Ogden, Utah. It's a date!

It’s easy to get stuck in the dinner-and-a-movie dating rut. Ogden’s array of independent restaurants and multiplex movie theaters keep it a safe option, but there are plenty of alternatives around town to spice things up. Here are a few of our favorite date night ideas in Ogden.

Save the Hollywood blockbusters for streaming during later Netflix & Chill dates. Plenty of unique “dinner-and-a-show” dates in Ogden abound. Let’s start with dinner.

You want to choose a restaurant with no wrong choice on the menu. Looking for high energy and the best beer selection in town? That would be Slackwater. From artisan pizza to specialty sandwiches, soups, and salads, you and your date will find something that hits the spot. You’ll even get live music from Friday through Sunday.

Even though some people strongly oppose sushi, you can’t go wrong with Tona. This award-winning sushi restaurant has plenty of great tempura, teriyaki, and bento boxes, in addition to some of the most unique takes on sushi anywhere.

If you’re looking for an intimate conversation without the volume of live music or the bustle of a crowded sushi bar, you’ll want to hit Table 25. As one of Ogden’s newest restaurants, it has quickly become one of its most popular. Not only does Table 25 offers high-quality craft cocktails, but there isn’t a single thing on the menu that’s short of spectacular.

Best of all, these go-to restaurants are in the heart of Ogden’s historic downtown within an easy, romantic stroll to any of the “show” portions of your “dinner-and-a-show” date.

Catch a live, local production at Good Company Theater. For over a decade, this eclectic theater has put on high-quality productions that go beyond a passive experience and generate memorable connections between performers, their audience and the space around them.

Enjoy a night of stand-up comedy at Wiseguys. Owner and comedian Keith Stubbs started Wiseguys in Ogden in 2003. It has since grown into a juggernaut of clubs throughout the intermountain west with locations in Salt Lake City, Jordan Landing, Las Vegas, and soon, Boise. Touring headliners that play his bigger comedy clubs can often work out new material in the smaller, more intimate Ogden location. It’s the perfect place to catch an up-and-comer so you can say, “I saw them when.”

Always check the schedule at Peery’s Egyptian Theater when planning a date night. The myriad of productions that roll through the theater includes the community’s best concerts, films, theater productions, dance performances, chamber orchestras, and more. The theater is iconic Ogden, blending its 99-year history and architecture with new seating and state-of-the-art audio and lighting systems.

Ogden offers abundant opportunities for adventurous dates for every level of adrenaline junky. Über-active couples can hit Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, or Nordic Valley year round with skis, snowboards, or mountain bikes. If you’re looking for something less gear-intensive, there’s always hiking or snowshoeing on our hundreds of miles of trails or a gentle paddle at Pineview or Causey Reservoirs.

Try an hour or two of skating. Options abound. Huntsville Park maintains an outdoor flooded ice rink while temperatures allow with on-site skate rentals. Similarly, the Ice Sheet hosts open skate hours when ice time is available. This is Olympic-quality ice (as the curling venue during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games), and is in high demand with curling, hockey, and figure skating, so check their calendar for open skate times before planning your date. Another year-round option is the new Neptune Skating rink for the ultimate throw-back date.

If you want to stick to downtown or indoors, a few hours at the Salomon Center can get the heart rate up with a bit of indoor surfing, rock climbing, or skydiving. If you and your date crave indoor adventure that doesn’t require swimwear, chalk-covered hands, and windblown hair, you could always try axe throwing at Social Axe, or display your pinball and arcade skills at Ogden’s new Lit Arcade Bar (LAB).

If you and your date want to connect, there may be better options than sitting quietly through a play/concert/performance. Similarly, having your date out-ski, out-ride, or out-skate you aren’t always great..nor is having one of you wipe the floor in axe throwing or pinball.

Why not enjoy a leisurely stroll around Ogden’s growing collection of outdoor murals and other public art? Pop into a few of our galleries, including The Monarch, which houses dozens of local artists’ studios, the Art Box, and Ogden Contemporary Arts. Check out the Local Artisan Collective or boutique shops like Khroma Apothecary, Beehive Naturals, or Queen Bee.

Plan a date around Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll to enjoy special exhibits, street performers, pop-up installations, and extended gallery/studio hours.

When your day of dining, entertainment, adventure, and/or art begins to wind down, you’ll have a plethora of options for a nightcap. Hit Harp & Hound, Angry Goat, or one of the local brewpubs (Roosters, UTOG). If you prefer a side of live music with your beverage, look to Funk n’ Dive or Lighthouse Lounge. If the date has gone well and you’re looking for a bit of quiet conversation with Ogden’s best signature cocktails, you’re going to head to Hearth on 25th or Sidebar at Ogden’s Own Distillery.

We’re not here to tell you what to do after that, but we’ll leave this here.