8 Retro-inspired date night ideas

Forget Weight Watchers, share a giant banana split with lashings of cream and swimming in hot fudge sauce or choose from a selection of mouth-watering flavours and enjoy a cone while taking a late night stroll. SheKnows recommends Cold Rock. There’s 3,000 different flavour combinations.

A little competition is healthy for a relationship. Head down to your local 10-pin bowling alley dressed in matching bowling shirts, don a pair of the unsexiest shoes in the world and knock down a few pins. It’s normally around $20 for two games including shoe hire.

Drive-in theatres were the place to hang out on a Saturday night during the 1950s. While a lot of theatres closed down with the introduction of multiplexes, there are still a few Australian drive-in theatres in operation. Bring a rug, a couple of pillows, put the front seats back and, if the movie’s boring, you can always climb into the back seat.

What could be more romantic than clinging on to each other for dear life because you have the grace and coordination of an octopus on wheels? It doesn’t matter if you can skate or not, half the fun is trying, even if you face-plant a few times. You will find ice skating or roller rinks in most major Australian cities and prices start at around $17 for a Friday night disco session.

Drive to a picturesque lookout where you can take in the city skyline at night, turn off the road and see how fast you can fog up the windows. You’ll feel like a pair of crazy teenagers.

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When you’re on a budget, snuggling up on the couch with a couple of retro movies can be fun. For a little light-hearted entertainment, rent some of the old classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Tootsie or Splash. If romance is on the agenda, try An Officer and a Gentleman or Endless Love. Want to get a bit saucy? 9 and 1/2 weeks and Two Moon Junction are must-sees.

Fondue sprung to popularity in the 1950s. Since then it’s always been a favourite dessert. You’ll need a fondue burner, chocolate, a selection of chopped up fruits, nuts and marshmallows. Traditionally, fondue is eaten with special dipping forks, but you’ll find it quite sensual to feed each other using your fingers. It can get a little messy, but isn’t that why God invented tongues?

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Turn off the TV and drag out the old board games. Chinese checkers, Battleship, Monopoly, Mastermind and the Game of Life are old favourites that are perfect for two players. Alternatively, find a card deck and deal a hand of last card, go fish or snap.