Have you ever been on a first date to the movies? Not the best time, is it? You’re spending about the equivalent of a tank of gas on a ticket, a flat soda, and some popcorn. Then you sit silently next to a semi-stranger in a dark room to stare at a screen for two hours. Forget that and check out my top 10 date ideas in Philly!
And these ideas work if your date is your lifelong crush or someone you matched with yesterday on Tinder. Movie dates don’t provide the romance or the chance to get to know your date.
Don’t try to win your date over at the newest Star Wars movie. Here are some fun date ideas while keeping it budget-friendly.
#10 Go to a sports game
This one won’t be for everyone, but football and basketball tickets don’t have to break the bank.
Get tickets to a college or minor league game in your area. In Philly, there’s Villanova basketball or Temple football for you and your date to go watch sports together. And you can chat as much as you want without bothering anyone! Go back to watching the game when the action starts or when your conversation trails off. Win-win.
*For college students, you can get tickets to your school’s home games for free if you request tickets early enough.
#9 Check out a weird museum
Museums are nice, but major natural history or science museums can often be expensive. However, most cities are packed full of weird, smaller but equally interesting museums that you’ve never heard of.
Pick a topic that you and your date both find interesting and spend the afternoon learning about weird history. In Philadelphia, you can check out the Mutter Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary, Edgar Allen Poe and Betsy Ross houses, the Insectarium, or the Pizza Brain Museum, all for under $20 a ticket.
*College students should bring their student IDs with them as most museums will offer a student discount.
#8 Quizzo (or general trivia) at a bar
Bars can be fun, but they can be a bit tedious if you don’t want to get hammered or spend a lot of money.
However, they can be a lot of fun if you’re there for something other than just drinking. Many places offer a weekly trivia night (in Philly, this is called Quizzo), often with different themes.
Consider heading over to your favorite bar for a late dinner and drink. Use the trivia game as a fun way to get to know your date a little better.
*21+ event
#7 Berry or apple picking
Who doesn’t love fresh fruit and an excuse to spend time outside?
Do your plans fall between late spring and autumn? Think about bringing your date to a local berry farm or an apple orchard and picking your own fruit.
Many berry farms, like Highland Orchards, also have fresh vegetables to be picked. During the fall, apple orchards often have other attractions such as corn mazes.
If you and your date really hit it off, this option is easy to extend as well. While you’re there, you can always pick some extra fruit and head back to someone’s house to bake a pie!
#6 Brunch
We all know that dinner dates, especially a first date, can be a bit cliché. Somehow that isn’t the case if you have that date seven hours earlier in the form of brunch.
Pick a weekend day to sleep in before meeting your date somewhere for an eclectic menu. Brunch can have a mix of sandwiches, pancakes, mimosas, or whatever hybrid of breakfast and lunch they choose. Check out a local favorite, Winkel, that specializes only in brunch. This place won’t break the bank either!
*For those looking to get the most bang for their buck, find a brunch buffet. Why choose between an omelet and a burger when you can have both?
#5 Go for a hike
Are you on a shoestring budget, looking to get in a great workout, or just love being outside? Hiking is a great way to spend some quality time in a beautiful setting without spending a ton of money.
You can hike for an hour or two after work, or as a full-day activity for this date. Located in Northwest Philly, Wissahickon Valley Park is perfect for this!
Going after work? You can always surprise your date by throwing a couple of beers or favorite drinks in your pack. What a great surprise during or after the hike!
*This is a great budget option, but exercise judgment about where and how long the hike should be if it’s the first date. Some people might be wary of spending all day alone in the woods with someone they barely know.
#4 Take a brewery tour
Philly is a pretty big beer town, with over 85 independent breweries in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Go a step further. Rather than just drinking beer, learn about how it’s made by heading to a brewery and taking a tour.
Most tours last between 1-2 hours and cost about $10-20. This will include a free sample or two! Many breweries feature an attached gastropub as well, which sometimes offers guests who choose to eat there after the tour a small discount on their meal.
Some options in and around Philadelphia that have both tours and attached brewpubs include Yards and Sly Fox breweries.
*College students should double-check if tours are 21+ events before signing up. The attached restaurants usually serve food to those under 21 before 10 pm.
#3 Personal potluck
Cooking a nice meal for your date is a sweet gesture, but it can be a lot of work.
Here’s a better idea. Split the labor and each of you cook one dish before the date. Eat the meal together as your own private potluck dinner. Cook your favorite dishes or pick a theme!
Another option is one person can cook the main course, while the other can take care of the sides or maybe dessert.
One way to make it interesting is to swing by a specialty grocer such as Claudio or Jonathan Best and plan your meal together while walking around the store.
#2 Indoor rock climbing
OK, I am a climber, so I am a bit biased. But indoor rock climbing is one of the more unique and fun dating options out there.
First, it is easy to get started. Indoor climbing gyms have been popping up everywhere it seems (there are multiple gyms in Philadelphia alone). Every gym has a first-time package that you and your date can do together, typically for no more than the cost of a good dinner. Most importantly, these packages do not require any previous experience or abilities.
Second, climbing is a fun way to stretch your comfort zone, which creates great opportunities to get to know someone better and to build trust. I mean, what cooler way is there to begin a new relationship than trying something new, together? And you’ll learn new skills–like climbing, knot-tying, and belaying–giving you multiple things to talk about after the date, or in the (hopefully) many dates to come.
Finally, climbing is a fairly low-impact activity, at least to get started. You can dress casually for your first time and you don’t have to worry about being sweaty and gross afterward. So you can climb, then head right to dinner, or drinks, and have hours of great bonding over this unique and challenging experience.
Pssst Philadelphians! Really impress your date and book your online climbing session here ahead of time. It’s like you had something planned all along.
#1 Go old-school
Spending a summer evening hanging out on a minigolf course or going to an old-fashioned arcade to play Skeeball and Space Invaders can make anyone feel a bit nostalgic.
Our number one pick for a fun date, either as a first date or for date night with the love of your life, is to spend a few hours at a local arcade, a mini-golf course, bowling alley, then go get some ice cream on your way home. If you’re in the Fishtown area, stop by Barcade and let the games begin.
(Bonus if it’s soft-serve from a stand like you used to have during the summer as a teenager.)
If beating you at Donkey Kong or bowling isn’t enough to make your date smile, we don’t know what will.
Try one of the top 10 date ideas in Philly or make it a dating bucket list and try them all! There’s something for everyone whether it’s watching a game, cooking and eating, rock climbing, or drinking at a bar! And you’ll be amazed at how much fun you’ll have if you try something new. Happy dating!
