Where do you take sims for dating or family activities to become closer?

With family it’s usually national parks or community lots. For dates it’s usually either bars, lounges or restaurants. At the moment I use the pub in henford quite a lot for dates. I build my own lots and rarely use the EA ones or if I do they get edited.

It depends on their Traits, Lifestyles and Likes/Dislikes. Traits take longer to find out without the Observant trait, but you can find out their preferences quickly.

If they have a hobby that can be done together somewhere, such as Bowling or Fishing, it makes a good date option, unless your sim absolutely hates the activitity in question.

If they are Outdoorsy or Loves the Outdoors, then Parks, Beaches and similar outdoor locales will provide them with a Happy moodlet and boost their mood, making for a better date.

If they are a Goofball/Likes Comedy or a Music Lover/Likes Violin/Likes Guitar/Likes Piano, they might enjoy a trip to the Lounge to watch a performance, while one who Likes Singing would have fun at a Karaoke Bar.

Art Lovers and would enjoy Galleries, Museums, Arts Centre and Parks with lots of statuary, and possibly Retail lots selling those, photographs and prints too.

Foodies/Gluttons will enjoy restaurants as long as the food is decent quality, and might enjoy a Café, Bakery or Ice Cream Shop too.

Just some examples.

"Stormkeep;c-18057085" wrote:
I replace all community lots in my game with better versions from the gallery that have a lot more "stuff to do" on them because they use alot of packs. The lots that come in the game itself simply don't, because they never make lots that use more than one pack+the base game.

With all lots in all worlds replaced with better versions, there's no where I do not take my Sims. I go everywhere with them. My favorite places though are parks when the weather is good, because there are so many fun activities for a family there, and pools. That's for families. For dating, generally restaurants, bars, nightclubs and lounges. I have a bowling ally/arcade in my game that is also a really fun date night. It has tons of games, and also a bar for food and drink, and of course, bowling.

But truly, I take my sims everywhere. Even just a afternoon to go grocery shopping is fun, because the grocery store I built in one of my worlds has a bar and cafe inside the store and around back I put a small park with playground equipment for toddlers and kids as well as a basketball court, so when my Sims need groceries I'll bring the whole family along and let the kids and teens play in back while the parents go shopping, and perhaps enjoy a short break at the bar, inside.

Wow! Is your gallery name the same and do you have that grocery store up for download? Also do you need a mod to go grocery shopping in sims4? Eta: i never know where to take groups of Sims, particularly across age groups, because most community spaces and venues are so narrow in focus that it's not family-friendly, and the date spots are so barren and empty.

"ignominiusrex;c-18058774" wrote:

Wow! Is your gallery name the same and do you have that grocery store up for download? Also do you need a mod to go grocery shopping in sims4? Eta: i never know where to take groups of Sims, particularly across age groups, because most community spaces and venues are so narrow in focus that it's not family-friendly, and the date spots are so barren and empty.

My Gallery User name is actually different. My forum name pre-dates Origin but now game login (and thus gallery name) is tied to Origin so it just ended up that way. I honestly wish it wasn't different, but it is what it is.

Regardless, it doesn't matter...because I don't upload much of anything to the gallery. I use a lot of CC and mods in my game while at the same time being a person who doesn't like to download anything with CC and mods so, out of respect for other people who also don't like to download things which used CC and Mods...I upload very little. :lol:

In this case, however, it doesn't matter! The grocery store in my game is a modified version of someone else's grocery store. The base store is incredible, I just put it on a larger lot so that I could add the playground in the back. And I added more display cases and food inside to be sold plus the Cafe (which requires a mod to be auto-staffed). The base lot that I worked from is on the gallery here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/86CF1205F8FB11EB8DE0486C5771AD1E

https://athena.thesims.com/v1/images/1/0x00002538/86CF1205-F8FB-11EB-8DE0-486C5771AD1E/00.jpg

And no, you don't need mods to go grocery shopping, just the Get to Work pack. It's set up as a retail lot, and literally ALL of the food and ALL of the ingredients in the game except for the Red and White wrapped meat from Cottage Living can be marked for sale at a retail location. Even the jams and conserves and mayo and eggs and all the different types of milk from cottage living are for sale in my grocery store. Just not red and white wrapped meat, unfortunately. You can buy and sell fish at least though.

I added the Cottage Living grocery store vendor stand to the side of the store outside so that I can also still get red and white wrapped meat when I visit it. I just wish I could buy them INSIDE the store with all the other ingredients.

For me, it depends on the Sims and their personalities. My default activity is grabbing lunch at a nice restaurant. Sometimes, it'll be getting coffee at a cafe. I have nightclubs, karaoke bars, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and movie theatres in my world for dates and hangout spots.

For family activities, I have several multifunctional parks with toddler and children playground equipment. I even added some pet equipment so the dogs can join in on family outings. I also have an ice cream parlor where my Sims can take the whole family for a treat. It's a retail store that sells ice cream bowls and toddlers can eat the ice cream, too.

"Stormkeep;c-18058804" wrote:

"ignominiusrex;c-18058774" wrote:

Wow! Is your gallery name the same and do you have that grocery store up for download? Also do you need a mod to go grocery shopping in sims4? Eta: i never know where to take groups of Sims, particularly across age groups, because most community spaces and venues are so narrow in focus that it's not family-friendly, and the date spots are so barren and empty.

My Gallery User name is actually different. My forum name pre-dates Origin but now game login (and thus gallery name) is tied to Origin so it just ended up that way. I honestly wish it wasn't different, but it is what it is.

