Fun Things to Do With Friends (That Aren't Just Dinner)

Dinner is the default. And dinner is great — but if your friend group has been doing the same rotation of restaurants for the past two years, you already know the problem: you end up talking about the same things, in the same seats, leaving at the same time.

The best nights with friends happen when you do something together. An activity gives you something to react to, compete over, laugh about, and remember. Here are 20 ideas that actually deliver.

Escape rooms are one of the best group activities because they require actual teamwork. You're problem-solving together under pressure, which reveals a lot about people and creates a shared story. Most rooms accommodate 4–8 people and run about an hour.

Find a bar that hosts weekly trivia. It's free to play (you just buy drinks), it's competitive, and it gives the group something to focus on together. Bonus: you'll learn things about your friends you didn't know.

Classic for a reason. Bowling is inherently social — you're watching each other, cheering (or trash-talking), and taking turns. It works for groups of any size and skill level.

Same energy as bowling but outdoors. Mini golf is low-stakes enough that everyone can enjoy it regardless of athletic ability, and the novelty of the course keeps things interesting.

Axe throwing venues have popped up in most major cities and they're genuinely a blast. You don't need any experience — the staff teaches you in about 10 minutes — and the combination of focus and release is oddly satisfying. Great for groups of 4–10.

Don't sleep on laser tag as an adult. It's chaotic, physical, and hilarious. Most venues have group packages and it's one of those activities where everyone ends up laughing regardless of who wins.

Paint and sip studios guide you through a painting while you drink wine. The results are always a little chaotic, which is part of the fun. You leave with something you made together and a lot of photos.

More hands-on than paint and sip, pottery classes are a great option for a smaller group (4–6 people). The learning curve makes it funny and the finished pieces are actually something you'll keep.

Take a cooking class together — pasta-making, sushi rolling, dumpling folding. You cook, you eat what you made, and you learn something. Many culinary schools and restaurants offer group classes.

Buy a few bottles of spirits, some mixers, and fresh ingredients, and challenge each other to create a signature cocktail. Set up a judging panel. It's cheap, creative, and you can do it at someone's place.

Pick a trail with a payoff — a waterfall, a summit view, a lake — and make a day of it. Pack a shared lunch to eat at the top. The combination of physical effort and reward makes for a genuinely memorable day.

Most cities near water have rental spots for kayaks or paddleboards. It's active, it's outside, and it's the kind of thing that feels like an adventure even if you're only out for two hours.

Rent a projector, hang a sheet in someone's backyard, and do a proper outdoor movie night. Assign everyone a snack to bring, pick a movie everyone loves, and make an event of it.

A well-executed picnic is better than most restaurant meals. Assign dishes, bring a speaker, find a good spot, and spend the afternoon outside. It's low-cost and high-quality time.

A live comedy show is one of the best shared experiences — you're all laughing at the same things, in the same room, at the same time. Check local comedy clubs for upcoming shows and book early.

Same principle as comedy — shared live experience creates shared memory. It doesn't have to be a big venue. A local band at a bar, a jazz club, a free outdoor concert — the format matters less than being there together.

Karaoke is one of those activities that sounds embarrassing until you're actually doing it, at which point it becomes one of the best nights of the year. Private karaoke rooms (common in most cities) are better than open-mic style for groups.

Most cities have walking ghost tours or haunted history tours. They're usually cheap, they're outside, and the combination of history and spookiness makes for great conversation. Works especially well in fall.

Many local breweries and distilleries offer tours that end with a tasting. You learn something, you drink something, and you have a reason to be somewhere interesting. Usually $15–25 per person.

This one's different from the rest, but spending a few hours doing something meaningful together — a food bank, a community cleanup, an animal shelter — is one of the most bonding things a group can do. It shifts the energy in a way that's hard to explain until you've done it.

The hardest part of group plans isn't finding the idea — it's getting everyone to commit. A few things that help:

• Set a date first, then pick the activity. Trying to coordinate both at once is how plans fall apart.
• Use a group chat poll for the final decision. Give people 2–3 options, not 10.
• One person takes the lead. Group plans with no owner rarely happen.

ChooseOurDate is built for exactly this — you can use the AI concierge to get specific venue recommendations for any of these activities in your city, with timing, booking info, and a full itinerary. Whether it's two people or ten, the planning part should be the easy part.