15 Great Unconventional First Date Ideas
First dates can be quite stressful, especially if you are not sure what to do or where to go. The typical ideas of going to a bar, grabbing a coffee, or going out to a restaurant are safe. However, these date night ideas are mostly boring and unoriginal. For a first date to be ideal, it needs to be fun, interactive, and entertaining. These ingredients will make both of you feel comfortable and it will be easy to get to know the other person.
In this article, we tell you about the most innovative ideas for a first date. Join us in the next paragraphs and dare to think outside of the box. We also share tips about what not to do on a first date!
What Are Great First Date Ideas?
Here is a list of the best first date ideas:
- Go ice skating or roller-skating
- Book a cooking lesson
- Go for a walk
- Go to a wine tasting
- Hire a personal chef
- Outdoor picnic
- Dance lesson
- Go to flea markets
- Bowling
- Visit a museum
- Do something that none of you has ever done
- Brunch
- Visit the zoo
- Go to an amusement park
- Jazz night
1. Go Ice skating or Roller-Skating
Most people don't master any of these sports, so they're good for laughing and making fun of ourselves. If you want to rent skates, you can go to a skating rink. If you have your equipment, you can go to a school playground, a local park, or any sidewalk in your neighborhood.
According to some studies, vitality is one of the key qualities that people look for in a partner (source). Therefore, active first dates are ideal for demonstrating endurance and vigor, even if you are not a professional. While circling the ice or the roller-skate rink, there is plenty of time to discuss and get to know one another.
2. Book a Cooking Lesson
While a dinner date at a restaurant can feel like a never-ending job interview, taking a cooking class together at home is just the opposite… relaxed, informal, empowering, and fun. You no longer need to be an expert chef to enjoy a five-star meal. Thanks to Miummium you can enjoy a unique cooking class tailored to your taste and dietary restrictions.
Our personal chefs customize the experience so that you can get the most out of your culinary class. Whether you want to learn how to prepare a Peruvian ceviche, Japanese sushi, or a delicious chicken tikka masala, our international personal chefs have what it takes to take your cooking skills to the next level.
3. Go for a Walk
Going for a walk is an ideal activity for the first date. If you're both athletic, you can even turn the date into a run or walk. Something as pleasurable as a leisurely stroll through your favorite neighborhood in town can activate those exercise endorphins without making you blush or break a sweat.
Try planning a route through a particularly charming area, or where you have a lot of stories, so that you can point out the street where you once fell off your bike or the bar where your best friend got so drunk he decided to walk home barefoot. Any of these options can be the beginning of an engaging conversation, just make sure you have your route figured out because getting lost on a first date isn't usually a great experience.
4. Go to a Wine Tasting
This type of activity is ideal for those people who do not feel so comfortable chatting. Wine tasting and other similar activities will help to have specific topics of conversation. Just make sure that the activity you're participating in isn't too complicated and that it's in your date's interest. If your date takes place in the summer, consider going to an enchanting vineyard.
5. Hire a Personal Chef
Why be the home cook when a professional chef can come and prepare the perfect dinner for you? On the MiumMium platform, you can book a personal chef online wherever you are. You will be introduced to skilled chefs who will exceed your expectations without breaking the bank. To make your first date special and surprise the other person, make sure you choose a menu based on their preferences. You can be sure that it will be an unforgettable experience!
Book a personal chef experience
6. Outdoor Picnic
If you've never had a sunset or dusk picnic, then this is your chance. Make sure you have a blanket, plenty of snacks, a bottle of wine, a speaker, candlelight, and a special someone by your side. It's enough to have a good time! The dim light always makes everything wonderfully romantic and you can get to know each other in a relaxed and natural way.
The perfect place is usually a park or a beach but if any of you have a terrace or a large backyard, it can be even more convenient as you won’t have to be looking for bathrooms. It goes without saying that the weather forecast should be carefully examined before sharing the time and place with the other person.
7. Dance Lessons
If you’re looking for fun first date ideas, this is surely one of them! Instead of going to a nightclub full of people you don't know, why not try to learn a few new steps to the rhythm of the music that you like the most? Salsa or swing, the decision is yours. Otherwise, slow dances can make the evening even more personal and romantic. The best idea is to take a practice class together and learn a dance style that both of you don't know yet. As you struggle to learn the steps and step on each other's toes, you can stay in each other's arms, beginning to connect and have a good time.
8. Go to Flea Markets
Not everyone prefers to make plans at night. After a long day of work, most of us just want to spend the evening unbothered and without feeling on our toes, like a date night might feel. That's why going to activities early in the day like flea markets are wonderful for early risers. Pleasant conversations will spring up as each of you will give their opinions on particular pieces of clothing.
9. Bowling
Bowling is a classic and it must be the activity that has forged the most couples in human history. Try reserving a bowling alley that has some privacy, put on those silly shoes, and may the best win! What is great about bowling is that it’s a sport high in emotions but low in effort, meaning that you won’t have to catch your breath to talk about life.
10. Visit a Museum
Visiting a museum or an art gallery on a first date creates a shared experience. Everything that surrounds you is perfect to stimulate a conversation at the same time that you think, appreciate, reflect, and remember. Connecting with a work of art is something that makes everyone feel good and brings inspiration.
11. Do Something None of You Has Ever Done
This is one of those ideas that make the first date special and memorable. To do so, you must gather your ideas of things that you wish you had done but never got to, such as cooking an authentic Japanese dinner, skiing, dancing bachata, playing badminton, getting a foot massage, or visiting a psychic. Let your date select one in the list, and you’ve got an unpredictable date!
12. Brunch
Breakfast may be too early and dinner may seem more formal, but going for brunch is the perfect time to sip on a coffee while eating a more elaborate meal. If the date goes well and the conversation doesn’t seem to stop, you can share a nice little digestive walk once you're done eating.
13. Visit the Zoo
If the other person happens to be an animal lover, going to the zoo will ensure there are no awkward silences. It is almost impossible not to get excited while watching wild animals moving or doing whatever they do. You can comment on the animals at the same time that you talk about yourselves. Make sure that the zoo is ethical before giving them your money.
14. Go to an Amusement Park
If you are both adventurous, an amusement park will be a very fun option. Sharing moments of adrenaline will help you develop a stronger connection. Walking together, enjoying the attractions, and eating cotton candy while talking to each other will make for a fun first date.
15. Jazz Night
If the two of you are fans of music and would love to hear live music after two years of pandemic, then a live jazz concert is for you. Going to a jazz night together can be something special, entertaining, and the entry cost tends to be cheap. Being a relaxing, soulful, and romantic music, it will set the mood for your conversation while you're both enjoying a drink.
What should you not do on a first date?
If you want to be successful on your first date, make sure you don't make the following mistakes:
- Avoid thorny topics like politics and religion that could alienate you before you even start and could also lead to annoying idealistic discussions.
- You should not be talking about ex-girlfriends or boyfriends, bragging about what you do or who you are, and bad-mouthing other people.
- You certainly won't make a good impression if you show up with wrinkled or dirty clothes, smell of tobacco or have unkempt hair and a scruffy beard.
- Do not be late. Being five minutes late may be acceptable but having someone wait outside for half an hour or more is not pleasant at all.
- Don't spend time on your phone while with them.
- Don’t shy away from eye contact.
- Don’t be touchy on the first date.