The Only 4 Second Date Ideas You Need

Congratulations! You went to drinks on a first date, and it went well! The hard part is over, right?

Not quite!

I’ve always found that second date ideas are the clinchers. It’s easy enough to ask all the normal get-to-know-you questions when meeting someone on a first date. But do you still have things to dig deeper into the next time around? Can you connect about your interests and have conversations that aren’t just interview questions? Can you joke together?

Here are 4 second date ideas that create the perfect environment for determining whether your match has staying potential.

1. Dinner

This one’s a little obvious – but it really is a great second date idea! First date drinks are pretty casual. Even if you wind up sticking around for 3 hours, the option to leave at any time is always available to you. Not so with a dinner date! You have to get through a full meal and pay the check, so you’re committing upfront to spend a significant chunk of time with the person sitting across from you. Psychologically, you’re both signing up for that extended, in-depth time, which will lead you to more in-depth conversations (if the person is a good match for you!).

But you don’t have to only talk and eat on a second date. You can also create dates that facilitate specific conversations or test out whether you like the same activities. Read on for more great second date ideas!

2. Walk + Farmer’s Market

What better way to test out partnership compatibility than to do an activity you’d do on a lazy Saturday with a partner! Go for a stroll and wind up at a farmer’s market. Now that it’s autumn, split some apple cider donuts. Buy each other one weird vegetable each and promise to report back on what recipe you use it in. Walks allow for so much scenery and people watching to comment on, and the hubbub of a farmer’s market is ripe for your observations and stories.

My one caveat: have a sense of where you’re walking to, and a cutoff time for ending the date. Walks can get a little aimless, and don’t have a clear final moment like paying the bill at a restaurant. So make yourself a tentative plan for afterward that you can cancel or push if the date is going super well, but remember – better to have a date that leaves you both wanting more than a date that drags on too long at the end!

3. Museum

I love a museum second date. It’s a perfect way to show off each of your personalities. Do you skew a little more intellectual, and love talking about a certain art medium or period in history? Do you like to make jokes about the funny-looking figure in the back of that painting? You can share stories and ask questions as you stroll, and then comment on the exhibit when a personal story ends.

Another tip: plan to visit one specific gallery or exhibit. Museums can get a little overwhelming and distracting. Decide in advance what you want to see, and then get coffee or a drink afterward to talk about it!

4. Comedy Show

Dating should be fun, and the best partnerships are filled with laughter. So test out the compatibility of your senses of humor early with a comedy show! I’ve always found it wildly interesting and entertaining to see what people find funny. When the comic is rocking it, are you both guffawing? If someone is bombing, do you cringe at the same time? Whether the comedy show is good or bad, you’ll have lots to debrief afterward over a drink, and you’ll have fun doing it.

The bottom line, though, is: don’t stress too much about a second date ideas! When it’s the right person, you’re going to have fun no matter what. But any excuse to get some apple cider donuts, right?

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