40 Date Night Ideas in Clearwater-St. Pete

Your guide to date night ideas in Pinellas County, FL.

Looking for date night ideas in Clearwater-St. Pete? Check out these 40 date ideas, including free date ideas and unique dates too.

We are two local moms who grew up in Pinellas and we write about fun things for families to do in the area.

Our date night list idea includes day dates for parents who may not be able to get away at night, free ideas for people looking for date nights on a budget, and casual easy date ideas.

Let’s find your next date!

Free date night ideas

Let’s kick off the list with free date night activities around Pinellas County. These are perfect if you need date ideas on a budget or are looking for a more casual activity.

1. Pinellas library museum pass

The Pinellas County library system has museum passes that you can check out for a week to many of our area museums. You can snag a pass and visit museums like the Museum of Fine Arts or Imagine glass art museum for free.

Check out what is being offered and advice for each.

2. Courtney Campbell Causeway walk

There is an awesome trail along the Country Campbell that is definitely worth a visit. Stroll along the bridge for an easy date with great views. Plus, parking is free and easy (except for busy times).

3. Sunset yoga at Coachman park

You can find pop up free yoga classes throughout Pinellas. For a date night vibe, Coachman Park offers free sunset yoga on Monday nights (more details here). They also offer morning classes for those looking for a day date.

4. St. Pete Pier walk

St. Pete Pier has so much going on that it makes a great date night stroll. You can walk out to the end of the pier, hang out at the small beach, or walk through the stalls along the pier.

5. SPC Planetarium

St. Petersburg College offers free planetarium shows to the public on select nights during the academic year (usually Wednesday & Friday evenings). You can find upcoming dates on their website.

6. Seaside Seabird Sanctuary

I used to go to the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary all the time as a kid. It is free to visit and the sanctuary provides rehabilitation and rescue to local birds. It is located by the beach of Indian Shores so you could pair a visit with a beach stroll for a full date afternoon.

7. Heritage Village

Heritage Village is another free site that people may remember from their childhood (we went there on field trips in elementary school). Heritage Village is part park, part museum and showcases history of Pinellas County. Best of all, a visit is free.

8. Downtown Friday Night events

Local cities throughout Pinellas host monthly Friday evening events. Here are some of the Friday night events in our area:

• 1st Fridays: Tarpon Springs
• 3rd Fridays: Safety Harbor

Note: unfortunately, the St. Pete First Friday event has recently been cancelled.

Unique date nights

Next, let’s turn to more unique date nights in the Clearwater-St. Pete area. You’ll find a mix of food and activities so there is something for everyone.

9. MD Oriental Market

I so deeply love MD Oriental Market. It is a huge Asian grocery store with a few locations around Tampa Bay. Stroll the store and get a cheap (delicious!) hot bar meal. The hot bar food is so good and the portions are huge.

10. St. Pete’s mural art walk

You’ll find lots of murals covering the walls of buildings in St. Pete. For a date, you could do a self-guided walking to of the murals (list of murals available here) or do an organized walking tour with Florida CraftArt.

11. Cooking class

Palate Culinary Services offers cooking class nights in Dunedin. You can find upcoming classes on their website. (Psst… they also offer cooking summer camps for kids!)

12. Mazzaro’s

Mazzaro’s is a locally famous Italian market located in St. Pete. You can find so many delicious things here and can easily spend an afternoon strolling and snacking on treats you find.

Plus, you can get prepared food and homemade pasta to take home for a date night dinner. I love their rosa sauce and you can never go wrong with cannolis.

13. Show at the Coachman Park Sound

Coachman Park was recently renovated and is worth a visit (check out our Coachman Park guide for all the highlights). The park is beautiful and has great waterfront views.

The park is now home to The Sound, an outdoor venue next to the Clearwater Library building. Catch a show there for a fun date night.

14. Celebration Station

Have some nostalgic childhood fun at Celebration Station. They have arcade games, go-karts, mini-golf, batting cages and a handful of rides.

15. Minor league baseball game

Check out a minor league baseball game. We have two local minor league teams — the Dunedin Blue Jays and the Clearwater Threshers.

16. Pottery class

Have your romantic Ghost moment at a pottery class. You can find pottery classes for adults at the Dunedin Fine Art Center (schedule), the Morean Art Center (schedule), and MSC Clay Studios (schedule). The Hive in St. Pete even offers a Friday Night Date Night class (schedule).

17. Axe throwing

Smack My Axe is an axe throwing bar down in St. Pete Beach. This is a good parents date night spot because no little kids are allowed. They have a discount night on Wednesdays, and I also appreciate the punny name and the puns throughout their website.

Easy date nights

The next set of Pinellas date night ideas are easy and casual. These take little to no planning so they’re great to do at the spur of the moment too.

