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Unconventional Date Ideas

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCU chapter.

Ladies, are you sick and tired of the same old Patagonia-wearing-business-major man asking you out to grab a bite at the BLUU before you carpool to Billy Bob’s on a Thursday night and calling it a “date”? If you are looking to spice up your romantic life a little bit, look no further {than this article}. From personal experience, I am aware that college students usually can’t afford romantic hot air balloon rides over Paris, so here are some unconventional date ideas for any kind of sweetie that won’t break the bank. 

1. Drive through Safari

Show off your wild side and visit the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. From the comfort of your car you can feed safari animals and gain experience you just can’t have in the city!

2. Hammock date

This date you can do right in your backyard. Hammocks are portable, easy, and lots of snuggles will be required.

3. Museum date

Fort Worth’s Museum district is pretty stellar, ranging from contemporary arts to the national cowgirl museum. Plus, many have student discounts!4. Bake Off Embrace your inner chef and make a gourmet meal for two. If you don’t want to pay for a cooking class, you can always visit the grocery store and shop for ingredients together and do this from the comfort of your home (or community dorm).

5. Play Date

Bring out your inner child and re live some of your happiest memories—a time before midterms and 8 ams. Go to the park and push each on the swing, roll down a hill, just have fun!

6. Geocaching

Treasure hunting is exciting, and this date is a great way to not only explore places in your hometown you didn’t even know existed, but also to leave your mark as a date. Become a member of the geocaching website and see what treasures are hidden nearby!

7. Dallas Anger Room

Let the anger you two have built up around school, your messed up sleep cycle, and lack of decent food overflow in an Anger Room. Pay a flat rate and get 25 minutes of smashing everything in sight.

8. Laser Tag

Unleash your competitive side and become the dynamic duo you were destined to be.

9. Picnic at the Botanical Gardens

Every girl wants to be taken on a picnic. What better place than our very own Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, less than 2.7 miles away? You can eat, lay on a checkered blanket and watch the clouds roll by. *disclaimer: this date should probably be done in the spring, so the gardens are not dead.

10. Aimless drives through town

It sounds a little crazy, but there really is nothing better than driving without any direction alongside your sweetie while listening to good music and talking about whatever. Embrace your inner wanderlust along the way and find things you would never usually stop for!

11. Pottery class

Show your date how good you are with your hands, and when it’s over you will have something to take home to commemorate the evening!

12. Rock climbing date

You don’t have to be super athletic to want to try something fun. Rock climbing is an exciting way to get both of y’all’s blood pumping instead of just watching each other run around an endless circle. Plus, those harnesses are pretty sexy.

13. Amusement park

This date is action packed and filled with thrills. Block out a whole weekend afternoon and spend the day riding roller coasters and winning ridiculously large stuffed animals. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities for you and your date to hold hands.

14. Full Moon Paddle With the TCU Rec

Continue the adventurous trend by romantically kayaking down the trinity. See Fort Worth’s sparkling skyline from your moonlit river path. The TCU Rec Center even offers group trips: $15 dollars for students and $20 for guests.

15. Watch a movie on mute and try to improvise what they’re saying.

If you feel like staying in for one night but still don’t want to sink into the rut of watching another episode of Friends, put on a movie that both of you have seen and write your own script. The best part? Not having to get out of your pajamas.

17. “Triathalon-ing”

Here’s how it works. Pick 3 favorite activities/games you can “compete in”. Whether it be pool, foosball, a board game, or pizza eating. Winner gets to rule how the rest of the date goes.

18. Comedy Club

Make sure your date is laughing with you, not at you for picking another boring “dinner and a movie” date. Fort Worth’s Four Day weekend is always packed and full of laughter, so give her a date she will always smile about.

 

Just a (sort of) small town girl now living in a college world. Hobbies include petting stranger's dogs, eating popcorn by the fistful, and still trying to make fetch happen.
Hayden is a sophomore business major at Texas Christian University. She is a currently the Campus Correspondent for Her Campus TCU.