125 First Date Ideas to Make Your Date Fantasting
Have you just summoned the courage to ask out that person you’ve been trying to land a date with for months and now need some help in coming up with the best first date idea? First dates are important since the first impressions we leave on someone can significantly impact what it eventually leads to.
Or, are you on a dating app and tired of suggesting the same safe bar/café/restaurant for your first meetups? Here is an exhaustive list of first date ideas to choose from.
125 first date ideas to have the best date ever
There is a large variety of activities, from the typical to the atypical, so you are sure to find something that will make you stand out in the crowd or at least have your date thinking at the end of the evening, “Wow, that person put a lot of thought into our first date!”
Check out this research that talks about first date expectations. So, for the sake of your date’s expectations, do put in some effort. Do not show up on the date in your home clothes. Make some effort to dress up so they know it is important to you.
Once you have set realistic expectations for the first date, you can explore the examples mentioned below to make your first date memorable.
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Good first date ideas
If you are trying to figure out what to do on a first date, do not be too hard on yourself. You want them to like you, but trying too hard will only have the opposite effect.
Pick a place or activity that has the potential to be fun and exciting. Here are some such examples that you can consider for yourself:
- Create graffiti together
- Put Legos together
- Plant seeds randomly
- Yard sales cruising
- Draw each other’s portrait
- Do a science experiment
- Pretend to be a tour guide or art expert
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- Make a new dessert recipe
- Donate blood together
- Find your way to a place with just a compass and a map
- Power out date night
- Go to a karaoke bar together
- Join a meetup together
- Find your way out of an escape room
- Go hiking
- Visit a go-kart track
- Ziplining together
- Write a dirty limerick and have some wine
- Have a water gun/balloon fight
- Play hide and seek
- Dress each other in ridiculous outfits
Related Reading: Relationship-Building Activities and Their Benefits
- Photography walking tour
- Play video games
- Join a pottery class together
- Have a music lesson together
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Best first date ideas
Good first dates can leave a lasting impression that determines the direction that your relationship with your date takes. A point that is often highlighted in couples counseling.
- Rent a luxury car and cruise
- Opt for a sports activity you both suck in
- Build a fort
- Antique shop visit
- Be creative with some sidewalk chalk
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- Accomplish a mission
- Impersonate an ultra-wealthy couple
- Try kayaking together
- Go to an auction
Related Reading: What to Talk About on a First Date: 20 Things
- Make a time capsule
- Join a workout class together
- Play a round of mini-golf
- Volunteer an evening for a good cause
- Have fun while trying rock climbing together
- Catch a comedy night
- Take a cooking class
- Watch a film under the stars
- Go to a concert together
- Sunset walk
- Tour an art gallery or museum
- Go to a rink and try ice skating together
- Organize a picnic in the park
- Be a tourist in your city
- Go to the zoo
- Play a board game
Related Reading: 70 Adventurous Date Ideas For Couples
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Cute first date ideas
You should try to pick first date activities based on what you think or know your date likes. It can ensure that your date has fun and can also appreciate that you have taken their taste into consideration.
You can pick from the examples mentioned below while remembering to be friendly towards your date. You should be nice to everyone, especially someone you are meeting on a first date.
- Feed the ducks or swans
- Yoga in the park
- Make bookings for a date
- Enjoy the sunrise together
- Go running together
- Visit a burlesque or drag show together
- Stop by an open house
- Create a vision board
- Take a meditation class
- Buy funny gifts for each other
- Share each other’s favorite spot
- Bike rides in the park
- Get an aura reading
- Go to a sports event
- Look through a bookstore
- Visit a brewery together
- Do you both have dogs?
- A flea market visit
- Go to a botanical garden
- Watch the fish in an aquarium
- Enjoy a ferry ride
- Have fun in an art class
- Have some beach fun
- Join some dance sessions with your partner
- Horseback riding
Related Reading: 15 Things Every Couple Should Do Together
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Great first date ideas
Things to do on a first date sometimes bring a lot of pressure because they can make or break a connection that you are trying to explore with someone you like.
- Go clubbing
- Go to a hunted site
- Create a campfire
- Ride a hot air balloon
- A specialized tasting
- Tour to candy or chocolate factory
- Fly a kite
- Bird-watching in nature
- Catch a lecture
- Put a puzzle together
- Play Twister
- Find a record in Guinness Book to break
- Take compatibility tests
Related Reading: 10 Best Love Compatibility Tests for Couples
- Go through old photographs
- Is there a funfair in town?
- Quiz Night at the local bar
- The Farmer’s market
- Ethnic restaurant or tea room
- Get your palm read
- The Planetarium
- A poetry reading
- Meet up at the arcade
- Participate in a political rally
- Go bowling
- Jump around in a trampoline park
Also Try: Fun Quizzes for Couples to Take Together
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Casual first date ideas
Fancy is not the only route that you can consider taking in first date ideas. You can pick a simple thing to do that offers you both the chance to talk without the pressure of an imposingly grand date.
You can pick from the plans mentioned below but remember not to use your phone too much. Answering an important call or replying to an urgent message is okay, but it is a red flag if you are on your phone too much.
Connect with your partner by keeping the technology aside and truly getting to know each other.
- Visit a thrift store with them and look for unique things
- Play a fun game of laser tag
- Go to a theme party
- Attend a concert for an artist your date likes
- Rewatching your favorite movies with each other
- Making a song playlist for them and listening to it together
- Going to a florist together and making the perfect flower arrangement for each other
- Attend a food festival with your date
- Attend an open mic event together
- Attend a stand-up comedy show where you can laugh together
- Invite them over to play games on your PlayStation
- Bake something delicious together
- Watch a classic movie together
- Go plant shopping together
- Ask each other fun questions to understand each other better.
- Walk around the zoo together
- Plan a scavenger hunt for her that will lead to your date at a comfortable lunch
- Slow dance with each other
- Lie down in the open and stargaze together
- Get a meaningful gift for them to make them feel extra special
- Go restaurant hopping at your favorite stop
- Set a picnic in front of a picturesque view of nature
- Go and pick some fruits with your date
- Share stories in front of a bonfire
- Go to a dog or cat cafe with your date
Watch this video to learn how to be unforgettable on a date:
Some commonly asked questions
Here are the answers to some pressing questions about first date ideas that can help clarify the doubts that you may have:
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How can I impress my date on the first date?
Different people get impressed by different things on dates. Some like it when their date is someone who can make them laugh, while others are impressed when someone shows genuine interest in what they are saying.
You can impress a date by being kind and looking out for them. Be confident about who you are and honestly present yourself to ensure less misunderstanding in the future.
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What makes a woman memorable to a man?
A woman can be memorable for a man if she is confident and considerate. Also, if she carries herself well, a man is bound to remember her.
Usually, no two people are identical to each other; hence, a woman who is not pretending to be anyone else can leave a lasting impression because it would be hard to find someone else exactly like that.
The bottom line
First dates are magical and can be the beginning of something great. You may end up finding the love of your life, your soulmate, or it might just become a hilarious story to tell your friends. Either way, you should make sure you are comfortable and happy and have fun while you are at it.
Make sure that no matter what you are doing, you can focus on listening to your date and making them feel valued by asking them relevant questions. And make sure you seek their consent before initiating any form of intimacy.
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