I have heard this too many times.

If you find yourself saying this, I basically only have one question for you…. have you looked outside? Rexburg is bountiful. It may be even more bountiful than Bountiful itself. Besides, essentially anything you can do anywhere else, you can do it here too. And if you can do it with a group of friends or by yourself then it can be done as a date. It may need to be adjusted, but you can figure it out. I’m confident in you.

Ok. Let me step back.

My purpose here is to help you enjoy the dating scene here in Rexburg, Idaho, or wherever you might be.

You might be able to tell; I love Rexburg a lot and am quite defensive of it. It’s become a bit of a pet peeve of mine when I hear people talking about how boring it is here. I was once told, “Only boring people get bored.” So, if you don’t want to be boring then continue reading.

What is the best date you’ve ever been on?

What do you enjoy doing, not necessarily on a “date”?

I challenge you to think of something that you already love to do, something that fits your personality, and then look into activities on campus or in town and see what fits! In my experience, there is always “something” going on. That something isn’t always what gets you excited, but what does is likely to come up eventually. So, I challenge you to look ahead and plan intentionally! (Here, I am mostly referring to events hosted by the campus.)

I myself have lived in Rexburg since 2010, as a young single adult, and I am telling you’re right now that I have not run out of things to do! To this day I am still being introduced to new places to visit and things to do.

I’ve been here so long that some might even call me the Rexburg Guru…. that’s a lie. Nobody has ever called me that. Except for maybe my mom when trying to persuade a cute boy she met to look me up once he got to Rexburg. BUT the truth is that I have been here a while, and although I haven’t tried doing all the “things” myself, I DO surround myself with some pretty cool people who do pretty cool things and have pretty cool ideas. 

Odds are, you have too! If you can’t think of something enjoyable to do here in Rexburg I would venture to say that you could ask three people their favorite date and you’re likely to get at least one good date idea. That can take place here in Rexburg.

If you like doing it, see if you can’t find someone who might enjoy the same type of activity and turn it into a date. When planning a date, remember that it’s #justadate where you will have fun and get to know someone new. No pressure! It’s fun this way. Trust me.

I have my own list that I’ve developed over the years and I am willing to share, but you might find it more beneficial to try coming up with your own first.

To get your wheels turning, I’ll start the list off. Some of my favorite activities (little to no cost) here in Rexburg are:

Spring-

Make and fly a kite

Go on a tandem bike ride (rent at the Outdoor Learning Center on campus for incredibly cheap! If you like the outdoors, I suggest you check the OLC often)

Slackline at the park

Bowl (do you realize how cheap it is on campus?)

Summer-

Float the river

Attend a music festival

Volunteer at an animal shelter

Make ice cream

Fall-

Rake someone’s leaves

Attend a haunted house (or maze)

Carve or paint a pumpkin (you can even pick out your pumpkin at a patch together)

Watercolor paint pictures of one another

Winter-

Make cookies and doorbell ditch them to someone you want to make smile

Play in the snow; i.e. snow shoeing, build a snowman, go dogsledding, etc.

Make Christmas sweaters

Go on a walk to get hot chocolate (the best place, IMO, is the Cocoa Lodge)

Continual on campus-

Latin, Country, Ball-room dancing

Plays

Musical events

Sports

OLC activities

Semester date nights
Open mic night

Honestly, these were just the first handful of things that came to my mind. Most of them are not exclusive to Rexburg, but they can certainly be done here. They’re obviously not original or fancy either, but they don’t have to be. Remember, it’s #justadate

Now, go out and have some fun!

*I recognize that coming up with the “what” is half the endeavor. We can help one another in this dating scene; post your ideal date below! (And please don’t say April 25^th.)