Creative Date Ideas For Summer in San Francisco
For all your summer romances, fleeting or not, we’ve got creative date ideas. Our “summer” is not the warmest, so these date ideas can be used through September and October when SF’s weather is at its best.
Go on an Ice Cream Crawl
For those perfect summer days (you know, the ones without fog) celebrate the ultimate warm-weather food: ice cream. Plan a romantic day of sampling SF’s best scoops, from Humphrey Slocombe to Swensen’s. Split portions at each to make sure you have room for as much ice cream as possible, or make it a double (or triple!) date so can sample even more. Walk between shops so you can explore the city on foot and work off each tasting. Our guide to our favorite San Francisco ice cream shops is a great place to start planning.
Picnic Outside of Outside Lands
Outside Lands is a music festival that happens in Golden Gate Park in August. The event is ticketed but if you can’t swing it, you can still hear the music outside of the gates. Pack a picnic and have a date in the park listening to the music just outside of the fence. There are plenty of places to pick up provisions in the Inner Sunset and Inner Richmond, or nearby Haight-Ashbury. Pick up picnic basics at Luke’s Local Market in Cole Valley. Get takeout from San Tung, whose chicken wings are some of the best in the city. Order Burmese food to-go from B Star or Burma Superstar. Any of the bread, desserts, or pizzas from Arizmendi Bakery are a picnic must. The music goes on for three days, so you have plenty of time to lounge nearby. (Of course, you can use these spots year-round, even when there is no festival.)
See an Outdoor Movie
There are tons of outdoor movies showing all summer long in the Bay Area. Bring your own blankets and snacks and enjoy a romantic night snuggling in the park while watching your favorite flicks on the big screen. Find a list of locations and films here. For something a little more out-of-the-box, drive an hour south to San Jose for a real drive-in movie experience, which might be the ultimate summer date. Bring some blankets for cuddling and all the snacks you can fit in your car.
Looking for more creative date ideas for summer in San Francisco? Join us for a food tour in the Mission or North Beach and our guides will fill you in on their favorites date ideas.
