🫶 Date ideas for May 22-24

Conversation Starters 🗣️

We like to give you something interesting to talk about on your date night. Here are some questions you can ask on your date that might lead to some meaningful conversation:

• What's a long weekend you remember from growing up that actually felt special — and what made it different from all the others?

• Is there a version of our life together you imagined when we first got together that turned out completely different than expected — better or worse?

• If we had a full Monday with no obligations, no phones, and unlimited energy, what would your perfect day actually look like?

Want more questions like these? Get the Gottman Card Decks app. [Download it free here.]

🌸 Happening all spring…

Yoga classes, farmers markets, and other chill activities:

🆓 Sunset Yoga at The Gateway | Every Tuesday in May, 7pm, Olympic Plaza, SLC — free, all skill levels, DJ Drew provides the vibe

🆓 Wheeler Farm Sunday Market | Every Sunday May 17–Oct 11, 9am–1pm, Murray — OPENING this Sunday. Local produce, vendors, farm atmosphere

🆓 Red Butte Garden Spring Hours | Open daily 9am–dusk — wildflowers and peonies at peak before the summer crowds arrive ($3–8)

🎭 Ongoing Shows (running through June):

Hale Centre Theatre: The Wizard of Oz | Opens May 15, runs through June 27, Sandy — see Shows section for full details

Desert Star Playhouse: The Princess Bride — Inconceivably Funny | Through June 6, Murray — dinner theater comedy, great recurring date

Salt Lake Culinary Center Date Night Classes | Ongoing Fri–Sat evenings — recurring hands-on cooking for couples, check their calendar for this month's menus

🎵 Music

🎸 Billy Joel & Sting — Two Icons, One Night 🕐 Friday, May 22 @ 7pm 💰 From ~$136 📍 Rice-Eccles Stadium, SLC (Two of the most iconic artists in rock history, on the same stage, one night only. Rice-Eccles is massive so this will feel like an event — grab a seat with a clear sightline and get there early.)

🎸 Markus Poschner's Season Finale: Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 🕐 Fri, May 22 @ 7:30pm · also Sat, May 23 @ 7:30pm 📍 Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City (The Utah Symphony's season finale — Bruckner's sweeping Symphony No. 4, under new Music Director Designate Markus Poschner. If you've never been to the symphony, this is a genuinely great one to start with.)

🎸 Candlelight: Vivaldi's Four Seasons 🕐 Sat, May 23 @ 4:15pm 📍 Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City (Live chamber music by candlelight in one of SLC's most beautiful spaces. This one is a date night move.)

🎸 Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer 🕐 Sat, May 23 @ 8:30pm 📍 Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City (Same venue, same concept — but Hans Zimmer. Gladiator. Interstellar. Inception. The Dark Knight. If you've ever wanted to feel like you're inside a movie, this is close.)

🎸 Nathan Royal Trio — Gibson Lounge Residency 🕐 Fri, May 22 @ 8pm · also Sat, May 23 @ 8pm 📍 Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City (Live jazz in the Grand America's lounge. Low-key, sophisticated, easy to linger. Pair with a late dinner and you've got a full evening.)

🎸 Elmiene — Sounds for Someone Tour 🕐 Sat, May 23 @ 7pm 📍 The Depot, Salt Lake City (Rising British R&B artist — smooth, cinematic, worth discovering together.)

🎸 Qveen Herby — Isle of Qveen Tour 🕐 Sun, May 24 @ 7pm 📍 The Depot, Salt Lake City

Coming up:

• Big Head Todd & The Monsters — Red Butte Garden Season Opener | May 31 (Gates 6pm, Show 7pm — the outdoor concert season officially begins)

• Ringo Starr — Eccles Theater | June 1

• Neil deGrasse Tyson — Eccles Theater | June 2

🎭 Shows & Performances

🎭 Riverdance — 30th Anniversary Tour 🕐 Fri–Sun, multiple shows (see Featured above) 📍 Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City

😂 Felipe Esparza 🕐 Fri–Sat, May 22–23 @ 6:30pm & 9pm 💰 From ~$61 📍 Wiseguys Comedy Club, SLC (Grammy-nominated comedian with a huge following — two shows per night if you want options. Great pairing with dinner in downtown SLC.)

