Every single relationship is going to begin with a first date. That’s why on the scale of importance, they are critical because they tend to set every potential relationship on the path of determining whether or not the couple will be a great fit.
Believe it or not, the first date will determine if you have chemistry or a spark or connection with the other participant. Or it might help you determine if you should be friends, lovers, or go your separate ways.
Have you recently landed a date? Are you unsure about the best place you should take them? We’ll tell you some great places to go within this article if you’re trying to really impress them while on a first date.
Did she ask you out? That’s okay because women are more comfortable making the first move today and men shouldn’t feel weird about it. Women have more courage, openness, and kindness now more than they ever did before and it’s great.
No matter whether you’re a man, woman, or identify as another gender, we’ve got some awesome first date ideas for you in this article. Please read through them and use these ideas to your advantage.
Today we’ll share information about:
- Incredible First Date Ideas for Every Occasion
- 5 Bad Ideas for Potential First Dates
- The Bottom Line
Let’s get to it without further delay.
Incredible First Date Ideas for Every Occasion
Planning your first date the best way possible comes down to the interests shared between you and your date. You aren’t going to impress anyone by taking them on a boring or unexciting first date. Make sure to plan something that you will both undoubtedly enjoy.
Even better, whatever activity you plan for your date should make it possible to get to know this person. Believe it or not, going to the movies will not give you a chance to chat with your date. If you want to determine if there’s relationship potential there, you need time to talk to this person to get to know them better.
We’d like to share 20 potential incredible date ideas with you today. We’ve categorized them based on different types of first dates.
5 Slow and Romantic First Date Ideas to Make Your Date Swoon
- Go on a Picnic
A picnic might not seem like the best idea on the surface, but it’s actually a very good one to help you get to know your new potential partner. But if you’re going on a picnic, you better make sure the weather is perfect that day because it will otherwise ruin the experience. If there’s rain in the forecast, you better come up with a better idea because a picnic first date isn’t the best move in this scenario.
But if you do decide to go on a first date, take your date to a gorgeous park nearby that is known for their picnics. Stop by the farmer’s market or local grocery store to buy the ingredients to prepare a meal.
While picnicking with your new companion, you can really stimulate the conversation to get to know them better. Picking up a nice bottle wine is definitely a good idea as well. It will help you open up and converse better by lowering your inhibitions.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to buy a wooden basket to go on a picnic. Just carry your food and wine in a bag and set it up on a blanket and you will be fine.
To make this date even more special, decide ahead of time to dress fancy for the occasion. It will make the date seem more fun and exciting. And when regular people walk through the park and they see you two dressed up in fancy attire, they’ll get a good laugh and so will you!
- Visit a Scenic Point
Do you live in a city with accessible scenic points? You can easily get to know someone better by spending time with them while sightseeing.
During the drive, you’ll have plenty of time to talk to get to know one another better. But once you reach your destination and begin to soak up the beautiful scenery, you’ll experience feelings of peacefulness and calmness that will help you open up even further to your date and vice versa. You may end up having a very deep conversation with this person while sightseeing.
After your experience is through, think about stopping by a local restaurant for a nice meal, a glass of wine, and stimulating conversation before enjoying each other’s company once again on the ride home.
- Take a Relaxing Spa Day
As far as first date ideas go, this one isn’t typical, which means it just might be the perfect place to go to experience relaxation and wellness on an exciting spa trip.
A wide range of spas have couples packages, which is great because they’re designed to help you have a wonderful time with your date. Make sure to book activities that you can both enjoy together, so you can talk, relax, and get to know one another in this intimate setting.
This date can go one of two ways. You’ll either become much closer with your date or you’ll feel really weird and awkward. Either way, you’ll know whether or not they’re a good fit by the time the date is through.
- Go Shopping at a Flea Market
Are you planning on taking out your date over the weekend? You may want to hit up a local flea market or two because it’s an excellent place to walk around, enjoy the sunshine, and talk to your date as you get to know them. Plus, many flea markets have lots of activities, food, and plenty of people that make them lively hotspots.
To really spice up your afternoon, you can create a list of items that each of you need to find for sale and turn it into a scavenger hunt. But make it so you have to purchase everything for a low price so haggling and budgeting is involved. This will make it more exciting and creative too.
- Enjoy Viewing the Stars at Your Local Planetarium
Take a trip to your nearby planetarium and spend the evening stargazing with your date. It’s always nice to take a moment to enjoy the stars and doing that with a date makes it extra special. This is romantic, exhilarating, and something you’ll enjoy sharing with another human being.
