Tired of boring “dinner and a movie” dates? Fuck no you’re not—you’d kill for any kind of date these days. But some people would probably get bored of all the romantic nights out with their adoring suitors, and need help coming up with more creative plans. It’s too bad no one’s asked you out in forever, because if you did need cool date ideas, these ten would be perfect:
1. See a foreign film at an indie art house theater.
Sparks will fly as you’re both swept up in the romance of French cinema. Hmm… French… guys like French girls, right? Try learning French so you can put it on your OKCupid profile—that should get you matched with someone. That hot dude you saw in Chipotle would probably date you if you spoke French.
2. Take a day trip to the beach.
This date will be your ticket to some hot summer lovin’! You can turn up the heat even further by rubbing sunscreen on each other’s backs. Wow. Do you even remember what it’s like to touch of another human being? You could really go for a backrub right now.
3. Paint your own pottery.
Spend the afternoon crafting some unique ceramics, then give them out as gifts! That sounds fun! It’d be nice to have a guy “ghost” you in a good way, for a change! Speaking of Ghost, maybe you could start telling people that you did have a boyfriend, but he’s dead now. Then an alive guy might feel bad for you and ask you out!
4. Invite him over for a living room picnic.
A perfect, quirky idea for when it’s cold or rainy outside! And you’ve probably gotten really used to just staying at home these days, anyway—might as well not step too far out of your comfort zone if you ever actually do find someone. Baby steps, right?
5. Go shopping and have a dressing room fashion show.
Here’s a fun idea for a daytime date: Hit up your favorite store, task your date with selecting five outfits for you while you grab five for him, then hit the dressing room to see how you look in each others’ picks! Assuming, of course, you’re comfortable enough with this hypothetical guy to let him see you in potentially embarrassing clothes. It’s been a while since you’ve felt that close to someone.
6. Hit up a gallery opening.
For a cheap but classy night out, head to a local gallery where you can see work by emerging artists before they make it big and—bonus—score some free wine and cheese! Make it more intimate by stopping in front of each painting for a private critique session. Although, ugh, who would want to hear your dumb thoughts on art anyway? That’s why you can never get a date—you talk way too much. Maybe you should set a word limit for yourself. Would that help?
7. Bowl a few frames over a pitcher of beer.
Bowling is a dating standby for a reason—it’s fun, low-key, and can inspire some healthy, flirty competition! Go for the full Big Lebowski vibe with beers and an order of bowling alley nachos to share. Wouldn’t that be nice, sharing… anything, with anyone? Just make sure you don’t mention the last time you were at this alley, alone, pretending to be two people so you would have someone to bowl against.
8. Hang out at a dog park.
Looking at all those adorable puppies will make it hard not to imagine the two of you parenting your own pooch. Or should you just get a dog now? Pets make great companions for lonely people. Oh! We’re not saying you seem lonely! Just, you know… alone.
9. Test your knowledge with trivia night at the local pub.
You’ll both have a great time trying to beat out the competition at your neighborhood bar’s next quizzo! This activity’s good for a group of friends, too, though. Actually, going out with your friends would be way more fun than going with some guy. You have friends you can hang out with, right? Oh, they all have dates that night? Well, whatever, trivia’s dumb and so are your dumb friends.
10. Meet in the park for some late-night stargazing.
Is there anything more romantic than sneaking into a park after hours so you can snuggle together under the stars? Although the way things have been going, you could probably only get a guy to spend a night with you at lookout point if he were luring you there to murder you. “That’ll be our star,” he’ll say, right before he drives a corkscrew through your skull. If only someone wanted to date you in the first place!
Wow, so many ideas! These would all be super fun if, you know, you had any prospects at all. Well, don’t worry. There’s someone out there for everybody, right? You’ll definitely find someone to go on these dates with someday! (Unless you don’t.) Either way, you’ll always have your couch and boxed wine to keep you warm.
