Not sure where to take your special someone? Planning a group date and not sure what to do? Don’t worry, we can help! Try one of these 10 excellent date ideas:

1. Pick apples from your local orchard. Wandering through an orchard with your special someone is relaxing and fun. It also gives you time to talk and get to know each other better, while providing an easy distraction (apples) if you run into any awkward lulls in conversation. Not sure where your local orchard is? Visit LocalHarvest to find farms and orchards in your area. Bonus tip: For a great follow-up date, get enough apples to make a homemade apple pie together!
2. Carve pumpkins. Carving pumpkins is a great activity for a couple or a group, especially if you pick out your pumpkins together. All you need is a few knives, a few pumpkins, and you are good to go!
3. Find your way through a corn maze. Check your local newspaper to find a corn maze in your area. Wandering through a corn maze is a great opportunity to talk and, if it is a bit chilly out, to get a little closer to stay warm. For a group date, see which couple can get through the maze the fastest.
4. Visit a haunted house. Many schools and churches create haunted houses in October and November. If your special someone can handle the frights, a haunted house can be a blast. To make it extra special, visit the local Dairy Queen afterwards to laugh about the haunted house over a banana split.
5. Take a stroll to enjoy the fall leaves. Fall weather and red, orange, and yellow leaves make a perfect combination for taking a stroll with your special someone. Be sure to bring a jacket so your lovely walk doesn’t turn into a shiverfest.
6. Rake some leaves, then jump in them! Whether you are 15 or 35, playing in the leaves can be a lot of fun. Grab your date, grab a rake, and jump in!
7. Go for a horseback ride. With a bit of planning, a horseback ride can provide hours of fun and a very memorable date experience. Visit Horse Rentals to find a local stable that provides trail riding rentals. Be sure to pack some water and a few snacks to share.
8. Plan a picnic. By itself or in combination with a horseback ride, a picnic is a thoroughly enjoyable date. Unless you are an experienced picnicer, keep it simple. Some great meal items include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sodas, and baby carrots. Don’t forget silverware and napkins!
9. Take a hike. Even relatively flat regions and cities have hiking trails or walking paths. Put on a pair of sturdy shoes or boots and enjoy the hike!
10. Check out a fall festival or concert. Low on cash but still want to have a blast with your date? Check out a local fall festival or fall concert. In addition to providing great food, great music, and a pile of fun activities, most of them have free admission.

Image source: ‘Me & Somayeh – Inside the Road‘

In no particular order, here is our list of 20 fun love songs:

1. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1 by The Flaming Lips
2. Head Over Feet by Alanis Morissette
3. Here In Your Arms by Hellogoodbye
4. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
5. Somebody Loved by The Weepies
6. Sugarcube by Yo La Tengo
7. Dreams by The Cranberries
8. Honey And The Moon by Joseph Arthur
9. Red Right Ankle by The Decemberists
10. Here Comes My Girl by Tom Petty
11. You Can Have It All by Yo La Tengo
12. First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes
13. All I Want Is You by U2
14. All I Need by Radiohead
15. Somebody by Depeche Mode
16. Love You Madly by Cake
17. Into Your Arms by The Lemonheads
18. Northern Sky by Nick Drake
19. Flood of Sunshine by The Posies
20. I Know I Know I Know by Tegan and Sara

Did we miss your favorite love song? Leave a comment!

Image source: L♥ve

Materials needed:

• Overhead power lines that you can walk under (the bigger the better). Most areas have large overhead power lines, so this should be easy to find.
• A fluorescent tube light for each participant. These are the long tube lights you see in office buildings and schools. You can get these at Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or any other store that sells light bulbs. It doesn’t really matter which model or brand, so long as it is fluorescent and several feet long.

What To Do:

Take your date and lights to the overhead power lines you found. Hold the light like a lightsaber, and point it to the sky. It will light up! You’ll get a better effect if there are lots of low-hanging power lines. You’ll also have brighter lights if the humidity is low.

Play around with holding the light in different places, having multiple people holding one light, holding the light at different angles, etc. You can also have some fun having a lightsaber fight (careful! the lights are fragile and you don’t want to break them..).

How It Works:

Those overhead power lines flood the surrounding area with an electromagnetic field. Holding the tube light allows one end to be grounded to the earth, and the other end collects wasted electricity from the power lines.

Instead of getting them a normal gift, try getting them some “coal”. A simple geode (available online or at many toy stores) painted black provides a fun yet rewarding gift to give to even the naughtiest boy or girl.

What special gifts are you giving your special someone this Christmas?

