First off, let me tell you how much I hate this phrase. Sure, I want someone to come over and binge watch "Grey's Anatomy" with me, but that’s really it. Who was the genius who decided to skip the actual events that this phrase suggests, and go straight to meaningless (or at least that’s usually what the men saying this are going for) sex? Come on -- there are plenty of other things you can do with someone you’re looking to get physical with, or even if you just want to take them out and have a good time. Don’t believe me?
Here's a list of 50 things you can be doing this fall besides partaking in the misleading, popular act of Netflix and chill.
1. Go apple picking!
This is the perfect time of year for it -- the beautiful fall weather, getting yourself some freshly picked apples, and it can be a lot of fun. Plus, if you’re adventurous enough, take those apples home and try to make a pie or something with them!
2. Same goes for pumpkin picking.
Plus you could carve them!
3. Go exploring.
Find a place no one knows about, or visit a cool place everyone’s talking about that’s hidden.
4. Get in your car.
Pick a number, and bring a coin. Flip a coin at every intersection or red light, and turn left for heads and right for tails. Once you hit that number, that’s where you’re going for your date.
5. Go to the gym if you guys are into something like that.
6. Stargazing.
Especially if it’s a night where it’s not too cold and the sky is pretty clear, it’ll be really nice to sit on a blanket for the night and look up at the stars.
7. In addition, you could totally do this during the day and just watch the clouds.
Tell each other what you see, stuff like that. Cute cute cute.
8. Go to Walmart or any supermarket and get ingredients for dinner, and cook something delicious together.
Could also work if you’re more of bakers, or just have a sweet tooth.
9. Read a book together.
Well, get two copies of a book and read it while you’re in the same room. Super relaxing and really cute, plus you can discuss your thoughts on the book when you’re done with certain chapters or with the whole thing.
10. Take a trip to a local town and act like tourists together.
Or if you live in a big city this can also work.
11. Grab brunch. Who doesn’t love brunch?!
12. Go to an arcade!
Come on, bring out the inner child in you! Plus for you Oney students, you could always go to the Red Dragon Lair in Hunt Union and play some awesome video games.
13. Actually go to the movie theater.
Sneak in some snacks too so you’re not eating overpriced popcorn and candy.
14. Take a hike.
No, like literally, go hiking on a trail or up a mountain.
15. Head over to a local record store or even something like Best Buy could do.
Look for new music that you two can discover together, purchase a couple of CD’s or vinyl’s, and go back to one of your houses to listen to the new finds.
16. Go out to dinner.
Wow, original right? Just do it; it’s nice.
17. Play board games.
Whether you’re with a group of people or it’s just the two of you, it can be nice to sort of be a kid again and do something fun.
18. Go to an amusement park or a carnival if it’s passing through town.
19. Go to a bar.
20. Tie-dye!
Not only is this a lot of fun, but you can wear it once it’s all done! Plus the dye isn’t as expensive as people might think, and you can basically dye whatever you want that’s white -- socks, shirts, pants, sheets, pillow cases, basically whatever you want!
21. Walk around Goodwill or another type of thrift shop and see if you can find some awesome steals!
You’ll be surprised what you can find in these places.
22. Actually watch something on Netflix, but outside!
You can easily make a projector with any iPhone and shoebox, and you can project it on the side of your house or any building really or on a sheet. This way there’s not nearly as much temptation for the “chill” part.
23. Take a class of any sort.
Whether it’s auditing some random professors class on campus, or going to some sort of lesson that the school is doing somewhere on campus, it could be fun to learn something new together.
24. Grab a few slices of pizza.
For you fellow Oneonta people, grab a cold cheese at Tino’s or a few of your choosing at Sals for the night.
25. Get cultured and head to a museum or art gallery.
Walk around and look at some stuff, and maybe even learn a few things before the day is done.
26. Go to a restaurant together, and try to come up with the situation someone else in the restaurant is in.
Are they on their first date? Business lunch? Prostitute and desperate man? Whatever it may be, it could easily be a lot of fun to try and guess why they’re there and what they’re talking about.
27. Bowling.
As corny as this might sound, I swear you’ll probably have way more fun than you’d think. Plus when was the last time you went bowling?
28. Rollerskating.
Yes, another super cheesy idea, but again it can be a lot of fun if you let it.
29. Go to a sporting event.
High school, college, or professional, it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re having a good time.
30. Have a study date.
Whether you’re in the class together or not, it could be nice to just have someone else’s company while you’re doing a homework assignment, writing a term paper, or just studying for a test you have coming up.
31. DIY something.
Make a book shelf, make some wall art, or whatever cool project you’ve been dying to try that you found on Pinterest.
32. Go to a concert!
Free is even better, but even if it’s not and you both love the artist it could be a lot of fun.
33. Go out for ice cream!
Toppings optional. Froyo works, too.
34. Attend one of the many events that are probably going on around campus.
Just think, there’s almost definitely free food!
35. Go to the zoo!
How fun would that be?!
36. Take a walk.
Around your neighborhood, around campus, wherever you want really.
37. Go to the farmers market!
Fresh veggies to cook with, plus it’s usually a really nice atmosphere when you’re at one of these!
38. Bake cupcakes together and decorate them with awesome frosting.
Something I love making is tie dye cupcakes that have all different colors. Then instead of keeping them all for yourself, if you live in the dorms go around to RA’s and other residents and pass them out!
39. Go to a festival!
For instance, Oneonta had a hot air balloon festival a few weeks ago, and a food fair on Main Street last week. Something new and different to do, and it could still be a ton of fun!
40. Sit in a coffee shop and just have a nice conversation for a while.
Pretty cheap since coffee for two shouldn’t cost you too much, depending on where you go and what you buy.
41. Go play pool!
You can actually have a lot of fun playing in a local pool hall, or depending on your dorm building your Rec room probably has one! All you have to do is go to the cage and sign out the pool sticks and balls!
42. Head over to a bar or restaurant that has a karaoke night!
Whether you’re taking the plunge to look like an idiot in front of a big crowd, or you’re sitting in the back laughing at the horrible singers, you’ll have a blast laughing with your partner.
43. Go outside when it’s already dark outside and play with sparklers!
Please be very careful if you do decide to do this, as they’re dangerous, but it can be a lot of fun writing different names and designs in the sky. Take some pictures to keep as a moment.
44. Rent some bikes and go for a ride, or even better if you already have your own.
As part of the 5K plan, Oneonta actually bought a few bikes that you can sign out and use for a while if you’d like! Just be careful biking through the city of the hill.
45. Volunteer together!
Whether it’s helping another organization on campus with an event, or going somewhere into the community, you can help a lot of people if you’re willing to try.
46. Grab your camera (or your phone can work too) and just go around town taking pictures!
Whether it's of each other or your surroundings, it could be really cool if you get an awesome picture.
47. Go on Pinterest and find some awesome mixed drink and shot recipes.
Then head to the liquor store, buy what you need, and try to recreate one or two! Don’t try this if you’re on a dry campus or you’re under 21, obviously.
48. Grab some hot chocolates and find a nice place outside to sit and talk for a while.
Maybe bring some blankets and bundle up if it’s getting chilly outside.
49. Ghost hunting, if you’re into that type of thing.
50. Find a good place to hang on Main Street one night, or anywhere in town, really, or even on campus.
Watch the crazy drunk people stumble home.
