Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

First Date Activities That Should Be Avoided At All Costs

Man and woman enjoying coffee
woman in black long sleeve shirt holding black ceramic mug

When planning a first date, most people chose to meet over a drink or a cup of coffee.

The stakes are low, it gives you plenty of time to determine whether or not there's chemistry, and should things not be going well, you can swiftly wrap things up after taking your last sip.

These days, however, people like to be a little bit more creative when it comes to first dates, and thus will organize a slightly unusual activity.

Sometimes, the risk pays off, and fun is had by both parties, leading to a second date, or even a lasting relationship.

Of course, there is every possibility that attempts to be creative could end up backfiring, sometimes even before the date even takes place.

Which doesn't stop people from trying them over and over again.


Redditor nojunkpeter was curious to learn what people considered to be the absolute worst ideas for a first date, leading them to ask:
"What's a common first date activity that people do that's actually really stupid to do for a first date?"

It's Hard To Decide How You Feel If You Can't Hear Yourself Think

"Loud bar."- AwkwardBlaque

Sometimes It's Worth The Gamble...

"My first date with my husband, (blind date, we talked on the phone once, I didn’t even know what he looked like) was to the symphony."

"It was an hour away and then there was the symphony with a full intermission worth of potential awkwardness, then a full hour drive back."

"I mean clearly the date went amazing."

"We went to ice cream afterwards and sat in his car talking until three in the morning."

"But I never thought about it until right now how potentially disastrous that evening could have been if we hadn’t had major chemistry."- jardinc

Best To Transport Yourself There...

"A long-ish car ride."

"I invited a first date to a great restaurant, fun environment too, but didn't think about the fact that it was about a 30+ minute drive each way."

"Kind of an awkward trip to and from, especially when it turned out that we really didn't have much in common."

"The trip back took a loooong time."- ElectricMan324

lowrider lowridermeatup GIF by Off The JacksGiphy

Double Trouble...

"In John Waters' memoir he talks about going to these 'Fright and Fight' double features where they would show a horror movie then a kung fu movie back to back."

"And I can't imagine how many poor women were taken to these to be subjected to not one but two bad movies in a row, only for the guy she's with to get in a fight in the parking lot afterwards trying to impress her."- stevebobeeve

...Though One Movie Isn't Much Better

"Going to a movie."

"Just staring at a screen instead of getting to know each other."- artemesia-vulgaris

Literally Trapped

"Escape rooms.'

"I work at one and the amount of first dates doing our rooms is too dang high."

"There aren't enough people to even play."

"If you show up with two, we make you pay for a third ticket minimum."

"You can't learn anything about each other because you're too busy playing."

"You will suck and you will get frustrated."

"Not a good look on a first date."- TJtherock

Season 8 Episode 3 GIF by PortlandiaGiphy

Even, Or Especially, If You Plan To Go Dutch

"An expensive dinner."- Throwie911

Somewhere You Can Talk, Without Shouting Or Annoying Others

"Movie, because your attention is not directed towards your date."

"Loud bar is worse."

"Quiet bar is best."

"Drinks to loosen the tongue and cozy atmosphere to reveal oneself."

"Plus, it's public enough that you can count on reasonably good behavior."- redditusernamehonked

A Good Idea In Theory, Less So In Practice...

"I took a girl to a first date at a wine and canvas thing."

"We both liked to draw and paint and had similar tastes in drinks."

'Lots to talk about and activity to occupy us if there was a lull in the conversation."

"Great idea, if only I had considered the fact that when I draw/paint I pretty much shut everything else out and just draw/paint."

"Poor girl spent 3 hours with me as I grunted out responses, had a scotch and painted something that I still use as a holiday decoration to this day."

"We did not have a second date."

"Don’t take people to a wine and canvas event if you turn into a monosyllabic, boozy artist."- ShiggityShua

Alejandro Jodorowsky Art GIF by Endless PoetryGiphy

Keep It Intimate...

"Visit with anybody, friends, parents, neighbors."

"It's insane to be around people who know the person you are dating well, and not you at all."

"It's like a job interview in front of a panel."

"No fun at all."- luckygirl54

Generally speaking, trying to impress on a first date often ends with your efforts blowing up in your face.

Which is why trying to create the best first date imaginable often destroys any possible chance of a second date.

And truth be told, sometimes you can tell if there will be a second date based solely off their coffee or drink order.

Ice in white wine is never a good sign...

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Donald Trump
Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Firing Off Panicked Posts Blaming Everyone But Himself For GOP Losses On Election Night

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after sharing a flurry of posts on Truth Social after it became clear that Democrats were crushing Republicans across the country during yesterday's election.

Democrats won significant victories in races around the country, particularly in Virginia, where Abigail Spanberger became the first woman to the win the governorship in the state's history, and in New York City, where Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, successfully took on the establishment to become the first South Asian, first Muslim, and first millennial mayor-elect.

Keep ReadingShow less
students in classroom
Maskot/Getty Images

Mom Dragged For Melting Down Over Daughter's Puberty Lesson After Ignoring School's Permission Slip

Delta Ozzimo, a self-identified sex workers' rights activist, sounded off on social media after her pre-teen daughter came home with worksheets depicting basic female anatomy.

Ozzimo, whose right-wing posts include ethnocentric and racist language, initially gained some sympathy for her outrage. The mother claimed she wasn't given a chance to consent to her fifth-grade daughter's participation in a Planned Parenthood-led sex education unit by her school.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Seth Meyers discussing Donald Trump
@MarcoFoster/X

Seth Meyers Responds To Trump's 'Truly Deranged' Personal Attack Against Him With Hilarious Takedown

After President Donald Trump lashed out at late-night host Seth Meyers on Truth Social over the weekend and called him a "truly deranged lunatic," Meyers responded to Trump’s “ranting and raving” about him with a damning supercut on his program.

Trump apparently tuned in to Thursday night’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, where Meyers poked fun at the president’s complaints about Navy aircraft carriers using electromagnetic catapults instead of traditional steam-powered ones. Meyers joked that Trump "spends more time thinking about catapults than Wile E. Coyote."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @rootednjoyy's TikTok video
@rootednjoyy/TikTok

Girl's Hilarious Reaction To Getting Divisive Candy For Halloween Caught On Doorbell Cam

In the '80s and '90s, kids were raised with the understanding that they got what they got, and they should say, "Thank you," for what they received. This was true for birthdays, holidays, and trick-or-treating on Halloween, even if they got candy they wanted to throw away the instant they turned the corner.

But kids today are much more communicative about what they like and don't like, and they can be brutal in their bluntness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Marjorie Taylor Greene
ABC

MTG Just Admitted The Awkward Truth About The Republican Healthcare Plan On 'The View'

Speaking on The View, Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke about sparring with House Speaker Mike Johnson over healthcare—and revealed that the GOP does not have any replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) despite what Johnson and her fellow congressional conservatives tell the public.

Democrats have continued to reject Republicans’ proposed continuing resolution to keep the government open without considering an extension of the premium tax credit that helps subsidize health insurance for people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.

Keep ReadingShow less