Whether you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, a “tiger mom” or an “elephant mom” (I still don’t really understand what those are), a mom of young kids or old kids — EVERY mom could use a moms’ night out. When we go out as a family with other 
families, I feel like I spend my whole time convincing my one year old to stay in her high chair, getting my three year old to eat her vegetables, or hearing my five year old ask over and over to play Pokemon on my iPhone. We don’t really get to talk to our friends, we spend a lot of money on kids’ meals that no one eats, and we get home and just want to go to bed, but realize we have to give the kids baths because they spent half the dinner crawling on the restaurant floor.
Don’t get me wrong — I LOVE my kids and I love hanging out with our friends, but every mom needs a night out!
It is healthy and good as a mom to have a girls’ night here and there, and to make having date nights with your husband a priority as well. I have been so fortunate to have made some awesome mom friends in town, and whether we go with a big group or small, dress up or dress down, we are always sure to have fun and relax, and enjoy getting a chance to share good conversations with great people. We try to plan something about once a month and have an ongoing group text message where we share events coming up and quickly and easily plan.
Thanks to these fun friends, I have come up with a list of moms’ night out ideas that are a combination of things we’ve done or things we hope we do in the future!
As a side note, the dads have started their own fun night on the nights that we leave them at home with the kids where they go to the park and get pizzas and drinks for the kids and the guys hang out and the kids all play together. While we enjoy our moms’ night out, we have to give a shout out to the awesome dads that make it possible!
So here you have it:
Go to a Movie (that isn’t rated G or animated! In a theater! With grown ups! They do still exist!)
This is kind of a no brainer, but an early dinner and drinks then a movie is a fun and easy way to get together. Happy hour at Bluewater is fun because you can order small plates to share and have a cocktail or glass of wine, then head over to the movies at the Majestic across the street. If you’re like me and have young kids, going to a grown up movie is a luxury you don’t get to enjoy too often.
Bowling isn’t just for the Boys
Southside Social is a one-stop shop for drinks, yummy food, good music, giant Jenga, Skee Ball, and bowling. Does it get any better than that?? Meet here for dinner and drinks, rent some bowling shoes and a lane, and bowl some strikes with your besties while you relax on comfy leather couches. When you finish, head out to the courtyard and play corn hole or sit around the fire and relax.
Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!
Ok this is another no brainer, but nothing beats going shopping with your friends. Without your kids. There are so many great open houses and fun things going on, and do you really need an excuse to shop, an
yway? Watch for a sale going on or a fun open house, like the Sophie’s open house happening this weekend where they have 25% off the entire shop, then go shop and enjoy dinner with your friends somewhere like Primo afterwards.
Clay Pot Holiday Workshops
This is a fun and unique evening that is perfect for a group of girls. The Clay Pot offers Holiday Workshops in November and December where you get the chance to make holiday arrangements and crafts, enjoy time with your friends, win some great door prizes, and have fun with a big group while making awesome things with instruction and assistance from Joe Jumper and his awesome staff. When you are finished you get to take all of your fabulous creations home with you! We do this every year and it is a blast. The holiday workshops this year are offered on November 28, 29, and December 5, 6, and 12. Get a group of friends together and call The Clay Pot at 423-265-2007 to reserve your spot.
Spa Night: Mani, Pedi, Massage, Oh My!
This is so much fun and always great to pamper yourself. SpaGo on the NorthShore will host a spa night for you and your friends. You reserve a date and time and each person picks the services they want in advance, then you show up and get pampered! They have a “champagne room” where you can bring your own wine and food and you can spend the evening relaxing with your friends. We each brought drinks and an appetizer and had so much fun with our own little spa party! For more information and to book your party call SpaGo at 423-531-4137.
Paint Party
This is on the to do list, and we live in a great city to make this happen because there are a lot of great businesses to choose from in each area of town. What isn’t fun about a night out with your friends, drinking wine, and getting to be an artist for the evening? The Chattanooga Moms Blog crew had a night out at Painting With a Twist and you can read all about it here!
Family Style Dinner or Shared Table Nights
This is a really fun one for a girls’ night or couples. Alleia hosts a family style dinner once a month with a fixed price menu served family style. Each course provides three or four different delicious options, and everyone at the table gets to try everything. It is delicious and you get plenty of time to sit together with your friends while you make new friends (since it is family style and you may be sitting next to a stranger). You buy tickets for these dinners and they fill up quickly. A good way to be the first to know is to get on their mailing list.
Another similar option that I have not done yet because it is hard to get a spot (but I’m dying to do!!) is the Scenic City Supper Club dinners. These are held in a different location each time with a different chef who comes in for the evening to cook an amazing dinner in an interesting location. Erik and Amanda Niel of Easy Bistro started the Supper Club, and I am eagerly awaiting the next dinner they host! You can read more about the last dinner here.
Dance the Night Away
If you’re feeling like a late night and somehow pull off a free weekend night out, head to Regan’s Place. Relatively new, Regan’s is a retro dance club on Market Street that plays all the songs you know and love to dance to. You can dance the night away and feel like you’re in college all over again in a place where you actually know the words to all the songs. Regan’s is open Friday and Saturday and doesn’t really get going until later in the evenings, so you’ve got to be able to stay awake (which is a challenge for me!), but it is very fun if you want a night out and like to dance and really want to parTAY with your friends!
Climb to New Heights
If you’re feeling adventurous, try a night of dinner and climbing at High Point Climbing Gym. Mellow Mushroom is right next door and has a happy hour with wine, beer, and appetizer specials from 3-7 pm. Start out there, then head over to High Point and climb to new heights with your friends. If you haven’t climbed before don’t worry, High Point is great for all levels of climbers. Come dressed in clothes comfortable to climb in (leave the skirts at home!), and they provide climbing shoes and a harness and plenty of instruction if you need it. It is not really too crowded in the evenings on weeknights so this a great weeknight activity.
Cooking Classes
The Sweet & Savory Classroom on Main Street offers a variety of cooking classes and has an extensive schedule with many different options that you can check out on their website. Get together with your girlfriends and pick an evening class, typically offered around 6-9pm for about $65, and become a chef for the night. Sharpen up your slicing and dicing skills and learn how to make delicious desserts in their Sweet classes or yummy entrees in the Savory classes. They are able to sell wine, beer, and liquor so you can get your drinks there and they ask that you don’t bring your own drinks. So much fun!
Host a Gift Exchange
We started this as a holiday event, but had so much fun giving and stealing gifts from each other that we continued it as a theme night during different times of the year. Everyone brings an appetizer and a bottle of wine or drink and a gift within a certain price range. You can bring any kind of gift or choose a category. We have done a Christmas gift exchange and another night with gifts in the “relaxation” category. Draw names and take turns choosing a new, wrapped gift from the pile or stealing from your friends. I think we had more fun making and modifying the rules as the gift exchange progressed than anything.
Breakout or Escape Chattanooga
A relatively new thing, Breakout Chattanooga or Escape Experience provide a sixty minute adventure where you work together with your friends to solve a mystery or “escape” from being captive by solving puzzles and breaking codes based on clues you are given. Everyone in your group works together to solve the mystery to move from room to room and eventually hope to escape! With a group of friends, this is totally different than a typical night out and so much fun!
Hopefully these give you some ideas of where to start with a fun moms’ night out, because you deserve it!! Put away the diapers and iPads and wipes and snacks for the night and get out and enjoy some time with your friends. Remind yourself what it’s like to have a real, uninterrupted conversation. It is something we take for granted, but so wonderful to get to enjoy your friends and actually get to talk. Have another great idea for a girls’ night or moms’ night out? Share it below in the comment section!
