Did you know that double dating could be the secret to a long and successful marriage or serious relationship? A study done by the University of Maryland found that maintaining healthy friendships with other couples can help to solidify a couple’s sense of themselves as a unit and can even increase partners’ attraction to one another. Not to mention that in today’s fast-paced world where free time is limited, it is a great way to spend time with your sweetie and socialize with some friends. This was exactly why my dear friend, Odette, and I decided it was time for our husbands to join us on one of our crazy adventures.
Having been friends with Odette for several years, our hubbies knew each other but mostly in a casual way. Odette and I knew they would get along because they both have the same sense of humor, common backgrounds, and – let’s face it – great taste in wives. But for some reason, we just never had a chance to bring the two together. We changed all that recently when we went on a fun, lowkey double date together at a glow-in-the-dark mini golf course called Putting Edge.
Putting Edge is located off of International Drive in a place called Dezerland Park. Dezerland itself is a must see. What used to be an old, run-down mall now claims to be Florida’s largest indoor attraction. “IT NEVER RAINS AT DEZERLAND PARK” is the motto of this 800,000-square-foot indoor venue, which officially opened in May. (Although many attractions, such as the BOND Experience and restaurants, are not open yet.)
Admission to enter the building is free, and if you are a car fan, you can spend a decent amount of time just walking around admiring the massive collection of vehicles from all around the world and/or featured in TV and films. Odette and I enjoyed watching how excited our “big little boys” became when they saw them all! Besides the car museum, you will find a movie theatre, bowling alley, electric go-karts, a trampoline jumping area, arcade, axe throwing, and Putting Edge. (Each attraction has their own admission costs. Insider Tip: Check out Groupon for great deals for most of them. We saved about $20 using one for Putting Edge.)
Putting Edge is not excessively big but still manages to host 18 different black-lit holes inside. (Note that the lobby and sitting area is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible, but the course itself is not.) From the moment we checked in (reservations are required and can be done through their website), I could not help but smile because the place is so bright and colorful. The website says, “…you will be immersed in a kaleidoscope of dazzling ‘Glow-in-the-Dark’ colors, images and sounds, rocking your senses in unordinary, inevitable ways.” And they aren’t lying.
The artwork is beautiful, and we had so much fun traveling under the sea, into the forest, back to medieval times, and beyond. It was a little warm in there, but the music was so upbeat, and we were having so much fun we didn’t mind. It took us about 50 minutes to play a round, and the actual golf holes were just the right amount of difficulty to keep things competitive but not discouraging. In fact, three of our party of four even got a hole-in-one. We made the other pay for dinner afterwards!
What we discovered is that when it comes to dating, sometimes more is better! Our double date was a chance for us as a couple to go to a place that was fun yet offered us the chance to socialize with good friends, too. We are already planning another double date soon!
Putting Edge can be found inside Dezerland Park at 5250 International Drive Orlando, FL 32819. For attraction hours and more information, visit their websites at https://dezerlandpark.com/orlando/ and https://www.puttingedge.com/orlando/.
