Low-Pressure First Date Ideas

 

D

ating can be intimidating, but it really doesn’t have to be! There are a lot of ways to take the pressure off of you (and them) in order to get what you really want: to get to know each other in a no-pressure environment that makes connecting easy. That’s what first dates are all about. Soooo, let’s do this!

 

Get artsy at a museum!

Although a giant building filled with hushed onlookers seems counterintuitive, just listen real quick. Museums are usually (1) free or discounted for students, so no one has to know that student loans and books are killing you; (2) have many rooms, aka an easy escape or convo-transition opportunity in case things get a little awkward or one of you says something embarrassing; and (3) there are so much more than just art museums! Get crazy at a science museum! Get impressive at a history museum!! Look for a small and little-known museum in your city and look niche and cool!

Try a little competition with bowling/mini-golf/laser tag/etc. 

The best way to make a date feel WAY LESS intimidating is to go to a place that you used to go with your friends in middle school. BOOM now we’ve got the nostalgia factor in addition to a fun time! The two of you can focus on a fun and competitive activity while talking about your childhoods, which is a one-way train to flirty-town. 

Try your luck at an arcade

Is all I want in my whole life to be taken on an arcade date? Where we play games all night and then they win a teddy bear and they give it to me? Is that the most romantic thing I could ever think about?

Obviously. 

Arcades are like bowling/mini-golf/laser tag/etc., except its dark (so no one can see your first-date nerves ), you can eat while playing (yummy), and there’s an end-goal of prizes (yay)! Plus, they tend to be filled with lots of people, so it’s perfect for a first dating app date—aka you’ll feel safer and more comfortable focusing on the person you’re with...

Grab a snack at a diner

For first dates, diners are MUCH better than restaurants, and a big part of that is the casualness. Diners are quick, not overly romantic, and usually pretty inexpensive. 

Plus, diners usually sell breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and ALL DAY LONG, so you can eat whatever you want, and do your date any time of day. If things go really well, you can stay there forever too! 

Also pie and cute vintage vibes :)

Sip on boba

Boba might just be the perfect beverage—it’s a drink and a snack! Plus, most trendy boba places tend to have board games, so you can stay, chat, and play, or you can leave and walk around while sipping on your boba! No pressure when the world is your oyster (or tapioca ball?). Cafe’s be darned.

Catch a movie and grab dessert

Movie and dessert over dinner and a movie any day! A much chiller alternative is here:

Step one: go to the movies.

Step two: go talk about the movie over dessert.

This one is great if you’re feeling shy or like you never know what to talk about. The film you watch is not only a form of entertainment but t it also gives you something to chat about for the more social, second half of the date; the dessert! That’s what makes it better than dinner and a movie: it comes after and it’s much lower commitment. That’s right. I just solved dating.

Honestly, let’s leave getting coffee in the 2010s. Were all about having safe, casual, easy, and non-caffeinated fun! So take someone on one of these dates. Not only will they be impressed by the thought you put into it, but you will feel better with the low-pressure hangout you’re about to enjoy. Have fun!