Let's Go Out to Dinner And See a Moviezzzzzzzzzzzz

Does this sound painfully familiar?

“So, do you wanna do something this Saturday night?”
“Yeah, I’d love to! What were you thinking?”
“Well, you know, maybe we could do dinner and a movie.”
“Okay. Or we could always, you know, see a movie and THEN get some dinner.”
“Right! Either way.”

Dinner and a movie is a fine date, but a date should not be “fine.” Your date should fall somewhere between “magical” and “woo!!” But thinking of untraditional options is hard. Since we don't want you to strain your brains over the summer, we present these alternative date ideas.

Hiking

One of the most awkward parts of a first (or second…or third…) date is finding enough stuff to talk about. With friends you can share silence, but with a potential S.O. those quiet moments seem like a death sentence. When you’re outdoors, though, Mother Nature has your back. She provides endless fodder for conversation with her swaying willows, bashful chipmunks, trickling creeks, and vicious horseflies (hey, irritating bugs are still something to talk about).

And even when you run out of things to say, taking a silent moment with nature comes across as deep and thoughtful. Even if you are racking your brains for something clever to say.

Cooking a meal together

“Wait,” you say. “I can’t cook!” Perfect! That makes cooking a meal together even more romantic. Just check out this classic scene from "Annie Hall"—when things go wrong in the kitchen, charming hilarity ensues. If all goes well, you enjoy each other's company AND create a perfect meal. But if you somehow manage to light the lasagna on fire, at least it gives you something to laugh about. Sometimes ineptitude is more charming than perfection.

Checking out weird museums

While it's wonderful to go on a date to a real art museum, you might feel pressure to make a profound remark about the red square's bleak commentary on modern life. But when you’re at a mustard museum, a UFO museum, or the traveling museum of bad art, there's no need to sound intellectual, and you're making memories that will last a lifetime. Or at least memories that will last until you break up and untag all the Facebook photos of you two together.

Collage time!

Okay, this might sound lame. And maybe it is. Save this one for date two or three. But cutting up old magazines or comic books and making artistic and/or inappropriate collages of various clippings can be a great way to discover what goes on inside the head of your potential S.O. Or at least waste a few hours. Worst-case scenario, you can finally use up and then toss out those old copies of Rolling Stone.

Which activities do you think make the perfect date? Is the traditional dinner-and-a-movie still the best? And which activities turn a date into a living hell?