64 Gilmore Girls-Inspired Artist Date Ideas

If you’re a frequent visitor to Stars Hollow, then you’re no stranger to the wholesome world of Rory and Lorelai. In a place where no one has a smartphone to stare at, you have to get creative with how you spend your downtime—no doom-scrolling allowed.

With that in mind, here’s a list of ideas for your next Artist Date. Keep your phone out of reach. Let your brain take a breather from constant dopamine hits. Try to remember a time when the first thing we reached for in the morning wasn’t a screen.

Artist Dates are meant to be solo adventures. While many moments in Gilmore Girls are shared with friends, for this, embrace the solo experience. But! Feel free to come back to this list whenever you’re looking for something to enjoy with a friend on another occasion.

Books etc.

· Read something from the Rory Gilmore Reading List.

· Learn a Shakespeare sonnet or soliloquy by heart—resist the urge to use it to taunt an enemy.

· Ask a friend to recommend or lend you a book. Read it.

· Go book shopping. Independent, secondhand and charity shops are great for this.

· Swap books with a friend. Write some things in the margin for each other as you go—make sure you have their permission first.

· Find a tree that perfectly fits your back. Take a blanket and some snacks. Sit, write, study, read Truckers’ Monthly, whatever you fancy.

Get Cosy

· Gather all your favourite snacks, put your phone away, and watch a film.

· Paint your toenails on the patio or balcony while eating squirty cream.

· Spend some time looking through old photo albums. Keep pens, pencils, and paper on you. You might want to write down some thoughts or draw as you go.

· Put on some music and spend a good amount of time playing with your makeup and hair. Get dressed in your favourite outfit as well. You don’t need a reason.

Out and About

· Go on a road trip. Don’t forget to bring TUNES!

· Book yourself into a rural hotel or BnB. Remember to check the freakin’ list!

· Spa day!

· Go stationery shopping

· Watch a Shakespeare play. In person if possible, but there are loads of great recordings online: Marquee TV, Digital Theatre, National Theatre

· Find a small or independent cinema. See if they’re showing any classics or niche films.

· Is there any live music happening in your area? Get a ticket, get dressed up, and enjoy!

· Map out a trip around the world. Where would you go? What would you want to see and do? Dream big!

· Buy a CD from a charity shop or music store. Listen to the whole thing all the way through. No phone scrolling while you do this.

· Go on a photography date. Take your camera for a long walk in the country, in the city, see what you can capture.

· Visit a museum, an old building, an exhibition.

· Get ice cream with cones!

· Take the bus—or train—into the city. Buy a vinyl from a music shop.

Unplugged

· Set a timer for no screens: no phones, no computers or tablets etc. An hour at least. See what you’re drawn to doing without these options to fall back on.

Study Vibes

· Pick a subject that’s been playing on your mind—it can be something silly, like what your biggest concern was when you were three or why you think cats should be running the country. Write an essay about it.

· Take a new class, perhaps in something that you’ve discovered an interest in while doing the Artist’s Way.

· Train your concentration by going somewhere you know will be noisy or chaotic. See if you can get some reading, writing, focusing done. No pressure. Find the funny in it.

· Pick a topic you’ve always wanted to know about. Skip Google and head to the library instead. If it’s a niche subject, many university libraries let people sign up for reader’s cards.

· Think of something silly and debate both sides of it with yourself.

· Choose a historical era that you’re interested in. Learn more about it.

Small Town Life

· Travel to a small town and do some people watching (without bothering anyone, of course). See if you can spot the Taylor, the Babette, and the Miss Patty. Feel free to play “1,2,3” from Season 1, Episode 20 while you’re at it!

· Head to a local or new coffee shop. Put your phone away, they don’t exist in this world. Sit by a window and watch the world go by.

· Have a dig through your local antique shop.

· Are there any community events coming up in your local area? Go to some of them.

· Do some research on your hometown or where you currently live. Your local library will probably have a section dedicated to the local area.

· Go to a market.

· Have a picnic on a bandstand.

· Go to the local bakery early in the morning. Grab yourself some coffee and pastries.

Cooking

· Invent something new in the kitchen, off the cuff.

· Bake something from scratch without a recipe book.

· Find a recipe for something you’ve got a real craving for. Make it.

· Try a new cuisine.

· Bake blueberry shortcake. (No strawberries, sorry!)

· Cook your favourite meal for yourself, then pretend to be a food critic and review it. (Bonus point if you draw a goatee on your face.)

· Bake something for a friend or loved one.

· Get into growing your own fruit and veg.

· Design a cocktail or mocktail named after yourself or a friend.

· Get one of those easy bake cupcake mix kits. Bake the cupcakes.

Music/Lane-inspired

· Listen to the “evil rock music”

· Skank to Rancid. Don’t tell Mrs. Kim.

· Try out a new instrument.

Get Crafty

· Choose a piece of art and gather some face paints to transform yourself into it, just like they do in The Festival of Living Art. Bonus points if you go for a Picasso!

· Alter a piece of old clothing that could do with a little spruce.

· Make a quilt or blanket from old clothes that you can’t wear but don’t want to throw away.

· Buy something from a charity shop that you think has potential. Make some alterations.

· Make something—a bracelet, a chuppah—for someone you care about.

· Choose a room in your home. Give it a spruce!

· Make a “memories” box.

A Few More Ideas

· Lorelai and Sookie dream of opening an inn, Rory dreams of going to Harvard. Spend some time daydreaming about what you want from life. What steps do you take in your daydream to get there? Keep it fun and positive. If an impossible obstacle comes up, get silly with your solution—you never know, it might spark something useful!

· Make a “Harvard” wall but for your dream future.

· Plan a special imaginary event—birthday, wedding, baby shower, party in the woods. Unlimited budget! Go wild!

· Make a list of all the little things you’ve wanted to get done. Wake up early one morning and see how far through the list you can get.

· Have a clearout: clothes, books, whatever.

· Rearrange your furniture.

Hopefully you’ve found something to jazz up your next artist date—or even found some inspiration on what next to do with someone you love.