5 First Date Ideas That’ll Help Make Sure You Enjoy A Second One

Ah, the world of first dates.

Assuming you’ve been on a couple of first dates in your life, it’s pretty safe to say that these kinds of events go one of two ways: They’re either completely awful, or they’re good enough to convince you that your suitor is worth at least another shot.

Running out of first date ideas? Sure, you could always try the classic dinner and a movie — doesn’t that seem like too much of a time commitment, though?

Or you could meet up for drinks — and risk being forgotten in a sea of other not-trying-hard-at-all lemmings.

But you could also try to think outside the box — that is, do something at least slightly different than usual — to increase your chances you’ll have fun, and most importantly, that your date will want to see you again.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five awesome first date ideas:

1. Channel your inner artist and head for a paint bar.

When’s the last time you actually painted for pleasure? If you’re like most folks, you might not have donned a smock since elementary school. But fear not. There’s a new trend you may have heard of: paint bars. Essentially, you pay a few bucks to get taught how to paint like a professional artist. The time commitment is about three hours. At the end of the session, you’ll have a canvas to take home. Oh yeah — and you can buy booze, too.

2. Go check out some live music.

Not one for small talk? Well, it might be worth your while to go to a place specifically to avoid having to make any. Figure out what kind of music your date likes, and see if he or she will be interested in checking out some tunes for a few hours. It’s a great way to be alone without actually being alone.

3. Show off your brains at trivia night.

Forget just going to the bar to grab a few drinks and gab all night. Why not head to the bar during trivia night? Who knows? You might even be able to show off your knowledge about obscure 80s bands, Magento e-commerce platforms or 18^th century politicians. At the very least, it’s a great way to gauge the level of intelligence of your date.

4. Head into the woods.

Okay, some folks might think it’s a little creepy to head out into the woods on a first date. But let’s say you already know this person, or at least you’re convinced that the person is of normal sanity — and they’re convinced of the same about you. Going for a hike is a great and healthy way to get to know each other. You just might not want to go for a 7-hour day hike, though.

5. Try a fun restaurant.

If you’re not worried about having to make small talk for three hours — hey, maybe you think of yourself as a natural conversationalist — it might be worth it to look for a “fun restaurant” of sorts to take your date. For example, if your date has never been, you could try a Brazilian steakhouse for an unforgettable night of dining on delicious food — assuming he or she isn’t a vegetarian.

Enjoy something that may not be the conventional first date, and here’s hoping you wind up getting a second. Good luck!