13 First Date Ideas to Have a Great Time with Your Crush 

If you’re in charge of making plans for the big night and need first-date ideas, look no further! The Once team has put together an impressive list for a first date inspo to help you have the best time together. 

Don’t discount dinner

We know what you’re thinking – we promised no boring ideas, yet here we are with a very “unique” suggestion of taking your date to dinner. Hear us out! It’s a classic for a reason, and sharing a meal is a great tradition between humans that helps them bond and get to know one another. 

Depending on where you are, your options to take the date out will vary. If you’re in a big city like New York or Chicago, then take your date to a place you’ve always wanted to go. Or find a restaurant that creates an experience and serves unique meals. 

Alternatively, you can go to a masterclass where a chef will teach you how to cook, and then you get to eat together. Or, if you’re comfortable with inviting your date at home, you can make them a home-cooked meal. And don’t forget to decorate the place with candles and fresh flowers to make it more romantic. 

Have breakfast together

If you’re not a fan of dinner dates or find it too much for the first date, ask them to have breakfast instead. There are plenty of delicious breakfast spots in all cities, and you can have the most amazing food, like pancakes or waffles together. Moreover, if you schedule the date on a weekday prework, you’ll have the time constraint which will release the pressure from having to spend hours together with a stranger and possibly deal with them suggesting sexy time when you’re not ready. 

The breakfast date is definitely not for everybody, but it can work, especially if you’re both busy people with active social lives. 

Take them to volunteering

As for first-date ideas that don't involve food, volunteering is a great option. You’ll be able to do something good and impress your date. It’s a win-win! 

Pick a charity that is close to your heart and suggest volunteering as one of the date options. Just make sure to check with the charity first – they might not need your help, and that would be very awkward. Walking shelter dogs, helping paint the walls in an elderly home, or cooking for the homeless are all good opportunities to contribute to your community and spend meaningful time together. Even if your date doesn’t turn out to be a perfect match, you’ll probably both remember this time you’ve spent together with a smile for years to come. 

Take a masterclass 

If you think that volunteering is too much, take a masterclass instead. There are many safe options like painting and pottery classes and more active ones like horse riding. The idea is that you get to do something new together. Something where you both have zero experience, and you get to watch each other learn and share this moment. 

Go for a run

This is another first-date idea that helps you lower the pressure. There’s no need to choose the ideal outfit, and you get to be active outdoors. Someone might argue that sweating and losing it in the middle of the run is not low-key at all, but if you think about it – you go for a quick run, grab coffee afterward, and then you have the perfect excuse of going back home to take a shower. And if you like the person and want to see them again – you can agree to meet later in the day. 

Ps – if you’re not a fan of running, try hiking or bike riding instead if the area allows. Hiking can also be intense but it’s much kinder to those of us who are not very sporty, plus it’s low impact (at least in comparison with running), so your knees won’t suffer for love. Bikes will be perfect to cover longer distances, and you can take your flame to your favorite spots in the city all in one date. 

Go book shopping 

If you both enjoy books or one of you does, plan your date around book shopping. You can visit 3 to 4 places, browse for books in beautiful interiors, get coffees in between them, and discuss the books you like, hate, or want to read. Make it even more fun by picking books for each other and explaining why you think they might like it. Bonus points if one of the bookstores hosts an event that you can attend, like poetry reading, meet and greet with the author, or a lecture about classical writers. 

Try an escape room

Get to feel like Indiana Jones or Nancy Drew by doing an escape room. Not only is it very entertaining, but you’ll get to watch each other deal with stressful situations, and you’ll get to work together as a team. 

Go to a museum

Museum dates are very underrated, but they can be a perfect background for getting to know each other better and falling in love. And if the weather where you leave is unpredictable and moody, you won’t have to cancel or reschedule because you’ll be indoors, protected from the thunder outside. As a bonus, you’ll get to enjoy beautiful art and learn something new. Not a fan of art? Go to a science or natural museum instead. 

Swap coffee shop dates for a tea room

Coffee has us in a chokehold here in the US, and it’s a default go-to. It doesn’t have to be though, and you can offer your date to hang out in a tea room. There are tea rooms that offer beautiful tea ceremonies that are fun to experience, and their dessert selections are always on point too. You’ll still get your caffeine (some teas are actually much more caffeinated than coffee) and you’ll do something different for a change. 

Go see a drag show

Drag shows are some of the most fun shows out there! It’s a wild combo of entertainment, art, comedy, music concerts, and many other things. This will definitely be an experience you’ll remember. 

Go thrifting

Walk around a few thrifting stores and find outfits for each other like the sustainable queens that you are! If you hit it off from the start, make it a challenge to find outfits for each other that you can wear at dinner later or the next time you meet. Don’t forget to set up a budget limit to make the hunt more affordable and challenging.  

Try the rage room

Trying to find someone who’s not stressed these days is a mission impossible. We all deal with lots of things, so crashing and smashing up a rage room can be a fun and therapeutic way to spend your first date. With all the stress, anger, and tiredness released, and the adrenaline running high, you’ll have no issues with having a pleasant time afterward reminiscing about how you were destroying mid-century furniture and old TVs. 

Long-distance date night ideas

If you are dating online and your crush is all the way across the US, your date options seem very limited. But there are still plenty of things you can do together. 

• Cook the same meal while talking on Facetime, Zoom, or any other platform. 
• Watch a movie. Count 1-2-3 before you turn it on, and enjoy the synced experience from miles away. 
• Play Cards Against Humanity or any other board game that can be experienced remotely. 
• Get you both a subscription for DIY or something artsy, like a painting or a Lego. 
• Play an online game together. Let your competitiveness drive you to beat each other or play as a team against other online players. And it’s even more fun if you guys are not into video games. Being goofy and confused together will bring you closer.  

Being far from each other may push you into the slow dating mode, but it doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with boring phone calls. 

Pre-first date checklist

Before you head out to meet your date, remember to do a few things:

1. Have another look at their dating profile, if you’ve met them on a dating app, and scroll through your dating chat. This way, you won’t ask them the same questions or about something that they’ve listed in their bio. 
2. Think about your expectations and desires from dating. Are you looking for casual hookups? Are you after a serious relationship? Understanding your dating motivation will help you stick with mindful dating principles, and lead the date in the right direction and avoid ambiguity with the other person. 
3. Refresh your relationship boundaries. They might come up during the date, or they might not, but it’s good to stick to what you believe in and what’s comfortable for you. Even on the first date, or should we say, especially on the first date.