Click here for Date night ideas near me Instead, go for a tarot card reading or try an improv class with your date. You',ll shake off the jitters and get to bonding. 45 First Date Ideas That Aren&rsquo,t Boring. Has anyone perfected the art of the first date? Just wondering, because it sure as heck ends up more awkward than not. Raise your (virtual) hand if you&rsquo,ve been on a dinner date searching for anything&mdash, anything &mdash,to talk about because you&rsquo,ve already breezed through your planned points of conversation. Big same. "A lot of people suggest just going out for dinner and a drink, although I don&rsquo,t think that&rsquo,s really that effective," says Marisa T. Cohen, PhD, relationship scientist and coach. "If you&rsquo,re in a noisy, crowded place, you&rsquo,re not going to be able to have these deep conversations that allow you to suss out whether or not you like this person." Instead, Cohen recommends planning a date where you can show off your amazing personality. That might be lending your know-how during a pottery workshop, or showing off your navigation skills during a bike ride. After all, the point is to stick out in the pool of potential suitors, right? Just like you might be queuing all up the Hinge hotties, the person on the other side is doing the same. "You want to do something that&rsquo,s not the same cookie cutter experience that everyone else is having over a meal," Cohen says. Since the anxiety that comes with planning a memorable date is very real, here's a prepared a list of not-so-boring first date ideas to get the fling off to an exciting start&mdash,even if it ends there. And as the saying goes, "It&rsquo,s either a great experience or a great story." Let&rsquo,s go date: 1. Go to a sports game. Both Pats fans? Both hockey fanatics? Why not try to catch your fave teams on the field or ice? "Dates that incorporate a shared interest or passion are an amazing way to see one another in your element, while also creating a memory together," says psychologist and sex therapist Megan Fleming, PhD, resident sexpert with Promescent , an sexual pleasure retailer committed to improving your sex life. 2. Tour a brewery. More a brewski babe than a wine taster? Invite your date to explore your fave (or a new!) brewery with you. "Breweries usually allow you to order a flight of different beers, which can be a fun bonding experience," says Fleming. Another perk of breweries is that the people-watching is usually great. 3. Go on a run together. Er, jog . If you both put "marathoner" in your dating app profile, why not use your shared love of lacing up by hitting your local running path together? Just be sure to make a pact ahead of time that you&rsquo,re not gonna sprint. After all, if you&rsquo,re breathing too heavy, you won&rsquo,t be able to learn more about one another. "When did you get into running?" and "What races are on your running bucket list?" are great starter convos. 4. Hit up a coffee shop. Okay, okay, it&rsquo,s not the most creative idea on the list&hellip, But a coffee shop really does make a good first date. "There&rsquo,s a natural ending to a coffee date, when you finish your first cup you can decide to leave or extend the date," says Fleming. Remember: The point of the first date is to get a sense of whether or not this is someone you&rsquo,d have interest in getting to know further. It doesn&rsquo,t have to be a marathon-date to be a good date. 5. Go to a drag show. Hey queer folks, this one is for you! Grab the hottie you met on Lex or the ex-girlfriend of your ex-girlfriend, and head to your local drag show. What&rsquo,s a better way to spend the night than jamming to Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey surrounded by other peeps in the LGBTQ+ community? Nothing. 6. Hit up your local gay bar. Support your local queer spot while getting to know a local queer (heh). Pro tip: Go on a weeknight. These bars are usually less packed Monday through Thursday. Plus, the music won&rsquo,t be quite as loud, so you&rsquo,ll actually be able to hear one another when swapping life stories. 7. Do goat yoga. Don&rsquo,t like the thought of looking at animals behind bars? You might like the thought of letting them bleat at you mid-sun salutation. Behold: Goat yoga. A fun activity that involves doing a group yoga class while surrounded by baby goats, goat yoga is a great first date for animal-lovers, adventurers, and yogis. 8. Visit the dog park. "A lot of people go to a dog park as a first date because it allows you to meet one another&rsquo,s animals," says Fleming. Assuming both of your pups are off-leash trained and good with other dogs, this is an easy pick. 9. Go on a hike. "It&rsquo,s wise to use what you know about somebody to plan a date that you&rsquo,ll both enjoy," says Fleming. So, if you both listed National Parks as a life highlight in your dating bio, or you&rsquo,ve bonded over your shared love of Merrells, plan a dirt date. If all goes well, who knows, maybe you&rsquo,ll be able to share a kiss at the top of the climb. Views on views on views! 10. Go to an escape room. "I always say that dates that both excite and terrify can be great dates," says Fleming. "Escape rooms are something that allow you to experience both emotions, and most cities have them." Your move: Throw on your best detective coat and play Nancy Drew. 11. Play 36 questions. Have you heard of 36 questions? It&rsquo,s a series of personal questions that have been shown by science (really!) to speed up the rate with which people fall in love. "The idea is that these questions can promote mutual vulnerability," explains Fleming. According to her, answering a handful of these questions could be a good first date activity. The caveat: Because it&rsquo,s such an intimate activity, it&rsquo,s best for people who already know each other in some context. Or, for those who have had a number of. 12. Play two truths and a lie. Hot take: Organized conversation is the sh*t. If you and your right swipe aren&rsquo,t able to meet up IRL, Fleming suggests planning a FaceTime date. Fun first date ideas near me Fun active date ideas near me Fancy date ideas near me Group date ideas near me Fun late night date ideas near me Nice date places near me Free couples activities near me Fun date stuff near me
