We love date nights.  Whether it’s dinner and a movie, or roaming around a mega store (see Part I), we know it’s important in any marriage or relationship, to set intentional time to be together. Our definition of a date is a loose one.. We just encourage you to be purposeful, joyful, and loving in your time together. This is our series to record our date nights and give you ideas and encouragement to continuously date each other.

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Recently, we have been quite busy…. I have been out of town a lot in the past month, so the first day back we decided ahead of time to spend it together. We went for something a little less common for our date night this week… a trip to Newport News Park! Parks are great places to go on dates, especially if they have water! We rented a paddle boat for an hour, brought a lunch, and enjoyed a perfect picnic in the middle of a lake, with the breeze keeping us cool. We even moved to the back of the boat and relaxed in the back seats, letting the wind and water push us across the lake. After the hour, we tied the boat up on the way out, and stopped for an ice cream afterwards! We also found out that they rent boats up until a half hour before sunset, so a romantic almost-sunset dinner is a great idea as well!

The Date: Paddle Boat rental & optional Ice Cream

Cost: $6.48 for an hourly rental + ice cream.

How to: Check your local parks to see if they have boat rentals… Our parents are in Midlothian and you can rent boats on the Swift Creek Reservoir.  So find a lake near you.

Time sensitive?:  You probably don’t want to go boating in the dead of winter. We love a cool breeze on a warm day, so the spring through fall months will be best!

Location: Newport News Park, off Jefferson Avenue, just past Ft. Eustis Blvd. (If you are renting a boat on a weekday, you will go a half-mile further down Jefferson Avenue to the Newport News Campsite office)

Approximate Time: We spent an hour on the water, but you can also rent for half-hour sessions.

Preparation needed?:  Besides preparing a picnic, or even picking up meals from a restaurant nearby, all you got to do is go there!

please excuse the phone pictures..