5 Adventure-Filled Exciting Dates That Get the Adrenaline Pumping
- Enjoy Thrill Rides at the Amusement Park
Are you an adrenaline junkie? How about your date? It’s always fun to go to the amusement park and go on the biggest and scariest roller coasters and other rides. You’ll experience happiness, joy, and the thrill of a lifetime while here.
Even better, you get to conquer your fears with another exciting person in tow. You’ll really get to know one another better and learn a lot about each other as you fly by the seat of your pants at the amusement park.
- Act Like Tourists While Exploring Your City
Have you ever taken time to explore your own city? Every city has famous spots for tourism and other important destinations. If you don’t know them, go online to find out the best spots in your city for tourism.
Instead of driving, think about renting a bike for this experience. You’ll enjoy the fresh air with your date and you’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another as you ride back and forth across the city.
This first date is thrilling, stimulating, and even a potential learning experience. You and your date will learn more about your city and get to know it better. When you’re through, you’ll be able to learn the history of tourist attractions and view your city from a more positive light.
- Spend the Day Hiking
Do you and your date both enjoy the outdoors? See if he or she would like to go on a hike at a nearby local hotspot? You may want to save this for another time if you’re both beginners. But if you’re into hiking, this is definitely a great place to go to enjoy the fresh air, the wildlife, and the beautiful scenery.
Choose a place that doesn’t require a guide. You do not want a third wheel along for your hike. Who knows? You may even get to delight in a beautiful sunset with your date if you play your cards right.
- Spend a Competitive Day Battling Your Date at the Arcade
Do you like feeling like a kid again? A little friendly competition never hurt anyone. And this is especially true at the local arcade. If you can find a retro 80s themed arcade, it’s even better. You can play games like Pac-Man, Frogger, Outrun, Galaga, or other stimulating titles.
Keep score and see who ends up winning the most games by the end of your date. You can even agree on a wager that the loser must commit to if they do not win your friendly competition.
- Are You Up for a Road Trip?
Road trips are the perfect first date for free-spirited people that love enjoying the wind in their face as they fly down the open road. So hop in your ride and go for a drive and forget about the destination.
Just see where you end up and make sure you appreciate the stimulating conversation, good food, and great companionship along the way. This spontaneous adventure will make it very easy for you to connect with anyone on a first date.
5 Cute and Fun Dating Ideas for a Whole Lot of Laughs
- Go to a Bowling Alley to See If You Can Score a Strike
Take your first day to a bowling alley? Really? It’s actually a pretty good experience because there’s great atmosphere, plenty of people, and it’s also intimate enough to get to know your date.
Try not to be awkward on your date. Give high-fives, don’t shy away from touching and bumping one another, and ultimately have a good time.
- Miniature Golf Brings Out the Best in Everyone
Just about every town or city has a miniature golf course nearby. Stop by with your date for an evening of zany miniature golf, ice cream treats, and loads of fun.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced miniature golfer or not because the fun is in getting to know your date and learning how to play this exciting game.
- Visit an Indoor Trampoline Park to Jump Around
For some reason, people have convinced themselves that trampoline parks were made just for kids. But this isn’t even close to the truth. They are a whole lot of fun for adults as well.
Locate the nearest trampoline park to your home and make a date. You’ll have a lot of fun while you feel like a kid again. And your date is bound to have a great time too.
- Give Rock-climbing a Chance If You’re Brave Enough
Don’t worry if you’ve never climbed a rock wall before. And don’t let your date freak out if he or she hasn’t done it before either. It’s easy to learn under the right supervision and you can even turn it into an amusing and friendly competition. Take bets on who can get to the top of the rock wall first.
- Dress Up Wearing Clothes from the 1950s and Meet for Breakfast
Are you trying to avoid clichéd first dates? This suggestion is far from cliché and it’s a great way to get to know someone over a tasty breakfast.
You may not have clothes from the 1950s on hand, so you may have to pick them up from a secondhand store or a costume shop. Just make sure you and your date are on board to dress-up, take photos, make other restaurant patrons laugh, and ultimately have a great time together.
5 Ways to Flex Your Financial Muscle on a Fancy First Date
- Impress Your Date with Reservations at an Expensive Restaurant
Having dinner in a fancy restaurant can go either way. Your date will either be very impressed by your money and prestige or it will turn them off.
On the other hand, you’ll get waited on hand and foot at a restaurant like this and sometimes this makes people uncomfortable. So learn about your date and find out if they’re into fancy restaurants and fine dining before scheduling your reservation.
- Enjoy a Helicopter Ride through the City
You can schedule a helicopter ride through your city even if you don’t own one. Giving your date a bird’s eye view of the city will make them swoon. They’ll love the wonderful experience and likely have a whole lot of fun. Plus they’ll be impressed by your money and willingness to spend big bucks on a first date.
