Where To Go On A First Date [Infographic]

After yesterday’s excellent post by guest blogger Anna on How To Make A Good First Impression: Get The Next Date Right, I was thinking about that “next date.” A big part of making a good first impression is knowing where to go on a first date.

While chewing on and searching for this subject, I found this excellent infographic from Alex Cornell.

where to go on a first date

Where To Go On A First Date: A Reverse Synopsis

Sports Bar: Even if you’re dating a sporty girl, this location doesn’t scream romantic nor does downing hot wings provide for you to present yourself as the smooth James Bond type I know you aspire to be.

Some Live Concert:never would have put this at the bottom of the list. It all makes perfect sense now. Loud music, screaming in a girls ear, awkward breaks in conversation because it’s oh-so-loud = not conducive to a first date. I immediately think back to a third date with a woman–a musician–and we didn’t know each other well enough to be at a concert. Unless it was quiet during set changes we struggled to assert ourselves in conversation.

The Cliche Restaurant: Not sure if I would have put it this low on the list because it is so common, but unless you’ve already established some comfortable conversation rapport this can be a tough joint to make fun, flirty, and exciting. If choosing this as where to go on a first date, I hope it doesn’t feel like a business dinner.

Movie Theater: I haven’t taken a girl on a first date to a movie since the 8th grade.

A Friend’s Party: This can be a great spot if she’s confident and likes to make new friends. You can be in your element. Or, if you go to her friend’s party, show her how much you enjoy mingling with new people while portraying how UN-needy you are for her attention at every turn. This also takes a bit of the social pressure off two people when going on a first date.

The “Original” Idea: Alex makes a good point here that day-time first dates can really smell of “friend-zone.”

Not So Crowded Lounge: The reasoning here is perfect. It’s not too loud to be overwhelming, but forces you to get cozy. If you are enjoying the start of the evening, get more drinks or mosey on to the next location and keep the momentum going.

Need more ideas of where to go on a first date? Check out John’s list of 25 First Date Ideas and 8 Essential First Date Tips For Men.

Comments

  1. Great infographic Todd. My first date with my wife was actually to an outdoor movie drive in and we saw the movie Micheal, which is kind of ironic because my parents went to the same drive in on their first date and saw The 10 Commandments.

    • Chris, that’s pretty neat! My parents had their first date in Okinawa, Japan so I wouldn’t be able to do this unfortunately.

    • That’s genius Chris. Women love drive-ins. Way better than a dark theater–this should be an addendum to the list!!

  2. That’s kind of funny, because thinking back I think a lot of the day dates I went on did end up going to the friend zone. I think the best option is definitely a relaxed lounge or casual bar. Great infograph!

  3. month

    • year

    • Haha. Out of that entire message I typed out on my phone yesterday, all it sent was “month”

      What I was trying to say was: my first date with my wife was dinner and a movie, but we had already been taking for a month when we started dating, so we were already posed the awkward conversation phase.

  4. Haha, fun infographic. I think part of the thing here is the emphasis on first date, lots of these are more suited to first-few dates instead of the very first!

    • Yes, good point! What do you suggest for a second date if the first one goes well (and you aren’t too acquainted just yet)?

  5. Anywhere conducive to conversation while keeping the atmosphere light seems to work well.

  6. My best friend is Texan, and he takes his first dates to the shooting range. I guess that’s Texas for y’all.

  7. On my first date with my wife, we went jogging together. Or rather, she was jogging and I was jogging and walking, as she was in a little better condition than I was. We got to spend a lot ot the time chatting about things. On the way back home, we stopped for orange juice.

    It’s one of my favorite memories.

    I admit it, I’m a cheapskate

  8. I know I’m late to this, but this is awesome. I disagree that the daylight date=friend zone. These are my favorite. they are the best way to find out if a girl is fun.

    When I do it I combine an activity (a cool drive, mellow hike, bike ride on the beach, etc.) that ends w/ something that is more of a date (picnic, local restaurant, etc.)

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