1. Don’t offer to pay for the meal. Guys, its your money. You barely know this girl. Make her buy her own food. Girls, it is the guys job to pay for your meal. Demand it.
2. Wear heavy cologne or perfume. Nothing says “look at me, I’m attractive” like the smell of whale barf. Wear enough so your date can find you by scent if you get separated at the theater.
3. Arrive fashionably late. You don’t want your date to think you are too interested. Show up 45 minutes late to show that not only are you interested, but you are cool. Ladies, even if you’ve known for days what time your date is going to show up, don’t bother to start getting dressed until 5 minutes before the date. Guys love sitting in your living room for 45 minutes while you try on clothes.
4. Talk about your ex. Make it clear to your date what you do/don’t want in a relationship by frequently referring to your ex. They’ll appreciate funny anecdotes and will feel closer to you as you rant about their shortcomings.
5. Talk politics. Hate Bush? Hate Obama? Let your date know! Surely they’ll agree with your position, because anyone in their right mind would hate insert hated political group/person here.
6. Complain about work. Your job sucks. They work you too hard, your boss is a jerk, you get lousy hours. Let your date know! Dump the cares of your world on their shoulders, and free yourself from the burden for a few hours.
7. Let them know how amazing you are. Won 2nd place in the Pinewood Derby in 3rd grade? Voted class president in Junior High? Your date needs to know how amazing you are. Whenever there is a lull in conversation, blurt out something you’ve accomplished or an award you’ve received, and your date won’t be able to help but become infatuated with you.
8. Flash your cash. Talk money! It is important to establish early in the relation who is going to be the sugar-daddy/momma and who is going to be the gold digger. If your date doesn’t make enough money, cut things short with a clever line like, “Oh no, I think I left the oven on!”
9. Dress casual. This is a date, not the opera. There is no need to dress up a little nicer than usual, or clean yourself up any more than you normally would. Haven’t washed your hair in a few weeks? Do your jeans have a few holes in them? Pit stains in the arm pits of your t-shirt? That’s fine! If your date isn’t cool with who you are, then it just wasn’t meant to be.
10. Answer your phone. Your date should understand that your friends/family/wrong-number-callers are important to you. If your phone goes off, answer it on the first ring and don’t be shy of talking for 5, 10, or even 15 minutes. Bonus tip: Let your date know where they stand by talking about your date so far with whoever just called you.

What did we miss? What would you do to fail a first date?

For several weeks I let everyone know that we were having a snail race and that people should invite their friends. I looked online and found some printable race car number decals that could be put on the snails. I made a “race track” for the snails. I had everything ready to go. Except for the snails.

The activity was planned for Monday, and it was already the Saturday before. I took my girlfriend and headed to the pet store to buy some snails. Unfortunately, when the store clerk found out what I’d be doing with the snails they sold, she refused to sell them!

Not to be deterred, we went to a park that had a pond to find snails. But alas, there weren’t any!

As a last resort, I sprayed the grass in the backyard with a hose in the hopes of attracting my slimy friends. Victory! I gathered a dozen tiny snails and put them in a plastic container with some grass.

Sunday came, and I gave my snails a little water, but didn’t think of them much.

Finally Monday was here, and it was time to race the snails! The snails weren’t being very lively though. They were bunched up, and several looked dead (I later learned they were eating each other to survive).

The race was a flop. In an attempt to encourage the other snails to get a move on, someone ate one of the more sluggish snails. Although it caused a moment of entertainment for everyone, it didn’t motivate the other snails to move any faster.

We finally gave up and released our snails into the wild.

More than anything else you want your gift to show her how romantic you are. These sane and sensible ideas can help you a lot in your search for a unique romantic gift for your woman.

Jewelry: We have all heard the phrase “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Nothing says “I love you” or “forgive me” like jewelry. Surprise her with an extraordinary ring, necklace or bracelet with a unique design and watch the glint of pride in her eyes. She will wear it proudly.

Plan an entire day: Show your woman how special she is to you by planning an entire day of different activities with her. You can start the day by serving her breakfast in bed with a beautiful red rose. After that you can take her to a theme park, go shopping or visit an art gallery. In the evening surprise her with a romantic candlelight dinner and watch a movie together. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

Personalized gift baskets: Gift baskets are great because each one can be personalized to match the lifestyle of the woman you love. They can also be filled with articles that she enjoys. Perfume, chocolates, teddy bears, jewelry, and her favorite foods are excellent fillers.

A Pet: If your wife or girlfriend is a pet person don’t hesitate to buy her one. A dog, cat or bird is a unique gift that she will appreciate. Don’t forget to consider whether or not she has the time and space in her home to maintain a pet.

Love message in a bottle: A very unusual and romantic gift. With a few basic materials and your imagination you can make one yourself. Or you can take the easy route and have it done professionally. Either way your message should be romantic and unforgettable.

Surprise Party: Organize a surprise party for her. Try to get all her friends to come and make sure she doesn’t find out you are planning it. She will appreciate the effort that you put into the party and it will show you love and care for her.

A nice belt: Buying your woman a belt that fits her wardrobe and personality will show that you pay attention to her. If she is active and casual buy her a sporty belt. Or if she likes to stand out in a crowd, buy her a more glamorous one.

Shopping vouchers: Most women are shopaholics and shopping vouchers give them the opportunity to feed their addiction. Vouchers create opportunities for them to spend the day shopping, visiting and trying on clothes with their girlfriends. Be careful that she doesn’t get the idea that you are giving her the voucher because you didn’t want to go through the trouble of giving her anything else. Explain your intentions when you give her the gift.

Hot Air Balloon Flight: A hot air balloon ride together will be a unique experience for you both. The memory of it will last a lifetime. She will be able to brag to her friends about how attentive and original you are. Don’t forget to bring along a camera to photograph your journey.