12 Real-Life Romantic Date Ideas Inspired by Nicholas Sparks Books

Quaint seaside town setting optional.


Nicholas Sparks has been writing love stories for 20 years, beginning with The Notebook in 1996 and most recently having published Two by Two on Oct. 4, making him a real authority on the subject of romance. I took a look at some of his best-known novels (all of the ones that have been made into movies, plus his latest) to see what makes the Nicholas Sparks cut of a good date, and made some real-life substitutions in case you don't live in a small and charming seaside town in the great state of North Carolina. Here, 12 date ideas you can try when you need a change from Netflix.


In the book: Noah takes Allie out in a canoe to a secluded lake that's filled with "thousands" of birds. They stay in their hideaway until a thunderstorm forces them back home.

In real life: Get to your nearest lake and take a boat ride (bonus points if you make your guy row so you can admire their muscles). Rent a rowboat, kayak, or even a paddle boat.


In the book: After locating Garrett and meeting him for the first time, Theresa maneuvers her way onto Garrett's sailboat that evening, and they eat a picnic of sandwiches, potato salad, and coleslaw while sailing and watching the sunset. Theresa's a woman who knows what she wants so she accidentally-on-purpose leaves her jacket on the boat to guarantee a second date.

In real life: Save being stranded out in open water for a date where you haven't just met the other person. Instead, pack a picnic and settle in by the waterfront. After the sun sets, you can transition to stargazing.

Warner Bros.


In the book: Jamie is determined to make this year's Christmas the best ever for the orphans in their town of Beaufort. After collecting money from the town (mostly from her future husband Landon), she buys presents for each of the children, and she and Landon deliver them.

In real life: Do a good deed! Volunteer somewhere together and feel both your love grow.


In the book: Paul spends five days at an inn, where Adrienne is the fill-in innkeeper. They're the only two at the charming seaside inn in the middle of a storm, and sparks fly.

In real life: If you haven't been asked by your inn-owning friend to watch over her property for what basically amounts to a paid getaway, shell out the money and shack up at a bed and breakfast. Or if you're trying to save money, have a staycation, and set the mood with a lit fireplace, a shared bath, and breakfast in bed.


In the book: Savannah meets John's father—they talk almost an hour about his passion, coin collecting—before John and Savannah get dinner. They finish up the night at the house Savannah is building with Habitat for Humanity.

In real life: Explore each other. Maybe that means meeting each other's parents, maybe that means learning about what the other person's into and experiencing it yourself.


In the book: Gabby is coerced into hanging out with her neighbor Travis, his six coupled-up friends and their kids, and his sister, and they spend the day parasailing, barbecuing on a cove, and having basically the best beach day ever.

In real life: Dilute the awkwardness of a first date with a group date. Block off your entire day, lay out in the sun, eat all the grilled meats.


In the book: Elizabeth and Thibault go to Shagging for Crabs, a locals-only restaurant that serves crab prepared just one way, to be eaten with your hands alongside "small pitchers of melted butter" and beer. After dinner, they dance the Carolina shag in front of a live band at the restaurant.

In real life: Lean into a cheesy date. Go somewhere fuss-free to eat — bonus points if part of your dining outfit is a plastic bib. Then go mini-golfing, bowling, or, yes, dancing. The name of the game is fun.


In the book: Ronnie and Steve spend all summer sleeping on the beach to protect a loggerhead nest until the baby loggerheads hatch and go to the ocean.

In real life: You might not live in loggerhead nest central (from North Carolina to southwest Florida in the U.S.), but you can still have a beachy sleepover. Just make sure you find a place where you can do it legally!

Touchstone Pictures

In the book: Katie and Alex go to the carnival with Alex's kids, where they experience small-town delights such as a juggler, a tightrope-walking dog, and a Ferris wheel.

In real life: Go to a fair or an amusement park. No kids necessary — just be ready to release your inner kid and eat as much fried food as you humanly can.


In the book: Dawson and Amanda, high-school sweethearts who haven't spoken in decades since breaking up, return to their hometown to fulfill the last wishes of Dawson's now-deceased surrogate father, Tuck. After a weekend of Tuck's matchmaking from beyond the grave, Dawson gets killed in an altercation, and his heart is donated to Amanda's son, who had been in a car accident.

In real life: Make a day of going to the DMV together to sign up to be organ donors—after all, there are over 119,000 people on the transplant waiting list in the U.S. After you register, do something to celebrate your organs—exercise your heart with a hike, give your lungs a workout while scuba diving, get drinks and put your perfectly functioning liver to work.


In the book: When Sophia meets Luke, he's getting back into the bull-riding circuit. She spends time with him at his ranch and watches him train on a mechanical bull. "Sunday nights often found him in his bedroom, surrounded by candles as Sophia kneaded his muscles, trying to work out his aches and pains."

In real life: Find a Western bar with a mechanical bull. Take turns riding it—the first to fall owes the other a drink and a massage later that night. Required attire: your most broken-in pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, and if you've got 'em, cowboy boots and hat.


In the book: Russell and his wife Vivian have regular date nights every Friday. Admittedly, it's not enough to save their marriage, and they end up getting a divorce. But Russell continues the tradition with his daughter, whether that's cooking dinner at home (complete with grape juice in wine glasses), having a fancy dinner at a restaurant with "elegant, handwritten menus," or going to the aquarium.

In real life: Have a standing date night to look forward to every week. No partner? No problem. As Russell shows, if you're spending time with someone you care about in some way, whether that's your wife, your daughter, or your best friend, you're bound to have fun.

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