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You can only get away with so many nights of take-out and TV before your sweetie drops hints for a real date—you know, the cutesy kind right out of a rom-com movie. Check out these fun ways to get your flirt on at kitschy mini-golf courses and other worth-the-drive destinations, from a go-kart track to an old-school drive-in. To round out the retro fun, hit up a nearby eatery (the cheesier the name, the better) for classic snacks.
Novelty Golf & Games (pictured)
Known to most as the Bunny Hutch (though that’s actually the name of the adjacent burger shack), this circa-1949 Lincolnwood spot is retro to the core, with two 18-hole courses full of gigantic fiberglass figures, from a mermaid to Frankenstein. Multi-level paths, tricky bounce boards and tilted terrain will keep you on your toes. End the outing with a Bunny Hutch milkshake or burger (above)—though you might blow your goodnight kiss chances with the signature Hutch Burger, topped with grilled onions, mushrooms, jalapenos and cheddar ($4.15).
Drive time: 20 minutes
Price: $6.50-$9
(hours | address | maps)
River’s Edge Adventure Golf
There’s a certain irresistible charm in faux mountains and unnaturally bright-blue waterfalls, and this 18-hole "adventure" course in Highland Park has both. Make a bet that loser treats winner to hot fudge sundaes made with Wilmette-based Homer’s ice cream ($3.95) at old-fashioned diner Nite ’N Gale in nearby Highwood.
Drive time: 30 minutes
Price: $5-$7.50
(hours | address | maps)
Diversey Mini-Golf
This lesser-known Chicago Park District-operated 18-hole course in Lakeview trades silly obstacles for a natural landscape, with shrubbery, grasses and boulders to block your ball’s path. Unless you’re embarrassingly uncoordinated, you’ll swing through most holes in two or three strokes, so continue your date over the famed fish tacos ($3 each) from Diversey Grill, which is owned by folks behind Lincoln Park’s Twisted Lizard.
Drive time: 15 minutes
Price: $7
(hours | address | maps)
More mini-golf
• Take a swing at Green Valley's old-fashioned course in Hanover Park
• Golf up "mountains" and through caves at Wilderness Falls in Bolingbrook
• Laugh through an African-themed adventure at Congo River in Hoffman Estates
MORE WORTH-THE-DRIVE DATES
DRIVE-IN MOVIE
Cascade Drive-in in West Chicago is one of the only drive-ins left in Illinois, complete with a double-feature lineup, window speakers and a sticky-floored concession stand. The box office opens at 7 p.m. nightly, and the first flick (usually more family-friendly than the second) starts rolling at 8:30. A pre-movie burger, fries and milkshake will run you about $8 each at next-door fast-food joint Scooby’s, but pull in no later than 7:30 if you want a decent view in front of the mini-van brigade.
Drive time: 1 hour
Price: $8.50
GO KARTS
Hop in a go-kart and beat your date off the starting line at Haunted Trails Amusement Park in Burbank, where the figure eight-shaped track sports a cool cross-over bridge. Feed your post-race adrenaline rush by splitting a pizza at on-site eatery Charmin’ Charley’s ($14.95 and up).
Drive time: 50 minutes
Price: $5.50-$6.50 per ride
BUMPER BOATS
If you thought bumper cars were fun at carnivals as a kid, try the bumper boats at Odyssey Fun World in Tinley Park, which open for the season June 9. If you’re not up for sharing the pool with sugared-up tweens, opt for a leisurely float in motor-powered paddleboats shaped like swans, ducks and pirate ships. Afterward, turn your tongues blue with a blue-raspberry Icee ($2.50-$3.50) at Chipper’s Cafe, named after the park’s chipmunk mascot.
Drive time: 40 minutes
Price: $7-$10 per ride
If you and your sweetie are hard-core competitors, take your A-game to the paintball field at Fun Time Square in Alsip, where you can dodge and duck behind walls, cars, concrete buildings and other barriers. A few welts never hurt anyone, right?
Drive time: 35 minutes
Price: $10 for all-day play; $7-$20 for paint
Lisa Arnett is the metromix suburbs and shopping producer. lmarnett@tribune.com
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