Regardless, it doesn't matter...because I don't upload much of anything to the gallery. I use a lot of CC and mods in my game while at the same time being a person who doesn't like to download anything with CC and mods so, out of respect for other people who also don't like to download things which used CC and Mods...I upload very little. :lol:

In this case, however, it doesn't matter! The grocery store in my game is a modified version of someone else's grocery store. The base store is incredible, I just put it on a larger lot so that I could add the playground in the back. And I added more display cases and food inside to be sold plus the Cafe (which requires a mod to be auto-staffed). The base lot that I worked from is on the gallery here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/86CF1205F8FB11EB8DE0486C5771AD1E

https://athena.thesims.com/v1/images/1/0x00002538/86CF1205-F8FB-11EB-8DE0-486C5771AD1E/00.jpg

And no, you don't need mods to go grocery shopping, just the Get to Work pack. It's set up as a retail lot, and literally ALL of the food and ALL of the ingredients in the game except for the Red and White wrapped meat from Cottage Living can be marked for sale at a retail location. Even the jams and conserves and mayo and eggs and all the different types of milk from cottage living are for sale in my grocery store. Just not red and white wrapped meat, unfortunately. You can buy and sell fish at least though.

I added the Cottage Living grocery store vendor stand to the side of the store outside so that I can also still get red and white wrapped meat when I visit it. I just wish I could buy them INSIDE the store with all the other ingredients.

Ok, this is strange. I read your post yesterday where you spoke of your grocery store and thought that was a great idea. I searched the gallary and came across this very same grocery store and downloaded it last night. I spent the next hour or so changing it a bit. It is such a cute idea and my simmies love going to the store.


Thanks to your post, I now have a grocery store in my game. So funny and fun that we ended up using the same store : )

"Freygea;c-18058885" wrote:


Thanks to your post, I now have a grocery store in my game. So funny and fun that we ended up using the same store : )

Well, it really is the best looking grocery store in the gallery! Assuming you like "country charm" at least. And Simmaddness put so very much effort into it, clearly, with how much individual produce is all carefully arranged both in the windows and out in the sale area.

If you are using it, Some suggestions for alterations that I would offer is:

Add some LICE retail freezers and buy the store with an actual Sim. You can use a throwaway sim that you never play again, it just needs to have a Sim owning it in order to stock the freezers. Then add milk and eggs to those freezers with the Sim who owns it. This will allow your played Sims to buy however many milk and eggs that they want out of the freezer, all without even the need for restocking. The store is missing the various flavors of milk and doesn't have enough eggs (imo) out on display.

Add some flour and sugar. Right now there's none for sale in the store, but both can be sold on a retail lot.

Add the missing produce. Avocados, Black Beans, Coconuts, and pineapples are the ones I can think of which are missing.


If you are into Cottage Living, also maybe add some wool for sale up where there is already miscellaneous items being sold.

And if you are open to using mods, add the mod by LittleMsSams that lets you add a lot trait which adds staff to the bar upstairs automatically. If you are interested in having the bar operate without having an active Sim staffing it. I did this and also added a cafe counter in the same area. Makes for a nice upstairs area to have a drink and buy some food if you want to eat right there in the store.

It's a great store for sure.

I break my saves into "zones" wherein a sim can jump from one world in one zone to another but has to vacation to go anywhere else. (so for example Zone 1 is Willow Creek, Newcrest, and Magnolia Promenade). I try and make sure each of my zones has one of the following: A karaoke bar or a bowling alley (Those are great for young adult date nights, friend group gatherings, or family nights) A nightclub or a lounge, (great for dates), a coffee shop AND a bar (I like either one for small sync ups like BFFs going out for coffee, etc) and a park OR a community center OR both.

I said this in a similar thread but I LOVE the community centers for all sorts of play. I download lots from the gallery and heavily edit them to be true community centers. My community centers typically have a meeting room, a yoga studio, a place for kids to play, game tables and ping pong tables, knitting circles, sometimes even a laundromat. Sometimes my families will spend whole days whiling away at the community centers. They work great for vanilla players because a few vendors will show up to man stalls and the market tables will fill up even if you haven't changed the community center into a marketplace, for example.

However, some of my favorite lots that I ever downloaded that helps with family bonding are parks in general, especially Moonlight Owl's "Festival Parks." Each park has been edited for each season's festival. So the Leisure Day version has a roller rink, outdoor movie setup, etc. Here's an example.

There are several good spots. I usually try to choose the place that fits the character's personality.

But I think one of the best all-around spots that comes with an expansion pack is that park in San Myshuno. It's a large lot with lots of romantic settings. It has things to satisfy any needs that sims might suddenly come up with on their date (toilets, mirrors, kitchen, bathtub, coffee maker, mirrors.) It even has a bar to mix your own drinks, a piano for musical sims to serenade with, and a telescope for horny sims to woohoo.) But the best thing of all is that it is relatively secluded, so you don't have to worry about strangers walking up to you and interrupting your date.

I built an Arts Center that has all the skill-building items -- originally had it in Newcrest but lately I've put it in Del Sol Valley where Judith Ward normally lives (I moved her to a fancy penthouse in San Myshuno) because the view is great for painting on the digital sketchpad. My Arts Center (Academy of Arts and Sciences) has a couple of wall murals, telescopes, a rocket ship, computers, a small library, arts room, etc. plus a toddler/kids room. It's a great place to take the whole family to work on skills since you can easily switch between the members.