Bozeman is not the cheapest city to live in, but that doesn’t mean that romance and dating has to be expensive! The city of Bozeman is filled with fun and affordable date ideas for those looking for a little less Netflix and chill, and a little more socialization and adventure. Below are ten affordable date ideas in the Bozeman area. 

Trivia Nights
Are you looking for a nonchalant way to test your date’s IQ? Or a little competitive fun? Then attend a Trivia night! Several local bars offer Trivia nights throughout the week, all free to play. On Monday nights, head down to the Bacchus Pub to grab a drink and play some competitive trivia starting at 7:00 pm, with chances to win fun prizes. Or head on over to the Bozeman Taproom for a bite to eat before playing some trivia at 7:00 pm. Rocking R Bar does Sports Trivia Monday nights starting at 7:30 pm, and general trivia Wednesday nights at the same time. In addition, they offer drink specials throughout the events. If you are looking for a more relaxed vibe, try trivia at the Molly Brown Wednesday nights starting at 8:00 pm to win some snazzy apparel!

Bingo 
Believe it or not, bingo isn’t just for old people. A few bars in the Bozeman area are offering bingo on weeknights. People of all ages attend, buying cards and hoping to win cash prizes. Rocking R Bar downtown hosts bingo on Tuesdays, with the first Tuesday of each month having an $800 jackpot guarantee. Bingo cards sell for the cash price of $15 apiece, or two cards for $20. The Molly Brown hosts bingo on Tuesday nights, starting at 8:00 pm. They also offer cash prizes for the winner. In Gateway, The Jump hosts bingo on Thursday nights for ages 18+ with a $20 buy-in. Bingo is fun for all ages, as no one ever ages out of the fun of blotting numbers and winning prizes!

Discount Movie Night
Movie nights are the definition of a classic date. Sometimes cooking dinner and curling up on the couch gets old, yet attending the movie theater can add up quickly after tickets, snacks, and beverages. Fortunately, there are several ways to make a movie date a little more affordable, such as $5.95 Movie Night, offered on Tuesdays by the Regal Gallatin Valley Theater in Bozeman. In addition, Regal offers a rewards program called Regal Crown Club. As a club member, it’s easy to rack up points for free upgrades, beverages, popcorn, or even movie tickets.

Swing Dancing
Have you ever watched the movie Dirty Dancing and wished you could dance like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey? Well, swing dancing is not quite like the ballroom and Latin dancing in the film, but it is easy to learn, not to mention fun. 

Western Roots is a local swing dancing club which offers lessons and open dancing at different bars around the Bozeman area. One of the more popular places Western Roots hosts is The Jump, located in Four Corners, on Wednesday nights. They offer a combination lesson of swing and line dancing for beginners and intermediates before the open dance. The lessons cost $10 (cash or Venmo), with beginner’s lessons starting at 7:00 pm and intermediate lessons starting at 8:00 pm. For those who already know a few moves, the lessons are followed by free open dancing starting at 9:00 pm. Western Roots also hosts swing dancing lessons Tuesdays and Fridays at Starlite, along with line dancing lessons and open dance Saturday nights at Bourbon. So put your matching cowboy boots on, and be ready to swing your partner round and round! 

Explore Bozeman Pass
If you’re looking for an educational date experience, check out Bozeman’s local library! Not only does the local library offer fun classes and events, they also offer an Explore Bozeman Pass, offered through a library card, which is free to obtain for any Gallatin County resident. Those outside Gallatin County can receive a library card for a $10 annual fee. The Explore Bozeman Pass offers Library cardholders free admission to the Museum of the Rockies, Montana Science Center, Stay of Play, and the Montana Ballet Company. Pass may be used for free admission to each venue once every quarter or 120 days. There are more guidelines and information about The Explore Bozeman Pass on the library’s website. The Explore Bozeman Pass is the perfect way to have an educational date.

Winter Activities 
Winter is not the time for a picnic in the park, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t affordable outdoor date ideas during the cold months. Instead of a picnic in the park, take your date snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or ice skating; Chalet Sports offers full and half-day snowshoe and cross-country ski rentals. Half-day rentals consist of four hours, with snowshoes renting at $10, and cross-country skis renting at $15. There are several trails still open in the winter for snowshoeing, such as Sourdough Trail, Hyalite, Triple Tree, and more. Sourdough and Hyalite also provide free groomed trails for cross-country skiing, including several other trails in the area. Gallatin Ice offers open skating to the public with a $10 admission fee. Skate rentals are $5 a pair, or you can bring your own. Don’t be discouraged by the Bozeman winters, there are still lots of fun date ideas to enjoy. 

Hot Springs
Montana winters are no joke, and staying warm is a must. So why not cozy up with your date in a steamy hot spring? Hot springs are fairly common in the Bozeman area, with some being more affordable than others. Norris Hot Springs, located about 30 minutes outside Bozeman, charges just $10 for admission. Norris also offers a small selection of wine and beer to purchase, along with a few food options. There are several natural hot springs in the Bozeman area; some are more hidden than others. Once found, they are a fun way to stay warm while stargazing on a winter night.

Comedy Club
Often dates become routine, boring, or too serious. Attending a comedy show is a great way to shake things up. The local comedy club here in Bozeman, Last Best Comedy, offers a ton of great shows, with tickets ranging from $20 to $25. But if you’re looking for a more affordable laugh, Last Best Comedy also offers open mic a few times a week, with the events being free for the public to attend. For those who aren’t fans of standup, on Thursday nights Last Best Comedy hosts an improv show for $10 a ticket. Last Best Comedy is a great place to grab a drink and spit it out laughing. 

Happy Hour
Nowadays, taking a date to grab a few drinks can be expensive. And figuring out happy hour can be a nightmare. But what if there was a website that had all the local bars’ happy hours and times? Good news, there is! The Montana Happy Hour website, mthappyhour.com lists happy hours around all the major cities in Montana, including Bozeman. The website even lists the drink and food specials for some bars and restaurants. This makes it super convenient to plan a date or try new restaurants at an affordable cost.

Ceramic Painting
Crafty dates can be fun, and a great way to spend quality time with someone, whether you’re working on a home project, renovating a camper, or building a coffee table. A fun, affordable crafty date here in Bozeman is ceramic painting. Arts on Fire is a local ceramic shop which offers a variety of pottery pieces to paint, such as plates, mugs, vases, and more. Arts on Fire offers lots of different specials to make the activity more affordable. Some of these specials include Customer Appreciation Night on Tuesdays, when the paint and fire are free; all you pay for is your piece of pottery. On Wednesdays, kids 17 and younger have free paint time. Arts on Fire also offers free paint and fire to college students, and everyone can draw their own discount on Jackpot Fridays. This is the perfect place for you and your date to paint matching cups or memorable plates!