Date ideas
 

There's this guy I'm talking to, and he's brought it up once or twice that we should go out sometime. I'm game. Still not 100% comfortable with myself, but I'm 21 and never been in an actual relationship. He's nice, and a friend of my friends, so I know he's not some psycho or anything. I want to avoid dinner-dates though, because I'm not exactly comfortable eating in front of a guy at my current weight. A light snack, sure, but a meal? No thanks.

I was thinking ice skating, or roller blading; maybe laser tag. There aren't any fairs or carnivals around here right now. We're both 21, so it's got to be something fun without being too childish, you know? Anyone have any ideas? I'm not too fond of movie dates, because you don't really get to talk. Never been on a date before, so I need ideas. :o

Also any basic do's and don'ts? haha.

Thank you in advance.

Museums? Zoo? Hiking? Tea house? Also depending where you live, options may vary.

Your ideas are really good for a first date! And don't worry about doing something too "childish." You're only 21, and its a first date - you're allowed to have fun ( also remember, you should do things that reflect your interests and who are as a person). On my first date, I got a scavenger hunt list off the internet for my city, and we spent the afternoon doing that. It gave us a great chance to get to know each other, have the conversation flow naturally, and have fun. Try to find things that keep you both active and engaged, but don't take the focus away from one another completely (like a movie would). Hiking, having a picnic, scavenger hunts, taking a trip to the park, going to a paint-your-own pottery place, art galleries or planetariums, visiting garage sales or flea markets...

As for do's and don'ts...just one. Be 100% yourself!

I live in Michigan. Right now the weather has been pretty iffy, but I don't know WHEN this first date could actually be. Could be in a few weeks, maybe longer. It depends on his schedule and mine.

I like the zoo idea, and garage sales and flea marketing is always fun! I know he likes motorcycles (I really don't, they kinda scare me) and hunting, and computers. He says he isn't that athletic, so I don't know how to take that exactly.

I suggested a few; guess I'll see what he suggests. If we can't decide maybe we can meet in the middle.

Nelie always has good ideas..

Don't stress about it too much. One of the best dates I went on early in a relationship was to an arcade. We had a blast playing games and just hanging out.
What you do doesn't really matter that much and don't worry at all about meals. Once you feel more comfortable together you'll feel better about dinner dates :D
Plus there are a lot of ways to eat out and still stay on track. :)

Since you know him, if there's a place like Dave & Buster's nearby, you can't beat it. :) Bowling, pool, arcade, appetizers/drinks if you want.

People have been suggesting meetup.com to me for meeting people. I went on my first hike with the group and thought to myself it would be a nice thing for couples to do together. You might check that out, choosing something that suits both your interests. It would provide a very non-threatening environment for a first date.

My idea first date right now would be dinner (I know you said that's out) followed by a walk, or a picnic in a hiking type area. I agree with you that I wouldn't want to do a movie. That's something to go do in the winter and when you can't think of anything else to do or say.

I can recommend bowling too. :D

My first date was a large road trip to a city with waterfalls here in greece. We talked a lot as we drove, hiked to see the waterfalls and had sandwiches as a picnic.

Truth is though I knew the guy very well so I trusted to go that far with him.
I don't know perhaps you could do something like that. :D

I would totally go for the zoo. If that's not good for your area see if you have a gallery hop or neighborhood night out kind of thing, something that keeps you moving and talking that you can take at your own pace. Museum is good too, as already suggested. Maybe you could do a light lunch to make it feel more date-ish. Or, even just appitizers. My husband and I do that often, when we aren't really up for a heavy meal.

I'm old, so way diff, but my perfect date, would be breakfast, coffee the paper, separate checks. No obligations. When brek is over, if you want to do something else, cool, if not, it was just breakfast, not a big deal.

I think starting with breakfast, is way less stress, and more laid back, not so much pressure, better to get to know each other.

Do:
-Be yourself
-Have fun
-Proactively suggest things to do
-Laugh heartily

Don't:
-Worry
-Agree with everything he says for the sake of being agreeable
-Feel like you have to be something you're not
-Forget to have fun :)

These are all great ideas, thanks everyone. Now we'll have plenty of options :D

My hubby is a computer geek who isn't into sports, he'll watch boxing or some baseball games but he's not hard core into them. What we used to do is arcade games, going to the bookstore (where they have a cafe) and just read books or magazines. We'd also watch a movie together or take a walk in the park. We still enjoy doing this type of stuff together. We'll play a couple games on his PS3 every now and then. We've been married for 10 yrs.
FYI if he's a computer geek, he'll probably gravitate towards the computer book section. LOL ;)

I just spent the afternoon at a children's type hands on museum with my fiance and his friend(we were in town visiting her), and they had an aquarium. I'm not usually big on fish, but that part was so interesting. A science center type would also be great. All depends on personality type too. I'm a total geek, for sure. But even a walk in the park, and stopping for a coffee or soda at a cafe is great. If you're already friends it shouldn't be uncomfortable, as you'll have things to talk about.