Creative Date Ideas In Charleston
Dinner dates are wonderful, but occasionally, it is nice to switch things up! So, we have curated a list of creative date ideas you can enjoy in Charleston.
A Night of Games
Neighborhood: Mount Pleasant
Head to MIX in Mount Pleasant to enjoy an evening of games. MIX offers various experiences, including duckpin bowling, axe throwing, darts, arcade games, and more! MIX experiences can be rented by the minute, or you can rent out certain experiences for the whole night. MIX also has a full bar where they craft house-made margaritas, espresso martinis, and more. You can enjoy dinner or a snack at MIX, then head down the street to Mainland Container Co. for some late night drinks.
Wine Tasting
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston
If you are interested in trying out a variety of wines while snacking on cheese boards, Charleston has a few Downtown options for wine tasting. Graft Wine Shop and Wine Bar is a small and cozy bar that offers FREE wine tasting on Tuesdays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Wine & Company on Meeting Street offers private wine tastings for groups of 8 to 24 people, if you want to do a group date. The wine tastings are $50 per person and include a sampling of five different wines and charcuterie boards.
Neighborhood: Avondale
Avondale Wine & Cheese Bar serves a variety of wines, cheese, meats, and tapas boards. Avondale Wine & Cheese Bar also has over 500 bottles of wine available for purchase, if you want to take a bottle home.
Learn to Cook Together
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston
Learn some new cooking skills and enjoy a delicious meal while attending one of Charleston’s great cooking classes. You can enjoy a cooking class at the popular caviar restaurant, Zero George. Zero George hosts classes on Saturdays and Sundays, which are priced at $195 per person. The class includes a three-course meal served with wine.
Also located Downtown is In The Kitchen with Bob Waggoner. These classes do sell out very quickly, but if you can get a spot, they are an incredible experience. Classes are $175 per person.
Lastly, Nordic Kitchen hosts community pop-up cooking classes that are plant-based, and Mercantile & Mash hosts monthly cooking/baking classes. Mercantile and Mash is hosting a wine and chocolate tasting class on Friday, February 9, 2024, for $85 per person.
Dance The Night Away
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston
Enjoy live music in Downtown Charleston at various bars and restaurants for a lively night out. The Commodore is a popular music venue that hosts live music. They have a solid cocktail and beer menu, a dance floor, and various acts. The popular cocktail bar and restaurant Prohibition on King Street also hosts nightly live music. To view more live music venues and bars, see our guide to the top restaurants for live music in Charleston.
Neighborhood: Mount Pleasant
Enjoy a night of dancing on the water during Dancing on The Cooper on The Mount Pleasant Pier. The event takes place monthly from March to September from 7:00pm to 10:30pm beneath the Ravenel Bridge. Tickets range from $8 to $10.
Upcoming dates include:
- Friday, June 7, 2024
- Friday, July 19, 2024
- Friday, September 13, 2024
See The Lowcountry
Be a tourist in your own town and enjoy a boat tour! Coastal Expeditions offers captivating boat tours that range from $40 to $85 per person. The Boneyard Beach Sunrise Expedition is one of the most unique excursion options. This trip takes guests out to Bulls Island at sunset to enjoy the beautiful and secluded island.
Dinner and a Movie
Neighborhood: James Island
While movie-going seems more and more like a thing of the past, we think this is now considered a unique date idea. The charming and retro Terrace Theater on Maybank Highway is just the spot to enjoy a movie night. Before or after the movie, head to Bar George for a drink and some snacks (Bar George has daily happy hour from 5:00pm to 6:00pm), or head to Charleston Pour House for live music and drinks. Maybank Highway has plenty of restaurants and bars to keep the night going.
Have a Laugh
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston
Theatre 99 in Downtown Charleston is an improv comedy club that hosts improv shows and offers improv classes. Improv shows are held on Wednesday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm. Tickets range from $10 to $20. If you enjoy the show so much that you want to try your hand at Improv, sign up for an improv class! Theater 99 also offers a Couples Game Night with different games and exercises. This experience can be done over Zoom or in person at Theater 99 and is $30 per person. Learn more here.
Get Adventurous
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston
Go the distance together and try out indoor rock climbing at Coastal Climbing. Coastal Climbing offers day passes for $20, and you can rent gear for just $5. You can head into the space and boulder for however long you want, sign up for a climbing class, or get a personal training session for you and your date. After climbing, check out some of the local bars and restaurants. If you are having a day date, head to Huriyali Gardens down the street to grab an acai bowl, coffee, a salad, or one of their great breakfast burritos.
Try a Raw Bar
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston
Fleet Landing launched a new raw bar that is a must-go spot. Fleet Landing is one of Charleston’s best waterfront restaurants. The raw bar is open seven days a week for lunch from 11:00am to 3:30pm and dinner from 5:00pm to 10:00pm. The Raw Bar menu features locally sourced and sustainably caught seafood. Some of the menu items include, a crab claw cocktail, chilled oysters, a seafood tower, and of course champagne. Take a look at the raw bar experience.
Another great Raw Bar to try for date night is 167 Raw Oyster Bar. 167 Raw is located on lower King Street and serves tasty high quality seafood. The Raw bar menu includes a jumbo shrimp cocktail, oysters, clams, and V-10 oyster shooters. 167 Raw also has caviar service as well as a full menu of small and large plates. We highly recommend trying the Tuna Burger.