool” for college kids, Sunshine Lanes in Springfield Missouri is happy to prove that wrong. Lanes are first come, first serve and are limited due to safety precautions. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, prices are extremely low from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. On Saturday night there is also a $15 all-you-can-bowl deal! Bowling is an extremely fun date night to safely have during the pandemic.

1. Ice skating: Although the weather may be warming up, that does not mean ice skating is completely out of the question. Why not check out Jordan Valley Ice Park, an indoor skating rink. Freshman student Olivia Taylor recommends this location based on her experiences whilst there. Jordan Valley Ice Park is a total of $8 per person (including an admission fee and skate rental) for a 90-minute session on the weekday, and a 60-minute session on the weekend. This location is also limiting the number of skaters within the building at all times, to ensure the safety of their customers.

1. Board games: Although society is currently in an “Among Us” craze, there are still a variety of physical board and card games that can be played for a date night. Sophomore Shaye Soderquist and junior Maddie Curtis have both played multiple board games on date nights. Soderquist described how she and her date went to the Big Biscuit in Springfield and played Monopoly afterward. Curtis included that she owns a vast number of board games, but she and her significant other especially enjoy Pandemic and Munchkin. Each of these games is available for purchase on Amazon and many convenience stores in the area.

1. Car picnic: An extremely romantic, albeit cheesy date night is a car picnic. However, this is the personal favorite of many (not discounting myself), including junior Paige Meyer. In a quote from Meyer, she described a date, “The place I went to was called Sac River Mountain Trail, it’s about 15 minutes north. It’s a mountain biking trail, but you can just park and look out to a huge field!” Picking up your favorite fast food, or even taking a homemade meal up to this location is an extremely safe and picturesque date night.

1. Ice cream: One of the most popular Springfield staples is the sheer amount of ice cream, froyo, custard and gelato options across town. The list below is a small number of options within the area that are affordable and follow COVID regulations:

• Andy’s Frozen Custard
• Coldstone Creamery
• Orange Leaf
• Braum’s
• Maes Gelateria
• Pineapple Whip
• SweetNSnow

Each of these locations offers something unique with interesting flavors, college discount nights and recommendations from Drury University peers. Freshman Robin Urbanc highly recommends the health bar concrete from Andy’s Frozen Custard. Senior Lucy Shaver also enjoys Andy’s Frozen Custard and chooses to get the James Brownie Funky Jackhammer concrete and highly recommend this location, desert and all ice cream across the city of Springfield.

1. Sunrise/sunset watching: This activity of sunset or sunrise watching could be combined perfectly with a car picnic as previously mentioned on this list. Or a casual, on-campus option is to have a study or homework night on Sunderfiled field or Kellogg Green with the sunset or sunrise happening in the background. Although a small gesture, it is bound to make a genuine and heartfelt date between you and your significant other.

1. Cooking from home: Although dining off  campus would work for some, there is not always the guarantee of thrift and safe regulations being in place. To avoid these concerns, a cooking date night from the comfort of your apartment or home could be a valid and extremely fun night for a couple. Follow the link for 30 easy and inexpensive meals that college students could make together.

1. Late-night drives: A creative way to get to know your significant other better is by taking a late-night drive and showing each other places which have special meaning to you around the city. Whether that be your favorite spot on campus, the best restaurant you’ve ever been to or even where you grew up; combining this activity with a Spotify or YouTube playlist of favorite songs could be make your evening drives even more enjoyable. And you’ve instantly created a heartfelt and touching date night that is a reasonable price.

1. Hiking: With the spring semester in full swing, a potential couple’s activity is taking advantage of the multiple hiking trails across Springfield. An article on AllTrails lists an abundance of potential trails to discover. Make sure to pack essential items such as a mask, a full water bottle, appropriate shoes, sunscreen and l snacks. A potential recurring date activity is trying a new hiking trail each weekend with your significant other to experience and view multiple gorgeous areas Springfield has to offer.

1. Zoom movie night: One year ago a majority of students and staff across the nation had never heard of Zoom, but now it has become a daily feature of life. And absorbing Zoom into a date night is extremely beneficial for long-distance couples due to the pandemic. There are multiple activities one could do over Zooms such as online games, virtual dinners and even movie nights with the ability of screen sharing. I, personally, have done multiple Zoom movie nights, which were all extremely successful and were a refreshing way to see a loved one, even though it was virtual.

Article by Gabriella Wuller