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If you’re single and dating you might be going on a lot of first dates, and for many people that casual go-to date idea is grabbing a drink. As fun as grabbing drinks can be, if you commit to a couple dates in a week you might end up spending half of your week at a bar before the weekend even comes around. That can be costly, exhausting, and frankly a little boring. Luckily there are plenty of other first date options that won’t drain the bank account or end up in an awkward situation. Here are some great alternatives to grabbing a drink.

Going for a hike.

The first date hike can be an awesome choice for a few reasons. For one thing it’s totally free so no one will have financial regrets if the date doesn’t go well. For another thing there’s nothing to do on a hike besides talk, and walking side by side creates a pretty comfortable position to do that as opposed to staring at one another from across a table. There’ something a little more relaxed about it, which will lead to more natural and relaxed conversations as well. Going on a hike might seem like a little more of a commitment than say coffee might it actually isn’t. Any sober daytime activity leaves you with easy outs, but it also provides the opportunity to go from the hike to lunch if everything seems to be going well.

Check out some live music.

Most towns have a ton a live music options, and a lot of it is free. Museums tend to host free outdoor music events and generally this means you can bring along your own food and drink if you want to. The first stop on the date could be a grocery store to grab some snacks and a bottle of wine, and then the next stop can be enjoying it on a lawn in an upbeat social environment. It’s still casual and cheap, but also thoughtful and sweet.

Take you coffee on a walk.

The coffee walk and talk is similar to the hike in the sense that you’re up on your feet as opposed to sitting down in a potentially awkward or stale environment. Whether you do this in one of your neighborhoods or pick a random area of town it’s a great way to see some new things while you’re at it. It’s almost impossible for a conversation to dry up when the scenery is constantly changing, and if things aren’t clicking you can both head on your way after the coffee is done.

Eat at a diner.

If you want to grab food on a first date but don’t know how much you want to invest in the meal, head to a diner. They’re cheap but not because they’re lacking quality, they’re just kitschy and fun. There’s going to be something for everyone to eat on a diner menu regardless of any health and diet restrictions they might have. Not to mention that you can get any meal of the day at any time of day, and diners are relaxed enough that you could stay for hours talking over a piece of pie if things are going well.

Hit up some food trucks.

Another casual way to eat out on a date is to go to a food festival or find out when some local food trucks are gathering and go hit them up. This is another great way to keep a date mobile and active, but also provides you with a chance to grab a seat and spend some time talking. Food trucks tend to be specialized in one food type, which means that they can come up with some pretty creative ways of preparing and serving the food. Trying an old favorite a new way can create a pretty memorable experience for a first date.

Tags: coffee, diner, first dates, food trucks, hiking, live music