Why You Should Never Take Her to Dinner on the 1st Date – 10 Unique Date Ideas You Never Heard Of
The take-her-to-a-French-restaurant thing is so yesterday’s fashion, and it seems that everything we can do is repeat (endlessly) the been-there-done-that situations, even though we want to have THE perfect date with that one girl. It probably required a bit of an effort to ask her out, so make sure that the date will be fun for both of you!
A first date is not something you can repeat until you do it right, and just as first impressions, it can set the tone for the rest of your relationship or none-relationship, so hitting the right spot is very important. We must face it, in the era of apps like Tinder, not every first date can be as cool and as romantic as The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance from Back to the Future (1985), where you get to find the love of your life and witness the birth of rock-and-roll, but a man can try.
So, if you are wondering how to get closer to George McFly’s “charm” or at least how to have a solid adventure story to share with your buddies at the pub, here are a few ideas to boost your imagination.
1. Make It Competitive
If you cannot hide your inner geek, why not show it off? Take your date to a video game arcade, and show her some of your best moves. It would be best to have several options on the table. Maybe your girl on high heels will not be in the mood for a zombie fight, but she could enjoy Mario Kart or air hockey.
Another trap you could fall into is being too competitive. If you can’t refrain from using harsh words while playing video games, it would be better to avoid this option, at least until the fourth date. If you notice that the girl isn’t too good at a game, cut her some slack until she gets the hang of it.
2. Be Children for a Day
No matter if your date is a self-proclaimed fashionista or a bookworm, she will love the idea of a trip down memory lane, where she will get a chance to be a child again.
A play date may sound like something your mothers would have taken you 20 years ago, but now you have the chance to do it just the way you want it. You can visit the local playground and swing side by side or go climb a tree or something. Also, you can go to an amusement park for a merry-go-round tour.
3. Start with a Song
A date in a karaoke bar could be embarrassing, but why not give it a shot? You can do it – you have done it in the shower, right? And so what if you can’t hold a tune, showing a girl you know how to have fun will earn you a major plus. Just do not force her to get on the stage until she is fully prepared and relaxed. If that doesn’t happen, offer her an easy duet. Just steer away from ballads that are too romantic.
4. Wine Tasting
If you want to add a specific dose of style to your first date, take your date to a wine tasting event.
There is nothing more refined than tasting fruity and herby aromas of sweet wines while getting to know a person. If you are not very familiar with wines, do not try to fake it, because eventually you can get caught in your ignorance and sound ridiculous. If you really want to step up your game, you can try to learn a thing or two about different sorts of wines.
5. Theatre in the House
Visiting a theatre is a great first date idea, and much more unconventional than going to the movies. Still, if you want to make it even more unique, you can stage a perfectly romantic room in your house and bring the fun and art to you. How? Well, you can stream a theatre play online. First find out if your date really likes the theatre and then try to determine what she would enjoy watching the most – perhaps an opera, or a comedy? If you find the perfect play, and stage a room moderately but romantically, you will surely amaze your date and have a great time yourself.
6. Chef of the Kitchen
If your culinary skills don’t extend further from poorly cooked scrambled eggs, you can try taking your date to a cooking class. You can get two major benefits from this sort of date: first, your date will see that you are willing to learn new things (and that you think the kitchen is not a place only for women) and secondly, you will enrich your menu, regardless of the date’s final outcome.
Almost every major city has “cooking for couples” one night classes, so give it a try. Creating a succulent dish together on your first date seems like a great opening for future get-togethers.
7. It’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby
Taking your date to a rock concert might seem like a bad idea since you will not get a chance to talk and truly get to know each other. However, there is a plus side to this.
If the two of you have a great time, the door is open for a second date, when the pressure is not that high and when you have better chances of acting naturally. So, what do you say, loud music, a cold beer and jumping up and down never sounded better, right?
8. Ever Heard of Sapiosexuality?
This seemingly strange word means ‘someone who gets sexually aroused by the power of someone else’s intellect’. If you are wondering how to use this information, we’ve got a great suggestion for you – a trivia night.
Luckily for you, pub quizzes have become a regular thing, and it will be easy to find some on the evening of your date. The good or the bad side (depending on how you look at it) of this date is that you both have to call a couple of friends to form a team. True, it will take away the romance and the privacy, but it can also release some tension and make the evening more relaxed.
9. Shall We Dance?
Of course, you will. She will adore you for that! It seems like there isn’t a lady in this world who doesn’t like to go dancing. Just remember Jim Carrey’s reference from Yes Man (2008): “Every pretty girl deserves to go to a ball”. Whether you take her to club dancing, a ballroom, tango or salsa session, it is up to you.
Keep this in mind: Latin dance has a certain dose of passion that cannot be replaced with others, and the physical contact is another perk. If you are not very skillful in coordinating your moves, choose a slow dance, like tango, rather than an energetic one like salsa.
10. Adrenaline Rush
An adrenaline date is not something one would expect, so it is best to find out whether your date is up for the challenge. You do not have to give her the whole story, just say you would like to do something incredibly crazy and adventurous, and wait for the reaction. If you get the approval, consider taking her to bungee jumping, skydiving, a zero gravity flight, a storm chasing tour, etc.
Perhaps these were not the most romantic or dreamiest dates ever, and not a single one of them can guarantee a “safe passage” once you get on unfamiliar ground and see if the “goodbye” in front of her door will include a goodnight kiss or just a simple “take care”. Still, they are interesting enough to make her wonder what you will do next. So it is high time to leave out your standard dinner at Mario’s and use your imagination to organize the perfect first date.
