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4 Fun Date Ideas that DON'T Revolve Around Alcohol

  • Writer: Kara Rozansky
    Kara Rozansky
  • Aug 1, 2017
  • 5 min read

Dating can present many challenges, including deciding where to go and what to do. Here are four ideas you can customize for your next excursion with a cutie, particularly if you prefer to not base your date around drinking.

1. Personal Landmark Tour

This one takes a little creative thinking but can be a lot of fun. My boyfriend and I both love the Ghostbusters movies, especially the first one. We have found the addresses of multiple locations in Manhattan where different scenes were filmed like the Spook Central apartment building uptown or the firehouse that served as Ghostbusters HQ, and are aiming to spend a day visiting them and reliving our favorite moments from the film.

As Winston Zeddemore said: “And we have the tools, we have the talent!” With the help of the internet and tools like Google Maps and the Citymapper app it’s easier than you would imagine to plot out a travel plan to see all the spots that appeared in your favorite movie, TV show, book, artist’s work, and/or songs. You’d be surprised what other people have already sourced and published for you to use on your journey.

Another example of this wasn’t a romantic date but when my sister and I traveled to Japan the main reason we chose to include Kyoto on our trip was because I wanted to see where Nintendo originally started. It’s a nondescript building in a quiet section of the city with only a plaque from its days as The Nintendo Playing Card Company still hanging. More than one person online had plotted out exactly how to locate it, sharing that knowledge in an easily accessible map. Half the fun was tracking it down amidst my sister semi-nervously asking me, “where are you taking us?!” as we turned down multiple streets bringing us away from the more populated city roads.

Finding personal landmarks with another person also means you have someone to take a picture of you in all your accomplished glory.

Finding personal landmarks with another person also means you have someone to take a picture of you in all your accomplished glory.

So find that common interest you and your date have and come up with your own pop culture quest! (But maybe don’t make them worried about leading them down a dark alley like I did to my sister in Kyoto for a first date.)

2. Create Your Own Crawl

Typically a “crawl” activity is associated with going to multiple bars near each other with a certain theme in mind. But there’s no rule saying crawls can only center around alcohol!

You could do one where you visit multiple coffee shops and see how their iced mochas and cappuccinos compare or one centered around sports like going to a golf range, a batting cage, rock climbing, and a basketball court to work up a sweat.

Or, if you’re a nerd like me, you go on a bookcrawl involving visiting multiple bookstores and libraries in one day. You relish in seeing all your old friends on the shelves like the English playwright I affectionately think of as Billy Shakes or that Canterbury-tale spinning fool, G-money Chaucer.

3. Tourist in Your Own Town

A great upside to dating is having someone to explore the world with you. It’s easy to take for granted all the cool attractions your own town / city / island has that you never think to go to until you’re showing someone else around!

If you’re on Long Island you can take a Fire Island Ferries boat from Bayshore to Kismet and walk along the beach until you reach the Fire Island Lighthouse. Take a relaxing ferry ride and hike the beach for extra cardio to go with climbing to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view! I only did this last summer even though I’ve lived within decent driving distance from the ferries for decades now because I wanted to see it with someone special.

BONUS: If you climb the 182 steps on a blistering hot sunny day like I did you will also find out if your date will stand by you even when you're sweating buckets.

You can do this for anything you wouldn’t typically go to on your own but would have fun seeing with a partner - whether it’s touring the Statue of Liberty [https://www.statueoflibertytickets.com/], seeing an exhibit at the Cradle of Aviation [https://www.cradleofaviation.org/], or going through the corn maze at Harbes Family Farm [http://www.harbesfamilyfarm.com/], there’s no shortage of old sights to make new.

4. A New Spin on a Traditional Date: Movies

There’s nothing mind-blowing about suggesting going to a movie for a date, I know. But! There are loads of ways to spice this up if you want to do something other than check out the latest blockbuster film at your local theater. Again if you’re lucky enough to be out with someone whose company you enjoy, trying out a unique viewing experience even if you wind up hating the movie itself can provide a good time and a lot to discuss after. Here are some suggestions:

  • Seek out the nearest independent movie theater. Not only will you have a chance to watch new films you may not have heard of before, but every theater has its own interesting decor and crowd. The Malverne Cinema [http://malvernecinema.com/] is one of my favorite theaters on Long Island because in addition to its great selection of film titles, I also love watching with the frequently elderly crowd who attends the afternoon shows. They will share very candid reactions to what you’re watching and some of the most entertaining film critiques I’ve ever heard came from waiting in line in the ladies’ room with these wonderful regulars.

  • Check out outdoor film screenings. Obviously this is harder to do year-round if you live in a colder climate but there are tons of free and/or affordable tickets available to a plethora of revivals and classics. In Long Beach this summer we have Long Beach Movie Nights on our beaches on several Saturday nights with favorites such as Jaws and Rocky Horror Picture Show. The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation sponsors a ton of Free Summer Movies. And if you happen to be out on the west coast, particularly once it gets colder here, you can enjoy staples like Stand By Me and Jurassic Park in the company of celebrity graves at Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

  • Go to a film festival. Film festivals feature both wonderful and wacky works you may never see anywhere else! Another bonus is that screenings frequently feature Q&A sessions after viewing with the cast and crew.

Most importantly when planning any dates, have fun! And if you’ve got other creative date ideas that don't involve drinking, or if you do any of these, feel free to share in the comments.

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