11 “Old-Fashioned” Dates You Should Still Be Doing
Dates these days aren’t like they used to be. The line between dating and hanging out is becoming a little blurry. You’ll go on a normal first date out to eat, then the second date just consists of you laying on the couch watching Netflix. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a Netflix date, my boyfriend and I have them every once and while when we are able to close the distance. However, we’ve been dating for awhile and don’t really consider it an actual date. It’s just “spending time together”. Maybe watching Netflix is what the modern date is becoming. I’ll come out and say that I am not a fan. So, here are “old-fashioned” dates you should still be going on, instead of Netflix and chilling:
1. Go to the drive-in movies.
The drive-ins are totally underrated. They have so much more to them than the regular movie theater. First off, drive-ins typically play 2 movies a night which is awesome and they are so much cheaper than regular movie tickets. Also, you cannot forget about all the perks. You get to cuddle up together in a bunch of pillows and blankets surrounded by the stars. It’s so romantic and more people need to take advantage of them before they all go out of business! Plus, there’s no worries about sneaking snacks in because they are totally allowed and you can make out if you get a little bored.
2. Play board games!
Who doesn’t love a good ol’ board game. Just like bowling, board games give you the chance to get a little competitive. This is one of those dates that you might not consider to be an actual date, but you can make it one. Grab some snacks, put on some music, light a candle, and dust off that game of Sorry! and get to playin’!
3. Go to a diner for a milkshake.
When you hear “old-fashioned date”, the first thing that pops into most people’s head is a picture of retro-aged kids sipping a milkshake together. It’s like the epitome of old-fashioned dates. Every town has a little old diner in it that stays in business just because the locals love it so much. It’s time to hit that place up with your boo thang and share a milkshake together. Go all the way with it, just one milkshake and two straws. Maybe even one straw if you wanna save the planet a little.
4. Find somewhere to go dancing.
I’m not talking club dancing, I’m talking good old-fashioned slow dancing. The kind of dancing you do when ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ comes on. There are plenty of restaurants that offer dinner and dancing, two of the best things. Get dressed up, take cute pictures together, and go have actual old-fashioned fun. Even if you can’t find an actual place to go dancing, who says you can’t just drive somewhere, blast some music, and dance your heart out?!
5. Drive to a lookout point.
Driving to lookout points is extremely romantic. There is always the fear that you’ll get murdered because there are a multitude of murder documentaries about people getting killed at popular lookout/parking points. Aside from that, they are seriously romantic especially when the sun is setting. Besides, nobody is actually going to murder you unless they need to because technology is way too advanced now to risk it. So what I’m getting at is driving to a lookout point is a great old-fashioned date if you are looking for some romance.
6. Go stargazing.
Another romantic old-fashioned date is stargazing. You can literally go anywhere to do it. Just go to your date’s house, whip out a few blankets, and look up at the stars. You can talk about your life, your hopes and dreams, favorite food item at Taco Bell, literally whatever you want. You have the beautiful stars lighting up the night which makes for a very memorable date, even though it’s so simple.
7. Find festivals and carnivals to go to.
It’s very easy to find festivals going on near you. Whether it’s an art or music festival, it’s perfect for a date. Carnivals are just as great. They’re a little more old-fashioned than amusement parks, which just makes them so much better. Ferris wheels, games, FUNNEL CAKES, it all makes for the perfect date.
8. Go ice skating or roller skating.
Now, I know not everyone has the best balance for skating, but it’s still worth a shot. You have all seen the movies when someone is really bad at skating and their date ever-so-kindly teaches them how to skate properly. That’s not something that only happens in the movies, you can seriously do that! Once you both get the hang of it, you can hold hands and laugh at each other when you both fall down because, realistically, not that many of us are great at skating.
9. Go to an arcade.
Arcades aren’t particularly “old-fashioned”, they’re more like 70’s and 80’s fashioned. Nonetheless, it’s one of the underrated dates that people should be going on more! There aren’t really any retro arcades around much anymore, because this is of course the 21st century. However, arcades with more advanced technology is still just as fine. It totally beats sitting at home watching Netflix, that’s for sure.
10. Go bowling.
Bowling is a good way to get competitive on dates, in the friendliest way possible. It’s also one of those dates that is actually old-fashioned because it was a very popular date at one point. I’m pretty sure my grandma told me that her first date with my pap was at a bowling alley. You can either cheer each other on or try to seriously beat the crap out of your date. Either way, it’s a date you should be going on if you are looking for old-fashioned fun.
11. Go on a picnic.
Picnics are a low cost, old-fashioned date that you very rarely see anymore. Any time you see someone on a picnic these days, it’s on social media and there are tons of comments about how people wish they were taken on dates like that. Well, a “date like that” should be a normal occurrence! You don’t even need to buy anything if you don’t want to. Just grab some stuff you had at home and head out! The food will taste better on a picnic more than at home, trust me. You also can totally buy some little snacks at the store for the picnic as well, it’s literally whatever you want. Although, grocery shopping with your significant other can get a little distracting, everyone in a goofy relationship will understand.
You can have some seriously fun dates if you just get a little creative. Instead of laying on the couch watching reruns of ‘The Office’, go and actually have fun with each other! You won’t regret it. You’ll be making everlasting memories.
