26 Self-Love-Centered Solo Date Ideas
Today, many women are plunging into a new, self-love-centered approach to their singleness, where they’re enriching their life with new experiences that come with solo dating.
Solo dating allows you to pursue your passions, discover new interests, and treat yourself to experiences that speak to your inner desires and curiosities. Whether hiking through nature, exploring a museum, or savoring a delicious meal you cooked, solo dates are all about celebrating who you are and enjoying the moments you create for yourself — on your own terms.
Embracing your singleness and finding joy in solo dating is a powerful way to reclaim your independence and build a deeper connection with yourself. In a world that often emphasizes relationships, soft launches, and social media-worthy proposals, taking time to appreciate your own company in the “in-between” season can be incredibly fulfilling.
From women new to the solo dating world to seasoned romantics looking for your next spontaneous adventure, we’ve locked down some of the best solo date ideas to inspire you to make the most of your time alone and turn self-care into a fun and enriching journey.
26 Solo Date Ideas
Have a picnic in the park.
Photo by Vladimir Yelizarov on UnsplashHiking: Enjoy nature and the fresh, open trails on a local hike for one.
Picnic in the Park: Pack your favorite snacks, a book, and a journal. Find a scenic spot and relax under the sun.
Be a Beach Bum for the Day: Spend a day at the beach, swimming, sunbathing, or walking along the shore. It's perfect for unwinding and enjoying the ocean breeze.
Farmer’s Market: Spend a Saturday or Sunday at your local farmer’s market to stock up on fresh produce and support small businesses in your area.
Explore the Art Museum: There’s always a new exhibit to explore at an art museum near you. Immerse yourself in a museum's creativity, art, and culture — take your time appreciating each exhibit.
Plan a day trip or a weekend away.
Photo by Jakob Owens on UnsplashTake a Photography Walk: Bring your camera or phone along to capture interesting and scenic sights around your city or neighborhood.
Get Crafty: Try your hand at a DIY or craft project like painting, knitting, or making charm bracelet/necklace jewelry. It's a great way to express creativity.
Take a Pottery Class: Unleash your inner artisan and take a pottery class. The best part? You get to take your new art home with you.
Sit in on a Lecture or Workshop: Attend a lecture or workshop on a topic that interests you. It's a great way to learn something new and meet like-minded people.
Solo Travel: Plan a day trip or weekend getaway to a nearby city or town you've never visited before. Fully embrace the tourist life.
Stretch it out with a yoga class.
Photo by madison lavern on UnsplashLibrary Day: Visit your local library, find a cozy spot, and get lost in a good book you might not have thought to check out.
Stretch it out With a Yoga Class: Join a yoga class for some relaxation and stretching. It's a wonderful way to connect with your body and mind.
Treat Yourself to a Spa Day: Book a massage, facial, or other special treatments. It's the ultimate self-care experience.
Chef it Up: Pick a recipe you've never tried before and spend the evening cooking a delicious meal for yourself.
Coffee Shop Hopping: Coffee lovers tap in! This solo date idea is perfect if you want to sit in a few local coffee shops, try different drinks, and enjoy the ambiance while people-watching.
Indulge in a wine-tasting experience.
Photo by Tim L. Productions on UnsplashWine-Tasting: Indulge in a fancy wine-tasting experience. Put on your finest threads, get glammed up, and enjoy the ease of a few sips of your (new) favorite wine.
Find Your Next Second-Hand Treasure: Find flea markets or estate sales and see what gently-loved item you’ll find.
Go Book Shopping: Are you a bookworm or want to get back into your reading list? Spend a few hours in a bookstore, exploring different genres, and finding a new book to read.
Bilinuage Queen: Take a foreign language class and brush up or learn a new language.
Pasta Making Class: What’s not to love about getting your hands a little dirty while rolling up pasta? Not to mention, you get to eat your creation later.
Movie/Netflix Night: Go to a movie theater or set up a cozy home cinema and watch a film you've been wanting to see.
Explore a new part of your city.
Photo by Good Faces on UnsplashSolo Concert or Live Show: It can be intimidating to attend a concert, play, or live performance by yourself, but worth it. Enjoy the experience of live entertainment you won’t forget.
Courtside Hottie: Go to a home game to support your local basketball or baseball team. Popcorn, hot dogs, and drinks are a must.
Comedy Show: Find a local comedy club and enjoy a night of laughs and fun.
Explore a New Part of Your City: If you live in New York, spend the day in a borough outside of your own. In Chicago, you can take an architecture tour or even take a water taxi to Chinatown. Live in a small town? Take the long way home and adventure out to a part of town known for its food or nightlife.
People-Watching By the Water: Take a day to sit by the water or beachside and journal your thoughts.
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Featured image by Richard Bailey/Getty Images
Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."