108 Best First Date Ideas (Great For Date Night Too)

First dates can be the start of a big romance, but it’s better not to look at them like that.

Just see a first date as a way to have a fun time getting to know someone a bit better and nothing else. That way, you are not overly disappointed if it turns out that you’re not into him, he’s not into you or he’s looking for a casual fling rather than a girlfriend.

If you’re looking for someone special, it’s likely you have to kiss a lot of frogs (i.e. go on a lot of first dates) before you meet your prince, so don’t make every frog a prince in your mind, before he proves his worth.

In some ways it’s better not to build the date up into something extraordinary and make the meeting a casual one. Meeting for a coffee, a drink or a simple meal are all good because they give you a chance to focus on the person and not the event.

I must have had a first date with my husband all those years ago. We were both on the same post-grad course. But I can’t for the life of me remember a thing about where we went. It can’t have been that interesting (at least in terms of a venue!) and we are still together, so don’t worry if you don’t do anything exciting.

Generally the guy will suggest somewhere to go, but if he’s not forthcoming or he asks you where you would like to go, it’s good to have a few ideas up your sleeve even if it’s just to say “Have you been to X. I’ve heard good things about it” or “I’ve thought about going to Y. Have you been there?”

Choose somewhere away from your normal haunts. Sure, it would make you more relaxed if you were there, just the two of you, but you really don’t want to spend your time bumping into other people you know and introducing them to your date and getting knowing looks from your friends.

Avoid suggesting swanky, expensive places unless you know he has the budget for it and both of you are at home in those kind of venues. And stick with public places where there are plenty of people around, if you don’t know the guy well.

Also, it’s better not to make a movie your first date, given that the object of the exercise is to get to know someone and with a movie you will be sitting there without talking for two hours or more.

The exception to all this, if you’re a bit shy, is to take the focus off you a bit and give you both plenty to talk about with a fun first date. My preference is that you use your best ideas after the first date, so that you have not invested too much time, thought and emotion before you get to know someone, but fun dates can be good too and if it doesn’t work out with the guy, you may have a better time that way.

So here’s a collection with over a hundred of the best first date ideas that are not just coffee, drinks or dinner from all the lists out there on the web. (These lists are pretty general so don’t forget to also ask friends about great places in your town where they have been on dates.)

Marie Claire magazine gets the ball rolling with a pretty comprehensive list of 30 Romantic first date ideas

1. going to the beach (during the day or to see the sunset)
2. botanical gardens walk and cafe
3. a cornfield maze (you could try any maze)
4. beer brewery tour
5. comedy club
6. amusement park
7. aquarium
8. dance lessons
9. playing games at the arcade
10. softball practice
11. practice your golf swing at the driving range
12. bungee jumping (you’re on your own with that idea!)
13. farmer’s market
14. feeding the ducks
15. go-kart racing
16. horseback riding
17. jazz club
18. kite flying
19. karaoke bar
20. visit to a spa
21. play mini-golf
22. visit a museum
23. tree planting with a local environmental group
24. stroll through the park
25. a wine-tasting tour
26. go rowing on a lake
27. go sailing
28. cooking class
29. play tennis
30. trivia night

 
You’d think that would just about cover all the options but there are a whole lot more. Many of the lists overlap with the Marie Claire dates but most of them have a few extras to offer. In this post about first date activities from Lifehacker, you’ll find these additional ideas

31. going for a walk
32. watching an outdoor movie
33. going on a picnic
34. going for a run together (if running is your idea of a good time)
35. volunteering at a soup kitchen (the altruistic date)
36. a date for breakfast
37. a fitness class
38. visit a psychic
39. playing video games
40. taking a music lesson together
41. browsing a used bookstore
42. visiting a tourist hot spot in your town neither of you have been to
43. attend a film or music festival
44. invite your date to dinner at your place (if you’re a good cook)

 
Cosmo has a short list of dates that are sexy (in typical Cosmo fashion) – whether you make them sexy or not is up to you given that sleeping with him on a first date is usually not such a good idea!

45. challenge him to a game of darts or pool
46. rent bikes and explore the area
47. pick up a basketball and challenge him to a game of hoops
48. meet for lattes on your way to work
49. picnic in the park
50. visit a dog run
51. head somewhere you’re not supposed to go (reminds me of the “Friends With Benefits” scene where they climb onto the Hollywood sign and Justin Timberlake has to be winched off)
52. in the summer go for fruity margaritas at an outdoor bar

 
There is a good list of first date ideas at thefrisky.com. From their list we can add:

53. walking your own dogs (if you both have one so much the better)
54. playing Scrabble at a coffee shop
55. a free outdoor concert
56. go to a book reading
57. go for a hike and bird watch
58. play ping-pong
59. tackle a rock climbing wall
60. eat dinner progressively, each course at a different restaurant
61. play chess at one of those outdoor tables
62. go somewhere with interesting scenery and sketch
63. canoeing
64. roller-blading
65. going to a flea market
66. badminton in the park on a calm day
67. the monkey park
68. just dessert and coffee

 
And if you haven’t found the right date from all these, here are another eight from How Stuff Works

69. visit an exhibition
70. meet at the local cupcake shop and take your pick
71. take a walking tour downtown
72. drop by an outdoor arts festival or craft fair
73. watch a basketball or football game or other sport
74. a big name concert (make sure your date is a fan first)
75. local live band
76. seeing a play at a small local arts venue

 
Tumblr has a collection of ideas under the tag “first date ideas” and I picked up a few additions to the list, suggested by various entries there. Namely:

77. dim sum date
78. a record store
79. game of Frisbee
80. take your date to a party
81. ice skating
82. study date (for students)
83. paintballing
84. gun range

 
There are some nice descriptions of real dates men have taken their girlfriends on at the Art Of Manliness site. Here are some I noted including those from the comments guys left:

85. geocaching (a treasure hunt involving handheld gps)
86. outdoor BBQ in your favorite hiking/camping place
87. go to the zoo (especially in winter)
88. picnic on a skyscraper rooftop
89. tandem bike ride
90. horsedrawn-carriage ride
91. helicopter ride
92. segway ride
93. star gazing or look for days when there are meteor showers etc
94. fruit picking
95. ice fishing

 
I thought there couldn’t possibly be any more and then I found even more ideas on this dating site

96. bus or boat trip
97. visiting a casino
98. a balloon ride
99. abseiling (if you’re both thrill seekers)
100. horse racing
101. car racing
102. dog racing (100)

 
and even more at Love Panky (and then I gave up because I still think the simplest dates are the best LOL)

103. ice cream parlor
104. fishing
105. planetarium
106. special event in your city or a nearby one – check the tourist office
107. flower show
108. spooky date to a haunted house or a tourist ghost tour