18. Pub subs on the beach

Is there a more Florida date that getting pub subs and hitting the beach? Publix subs are really their own love language.

19. Bar trivia night

Before having kids, I used to run a bar trivia night at our neighborhood pub. As a trivia host, I loved date night couples and was always rooting for them. Bar trivia is also a great ice breaker for first dates or newer couples.

20. Gigglewater dinner & movie

Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor is unique because it is both a restaurant and a small movie theater. You can enjoy a dinner while watching a film, which makes for a quintessential date night.

21. Dairy Kurl

Dairy Kurl has been a Pinellas institution for over 70 years! Their ice cream is awesome and would make for a simple and sweet date night. Pictured above is the nutella shake I tried recently that was awesome.

22. Local brewery

Breweries are a great casual date if you like beer. And if you have to bring the kids along for your brewery date night, we’ve got a list of great family-friendly breweries around Pinellas.

23. Bowling

Bowling is a quintessential fun and casual date. It has an activity to give the date focus while still allowing for lots of down time and talking.

24. Dog Bar

Dog Bar is a dog park meets bar, and honestly it is such a good concept I’m surprised more don’t exist. It makes for a casual and fun date for dog lovers.

25. Reboot Arcade

Reboot is a barcade in Dunedin. The bar-cade has a ton of pinball games and arcade games. They have video game consoles you can check out: old video game consoles are free to use and new consoles you can rent.

Romantic date night ideas

Looking for something more romantic? Here are a few romantic date night ideas around Pinellas.

26. Honeymoon Island picnic

Honeymoon Island is beautiful and would make a great spot for a romantic picnic. The park is open until sundown too so you can catch a sunset to make it doubly romantic.

27. Ferry to Caladesi Island

If Honeymoon Island is too busy for you and you want something a little more secluded, you could hop the ferry over to Caladesi Island. Caladesi is only accessible by boat, ferry or kayak so you’ll get less crowds than Honeymoon.

28. Bern’s dessert room

Bern’s Steakhouse is a Tampa Bay institution for upscale dining and their dessert room is an experience. Remember that Bern’s has a dress code and you should plan to get reservations for this date night.

29. Spa day

Do a spa day at the Safety Harbor spa for some relaxation, pampering and a bit of local history.

30. Early Bird Dinner Theater

Early Bird Dinner Theater is a longstanding Pinellas favorite where you can see a theater performance and enjoy dinner. You can find a schedule of their upcoming plays here.

Day date ideas

Finally, here are some date ideas that you can enjoy during the day. These are great if you’re like me and fall asleep too early for going out after the kids go to bed.

31. Farmer’s market

There are lots of fun farmer’s markets that take place each week in Pinellas. They happen throughout the week so you likely can find one on the day you want to have a date. Just check the calendar because some farmer’s markets shut down for the summer heat.

32. Paddle boarding at Philippe Park

You can find self-service paddle board rentals for a day of paddle boarding on Tampa Bay. There’s a kiosk in Safety Harbor’s Philippe Park, through St. Pete Beach and in Palm Harbor at Pop Stansell Park

33. ZooTampa

Even before having kids, we loved going to zoos and aquariums when we traveled. ZooTampa is really nice and also has rides in addition to regular zoo offerings. Check out our full guide to ZooTampa before you go.

34. Florida Botanical Gardens

Florida Botanical Gardens are over 100 acres of gardens and local Florida plants. At Christmas, they decorate the gardens with lots of lights for an even more romantic date activity.

35. Donuts

Explore some local Pinellas donut shops as a unique day date. It’s a sweet treat and a fun alternative to going for coffee or ice cream.

36. Adventure Island

What’s more fun than a day at a water park? Pretty much nothing, especially in the middle of a hot Florida summer. Plus, for those who grew up in the area, Adventure Island has some great childhood nostalgia going for it.

37. Pinellas Trail hike (with Dunedin brewery pit stops)

Pinellas Trail is a cool trail that traverses all of Pinellas. It is great for walking, biking and rollerskating. Make it a full day date by hiking the strip near Dunedin and stopping at the breweries and distillery just off the trail.

38. Imagine Glass Art Museum

Imagine is a glass art museum in St. Pete. As mentioned above, its one of the museums you can get a library museum pass for making this both a fun day date and a free date idea.

39. Tarpon Sponge Docks

Spend a day visiting the Tarpon Sponge docks. You can learn about the history of the Sponge docks and grab some great Greek food while you’re there. We have a list of our favorite things to do at the Tarpon Sponge Docks you can check out too.

40. Aquarium

Do a day date at an aquarium. Don’t forget to think outside the Florida Aquarium too! There are a number of cool aquariums close to Pinellas, including our favorite Tarpon Aquarium and free options like the Manatee Viewing Center at Tampa Electric