🎭 Bournonville Dances 🕐 Fri, May 22 @ 7pm · also Sat, May 23 @ 7pm 📍 Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City (Classical Danish ballet from Ballet West — refined, elegant, a great excuse to get dressed up.)

🎭 Companions of the Sun — Dancing Toward the Light 🕐 Sat, May 23 @ 6pm 📍 Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City (Contemporary dance celebrating culture, light, and movement — a different kind of evening.)

😂 GORDCONSEJOS — Johana Velandia "La Gorda" 🕐 Sun, May 24 @ 5:30pm 📍 Ibiza SLC Ultra Lounge, Salt Lake City (Stand-up comedy from Colombian comedian Johana Velandia — Sunday date energy.)

😂 Off Broadway Theatre — Improv & Comedy Revue 🕐 Fridays & Saturdays 📍 Off Broadway Theatre, 272 S Main St, SLC (SLC's longest-running comedy theater. Their improv shows are different every night and consistently funny — low commitment, easy laugh, and walkable from most downtown dining.)

🎭 The Princess Bride: Inconceivably Funny 🕐 Fri–Sat evenings · runs through June 6 📍 Desert Star Playhouse, Murray (Comedy dinner theater parody of The Princess Bride — dinner included. A reliably good date any weekend.)

🎭 The Wizard of Oz 🕐 Fri–Sat evenings + Saturday matinee 📍 Hale Centre Theatre, Sandy (Hale Centre puts on production-quality shows in a theater-in-the-round that makes every seat feel close. Running through early June.)

Coming up:

• Derek Hough — Eccles Theater | June 26–27
  

✨ Experiences

✨ Utah Olympic Park — Comet Bobsled Ride 🕐 Weekends starting May 22 — summer season opens this weekend 💰 From ~$35 📍 Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Park City (Summer season opens May 22 — which means this is the first weekend you can ride the actual Olympic bobsled track at 70 mph. It takes 45 seconds and you'll talk about it for a year.)

Adult Night Out: Fae Masquerade 🕐 Fri, May 22 @ 7pm 📍 Viridian Event Center, West Jordan (A masquerade-themed adults night out put on by Salt Lake County Library. Costumes encouraged, free to attend. Unexpectedly fun.)

Beginner Bachata Class + Social Dancing & Show 🕐 Fri, May 22 @ 9pm 📍 DF Dance Studio, South Salt Lake (No experience required. An intro class followed by a social dance — this is the kind of date that becomes a story you tell.)

Delicate Watercolor Florals — Paint Like Gary Bukovnik 🕐 Sat, May 23 @ 10am 📍 Asher Adams Autograph Hotel, Salt Lake City (A watercolor workshop in a beautiful boutique hotel. Creative, low-stakes, and you leave with something to hang on the wall.)

Utah Royals vs. Denver Summit FC 🕐 Sat, May 23 @ 4:30pm 📍 America First Field, Sandy (Soccer date. The Royals are back and this is a rivalry match. Good energy, easy parking, and you're done in time for dinner.)

🆓 The Makers Hive Market 🕐 Sun, May 24 @ 11am 📍 The Gateway, Salt Lake City (Outdoor makers market on a Sunday — local art, food, good people-watching. Combine with brunch for a low-key, genuinely enjoyable afternoon.)

Salt Lake Bees vs. Tacoma Rainiers 🕐 May 22–24 (check schedule for start times) 📍 America First Square, South Jordan (Triple-A baseball on a holiday weekend. Cheap, fun, easy. Bring sunscreen.)

Pottery Night SLC — Single Session Wheel Throwing 🕐 Multiple sessions — check their calendar 📍 Downtown SLC (Make something on the wheel, glaze it, and pick it up a week later — one of those dates that leaves a physical artifact on your shelf. Beginner-friendly, single session.)

Art Haus SLC — Date Night Classes 🕐 Various evenings — check calendar 📍 Art Haus, SLC (Pottery, painting, and drawing in a community-focused studio with date night sessions designed for couples.)

Harmons Cooking Classes 🕐 Various dates — check weekly calendar 📍 Multiple Harmons locations, SLC/Utah County (Pasta, sushi, cocktail pairing, and more. A full hands-on evening at a reasonable price.)

