First Date Ideas by Bobby Rio
A first date is as much about making a statement with your choice of setting as it is about giving off a good first impression of yourself. As the man, it’s your job to take charge and choose a setting that will highlight your most attractive characteristics, as well as make your date comfortable enough to reveal hers.
All good first date scenarios have a few things in common:
1. The focus is on YOU and HER
While “dinner and a movie” is the classic date-night for many couples, avoid the movie on the first date. This may have been cute in high school, but you need to set your priorities on experiencing HER - not sitting in silence for two hours…
2. Keep it simple
Taking her out on a super-expensive, extravagant night on the town is NOT going to impress her. She will immediately feel like you are trying to buy her affection.
3. Be flexible
Maybe you just walked by a festival that’s about to start. Or maybe she see’s a girlfriend who’s only in town for one night. Whatever happens on the date, don’t be overly rigid in your plans. Being able to keep calm and go with the flow is an extremely attractive trait to women and shows that you’re confident and can handle yourself in any situation.
Awesome First Date Ideas You Can Try
Below are some first date scenarios that are focused, simple, and allow for some flexibility in your plans. Be mindful of your personality and that of your date when choosing the setting. A date that might have been a wonderful experience with your ex might be a terrible choice with this new girl.
1. The Pet Store
I’ve personally been on a number of successful “puppy dates.” Going to a pet store is a unique first date that hits all of the key points we discussed above:
- You both get to bond over how cute and fun that golden retriever puppy was to play with
- It’s a very simple (and free) date
- It allows you to make plans to grab lunch or dinner afterwards
Unless she’s just really not into adorable animals, being in a room full of cute puppies and kittens will also help to set her at ease and associate all those warm and fuzzy feelings with you (win-win!).
2. Seasonal Events
Taking her out around the holidays gives you a GOLDMINE of first date opportunities. One of my favorites is the haunted house date. This one also allows you to plan dinner before or after you go and it keeps the evening flexible.
The haunted house also offers a lot of “ice-breaker” opportunities:
- If she gets scared, it’s very likely she’ll want to hold your hand
- You’ll be sharing an EMOTIONAL experience (being scared) together, breaking any tension or apprehension there may have been before the date
- If you decide to get dinner afterwards you’ll have plenty to talk about
A haunted house also gives you the opportunity to show the goofy and self-deprecating side of your humor. These are both very attractive traits to women because they reveal your inner confidence:
You: “If I scream like a little girl in there, don’t hold it against me…I promise I’ll come back to save you from the witch!”
Christmas is another time of year that offers ample first date opportunities. Any city will have tons of cool events where you can walk around enjoying the holiday lights, free concerts, and food and drink without needing to impress her with extravagance.
In Las Vegas, for example, if I want to take a girl down to the strip in December, I might walk her through the Bellagio first where there is a always a beautiful Christmas display with huge trees, snowmen, and reindeer. This setting works really well because, again, we have something we can talk about and look at without being too distracted from getting to know each other. And whenever we get bored with the fake snow and over-sized Santa’s, we can work our way to a lounge somewhere else on the strip.
3. Art Walks and Festivals
Spring and summer are a great time for this first date. Most places have some kind of “First Friday” or “Last Thursday” every month or so where neighborhoods showcase artists, musicians, wineries, and other cultural artisans. This is a very easy and low-pressure date that shows her that you enjoy getting out and experiencing a little culture once in awhile.
While walking around you could steer her towards one of your favorite bars to get a drink. Or maybe one of your favorite restaurants happens to be around the corner from that last artist. Wasn’t that violinist great? Take the opportunity to tell her how you played violin in school…events like these are chalk full of conversation starters and “next date” opportunities.
4. The Dog Park
For dog owners, this is one of the easiest and most effective first dates you could ever hope for. If you’re looking for a spontaneous first date with a girl who loves dogs, taking her to the dog park with you and your best canine-friend will have her gushing over you in no time.
The dog park date does a number of good things for you on a first date:
- It’s a very “non-needy” way of asking her out (presumably, you’d take your dog to the park anyways)
- Having a dog is a big responsibility and shows her that you care for something outside of yourself
- It gives you flexibility to steer the afternoon or evening towards a more romantic setting if things are going well
Whatever setting you decide on for you first date, keep it fun, playful, and NON-SERIOUS.
