First date ideas that don't involve drinking

Dinner

coffee...that way if she is strange you are only out a few bucks. However, if you go on first dates all of the time it gets costly

Just get a drink. Are you on the wagon? If you're on the wagon, it better be on your profile. Don't pop that one on her after a third date.

Tennis? Unless maybe Milosh is a big baby?

Sex

Hiking, climbing, music, walk in the park, bookstore...

You live in a major city and are struggling to think of first date ideas that don't involve drinking? Go to a museum.

Go out for ice cream. Get the biggest, over-the-top, ridiculously large sundae they have. As you share it, be sure to notice how much she eats. It's okay to appear judgmental during this phase -- you don't want a girl who can't keep up with your appetite, but you also don't want a bulimic chic hogging the toilet all day.

If she passes the sniff test, I'd say you're golden.

Milosh wrote:

In that past, first dates were simple- we'd just go out for a drink. But I haven't been drinking much these days.

I live in a major city, so I'm sure there's stuff to do. I just can't thinking of anything.

What are some good first date ideas that don't involve drinking?

What dates INVOLVE drinking? Going to a bar hardly constitutes a date. Wine tasting can be fun, same with a brewery tour or distillery. That's about all the dates I can think of that involve drinking. The dates that don't involve drinking are endless:

- Bike ride

- mini golf

- movie

- dinner

- walk in downtown area

- ice skating

- hiking

- concert

- play

- street festival

- dinner at home (cooking together can be fun)

- coffee

fv wrote:

What dates INVOLVE drinking? Going to a bar hardly constitutes a date. Wine tasting can be fun, same with a brewery tour or distillery. That's about all the dates I can think of that involve drinking. The dates that don't involve drinking are endless:

- Bike ride

- mini golf

- movie

- dinner

- walk in downtown area

- ice skating

- hiking

- concert

- play

- street festival

- dinner at home (cooking together can be fun)

- coffee

- Bike ride-OP is in a major city. This option isn't great (dangerous/crowded parks).

- mini golf-BORING

- movie-Not good for a date, especially a first date. Need to be able to talk.

- walk downtown-Not bad but not great if it's crowded.

- dinner-Best suggestion

- ice skating-It's not winter.

- hiking-A woman will not want to hike with a guy on a first date.

- concert-Again, can't talke. Also likely entails drinking.

- play-Not bad.

- street festival-Not bad

-Cooking at home-not good for first date.

-coffiee-BORING

fv wrote:

- Bike ride

- mini golf

- movie

- dinner

- walk in downtown area

- ice skating

- hiking

- concert

- play

- street festival

- dinner at home (cooking together can be fun)

- coffee

This are all good ideas, but I think most of them would be bad for a 1st date.

1st date should be casual and low key. Things like a concert, a play, or even dinner are too much for a 1st date.

Most of those are horrible first dates. Hey there lady, wanna come to my house and have me cook you -- I mean, cook dinner? Hey there stranger, want to hang out alone in the woods with me, far away from anyone who can help?

fv wrote:

What dates INVOLVE drinking? Going to a bar hardly constitutes a date. Wine tasting can be fun, same with a brewery tour or distillery. That's about all the dates I can think of that involve drinking. The dates that don't involve drinking are endless:

- Bike ride

- mini golf

- movie

- dinner

- walk in downtown area

- ice skating

- hiking

- concert

- play

- street festival

- dinner at home (cooking together can be fun)

- coffee

I am not trying to be a jerk, but pretty much all of those would involve drinking, or at least the expectation of drinking before/during/after. Who goes to dinner, concert, play, movie, street festival, dinner at home and doesn't get a drink?

Hey there, I'm preparing some lasagna for tonight's dinner. May I fix you a glass of milk?

If he is an alcoholic, that is one thing, but if he just doesn't want to drink because of running or something, it will just get awkward.

A good answer is coffee. It is a totally normal date and he can get to know the girl without dealing with a boozer.

favorite first date in my 20s that didn't involve drinking or smoking pot was a quick bite to eat at a small, family owned chinese restaurant in town. Not formal like a real dinner, but not a fast food place either. Just cheap, great food at a neat place downtown with a laid back atmosphere.

A lot of it depends on what type of "first date" it is. A lot of my first dates were with friends of friends, that I had known somewhat before dating. This is very different than semi-blind dates from set-ups or dating websites.

Biking isn't a non-starter just because he's from a big city. Being from Chicago (fairly major city...) a bike ride along the path on Lake Shore Drive can be an amazing date.

I don't disagree that concerts/movies have the downfall of not being able to talk during it. The key with these dates is to couple a dinner with them, preferably afterwards. The concert/movie gives an automatic fallback conversation topic, which can help with those nerves of not knowing what you'll talk about.

I agree that coffee is boring, but apparently this guy would go for drinks normally (also boring). If alcohol is a problem for him, coffee is an option that can keep a similar vibe/routine with removing the alcohol component.

Realism wrote:

favorite first date in my 20s that didn't involve drinking or smoking pot was a quick bite to eat at a small, family owned chinese restaurant in town. Not formal like a real dinner, but not a fast food place either. Just cheap, great food at a neat place downtown with a laid back atmosphere.

I like this date. That was my first date with my current GF. Took her to a place in Chinatown with really good food but sort of a hole in the wall. We had to wait like 30 minutes because they're slightly racist with their table assignments, so it was a good chance to talk to each other.

SlipItOn wrote:

I am not trying to be a jerk, but pretty much all of those would involve drinking, or at least the expectation of drinking before/during/after. Who goes to dinner, concert, play, movie, street festival, dinner at home and doesn't get a drink?

A lot of people? You can involve drinking in just about anything if you want to (heck, you could make the coffee an Irish coffee if you wanted), but those events hardly revolve around drinking.

fv wrote:

A lot of people? You can involve drinking in just about anything if you want to (heck, you could make the coffee an Irish coffee if you wanted), but those events hardly revolve around drinking.

Yeah, I didn't mean for my post to sound so mean. I was just trying to point out that a lot of people typically add a drink those those things to lower the anxiety of a first date. My interpretation of the OP was that he drinks, but doesn't really want to drink on this date.

If he is a teetotaler, that is totally fine. I just meant that if you ask a girl to dinner, the chances are she is going to expect a drink. To each his/her own.

Shagging