Golden Axe Throwing 🕐 Open nightly · walk-ins welcome 📍 Downtown SLC (Utah's only axe-throwing venue with a full licensed bar — eight lanes plus games in the basement. No reservation required.)

Getout Games / Escapology Escape Rooms 🕐 Open evenings · reservation recommended 📍 Downtown SLC (Multiple escape room options downtown — surprisingly revealing about how you function as a team.)

Quarters Arcade Bar 🕐 Open nightly 📍 Quarters, SLC (Retro arcade + cocktails downtown — zero planning required. Perfect backup if plans fall through by 8pm.)

🆓 Gilgal Sculpture Garden 🕐 Open daily, dawn to dusk 📍 749 E 500 S, SLC (A private garden tucked into a SLC neighborhood, full of massive sphinx figures and scripture-carved stones — strange and beautiful in equal measure. 30 minutes before dinner nearby.)

Brewvies Cinema Pub 🕐 Check showtimes 📍 Brewvies, SLC (Food and drinks served in-theater every night — one of the more laid-back date nights in the city if you want a movie without the multiplex experience.)

🌲 Outdoor & Nature

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of Utah's outdoor season — trails are green, waterfalls are at peak, and Monday is wide open.

🆓 Bells Canyon Lower Falls 🕐 Open daily / Best in morning 📍 Sandy (Cottonwood Heights trailhead) (About 3 miles round trip to a beautiful waterfall. Moderate effort, high reward. Still cold and rushing this time of year.)

🆓 Bridal Veil Falls 🕐 Open daily — ⚠️ lower parking lot closed through July 2026 (park at upper lot or Nunn's Park) 📍 Provo Canyon (607-foot waterfall at peak spring runoff — genuinely dramatic right now. Short walk from the upper lot, major payoff.)

🆓 Living Room Trail — Sunset Hike 🕐 Best 90 min before sunset · ~2.7 miles round trip, moderate 📍 Trailhead near Natural History Museum, SLC (Rock formations at the top look like actual furniture. Valley view at sunset is stunning — one of the best short hikes accessible from the city.)

🆓 Antelope Island State Park 🕐 Open daily · $15/vehicle 📍 Antelope Island, Syracuse (Bison roaming, wildflowers at peak, and the light on the Great Salt Lake at golden hour is something that doesn't photograph right — you have to be there.)

🆓 Big Cottonwood Canyon — Guardsman Pass Scenic Drive 🕐 Open daily — Guardsman Pass typically opens Memorial Day weekend 📍 Big Cottonwood Canyon → Guardsman Pass → Park City (Drive from Big Cottonwood Canyon over the pass into Park City with views that don't exist from October through May. One tank of gas, two hours, completely free.)

🆓 Cascade Springs Trail 🕐 Open daily · 0.8-mile boardwalk 📍 Cascade Springs, Wasatch Mountain State Park (near Midway) (Natural limestone terraces and spring-fed pools — green, quiet, genuinely beautiful. Combine with brunch in Heber City for a perfect low-key Memorial Day morning.)

🆓 Millcreek Canyon 🕐 Open daily · free on weekends 📍 Millcreek Canyon, SLC (Free on weekends. Wildflowers right now and not yet crowded. One of the most underused date hikes within 20 minutes of downtown.)

🆓 Red Butte Garden 🕐 Open daily, 9am–dusk 📍 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City (Late May is peak bloom season. Concert season opens May 31, so right now the gardens are quiet, lush, and uncrowded. Members get in free.)

🆓 Liberty Park — Rowboats & Paddle Boats 🕐 Open daily in season · $8–12/30 min 📍 Liberty Park, SLC (Spring rowboats on the pond — classic, low-key, and surprisingly romantic for a city park. Tracy Aviary is on site if you want to make a full afternoon of it.)

🆓 Cecret Lake Trail — Little Cottonwood Canyon 🕐 Open in season · ~1.5 miles round trip, easy 📍 Albion Basin, Alta (Short trail to a stunning alpine lake with wildflowers in late May — all payoff, minimal effort. Check road conditions before you go.)

💓 Strengthen Your Relationship

Esther Perel says we place too much responsibility and expectation on our romantic partners.

Make some friends this spring, and take some responsibility and expectation off of your partner.

Here’s how:

Submit a Date Night Recommendation 💌

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