- Experience Wine Tasting at a Local Vineyard or Winery
For a classy first date that might get you out of the friend zone, take your date to a local vineyard or winery in your area. You may have to drive a while to get there, but this provides a good way to get to know your date better through stimulating conversation and anticipation of tasting delectable fine wine.
Not only will this experience be educational as you learn more about fine wines, but you can also experience exquisite flavors and appreciate them more with your attractive date. This experience will be entertaining, gratifying, and also educational for the both of you.
- Spent Time Together in an Art Gallery or Museum
Are you trying to appear more intellectual or cultural? A good way to do so is to tour local art galleries and museums. This lends you a measure of prestige while showing your date that there’s more to you than meets the eye.
Do you both enjoy philosophy or art? Are you knowledgeable about this topic and love stimulating conversation around it? If you’re into intellectual experiences along with your date, you’ll definitely create sparks that might ignite a wonderful cerebral relationship like you’ve never had before.
- Visit the Opening of an Art Exhibit
To have a fancy and chic date, you can’t go wrong attending the opening of an art exhibit. This is an occasion that you can dress up, enjoy fine wine, and have a great time in a posh and fancy setting. You’ll meet artists, get to schmooze with other intellectual types, and flex your artistic muscle all at the same time.
While here, you can see how well your date mingles with other intellectual types too. So not only will you get to know them better, you’ll also see how they handle social situations at sophisticated events.
5 Inexpensive and Chill Dates That Don’t Cost a Fortune
- Take a Walk While the Sun Sets
Enjoying a walk during a sunset is an awesome and inexpensive date idea. If possible, try to walk by the water to watch the sunset over the horizon as you take in the beautiful orange glow. If you can walk along the sandy beach, the experience will be even better. It’s also fun to walk along a pier, a boardwalk, or take a stroll around the lake
- Pack a Cooler and Have a Drink or Two Down by the Pier
There’s nothing wrong with packing a cooler full of food and alcohol to take to the local pier. There are usually lots of people around having a good time so you may even meet up with some fun and friendly souls just like yourselves.
Even better, you can hang out at a secluded spot on the beach underneath or near the pier and get to know each other more intimately. Remember to bring plenty of cocktails, some great tasting food, and stimulating conversation and you’ll be fine!
- Visit Local Botanical Gardens
Do you live near a city with botanical gardens? Even if it’s a bit of a drive, it’s worth it because they are beautiful, filled with luscious greenery, and free! Most of them usually have a place where you can enjoy a picnic while on a date. And you can look at all of the gorgeous flowers while touring the gardens.
- Take a Walk in Nature
Walking is nature is always rousing and refreshing. You can walk along the beach, or through a forest, or enjoy a wonderful mountain trail. Find a natural location that suits you in the vicinity of your home and follow the path. You’ll have a wonderful date in a calm, quiet, and peaceful setting.
- Stop by a Used Bookstore
Do you love to read? How about your date? If you are both interested in literature, you should visit a local used bookstore. Sit down for a cup of coffee, some stimulating conversation, and discuss your favorite literary works of fiction while enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company.
5 Bad Ideas for Potential First Dates
- The Movies
Not only is this a clichéd first date, it’s also a terrible idea even though so many people go to the movies when going out with someone for the first time. It’s terrible because you have to remain quiet for anywhere from one and a half to three hours, so you have very little chance to get to know your date better.
- Concerts
A concert is also a terrible place for a first date. While it may be fun and exciting, it’s also loud and impossible to get to know the other person because the music is blasting right in your eardrums.
- A Club
Going to a club on a first date is also a bad idea. Just like going to a concert, it’s loud, there are tons of people around intruding on your time together, and it’s nearly impossible to talk to your date in this setting. Plus the drunk and obnoxious people around you will likely spoil your good time.
- Group Dates with Friends
Meeting up with friends during a first date is always a dumb idea. For starters, your date shouldn’t get to know your friends at this stage because they might not be around too long. And it’s also awkward for your date when they’re around your friends because you know everyone and they won’t know anyone.
- Netflix and Chill
This may seem innocent enough on the surface but it’s a stupid idea nonetheless. Why? Your date will think you’re bringing them home so you can get laid. They may not appreciate the implications of a Netflix and chill first date even if knocking boots isn’t your intention.
The Bottom Line
Going on a first date and planning a proper outing is critical to your potential relationship. Take time to get to know the person you’re taking out and plan accordingly based on their likes and desires.
Plan this date with confidence every step of the way. Think of things that you like and come up with conversation starters so the night is filled with stimulating and friendly conversations that you’ll both enjoy. This will help eliminate awkward moments and give you and your date plenty to talk about.
Use these excellent first date ideas at your convenience. They will help you get to know your date better and also make it easy for the two of you to have a great time together.