5 cheap date ideas for nerds
With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I'd share some of my favorite free or cheap date ideas. These really only work if you're kind of a nerd and books, art, music, and coffee excite you. Regardless of your interests in those areas, however, saving money is always exciting, and most of these are relatively inexpensive ideas.
1. Museum Date
Both the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and The Dallas Museum of Art offer their permanent collection free to the public. While the museums usually close too early to work for date night, the Kimbell is open until 8:00 pm on Fridays (Hint: Valentine's Day is on a Friday this year), and the DMA is open until 9:00 on Thursdays. Both Museums have excellent food choices in their cafe, and at the DMA, Thursdays also happen to include free jazz from 6-8 pm. I was just there last week, and the jazz is amazing. The DMA also has "late night at the museum" once a month, when they are open until midnight and have lots of art-themed events.
2. Shake up your Movie date
Movies can a boring date idea, but here are two ways we've made movie dates more fun. 1) Find out who is screening a classic movie and go see it. There's something about seeing your favorite movie on the big screen for the first time that is really special. Studio Movie Grill, The Angelika, Alamo Drafthouse, and the Inwood theatre in Dallas all routinely feature screenings of movie classics. Often, these screenings are less expensive than a new release, and you can pick a film that's truly special to you. On our first Valentine's date together, Adam and I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Angelika, and it was wonderful. 2) Go to the movies without any advance planning and make a random movie selection, withholding judgment as much as possible. This technique works best during the day so it feels like you're playing hooky, and at a place like the Angelika or the Magnolia, or during a film festival, where there will be some films you may have never heard of. This date is fun because it's kind of like an adventure. You may watch something you hate -- in which case you'll get a good laugh out of it, or you may find a new favorite movie that you wouldn't have tried before. Either way, you'll have a date to remember.
3. Coffeehouse date
When I was in high school, I fell in love with coffeehouses. This was the late nineties, so Starbucks was just becoming the giant coffeehouse machine it is today. I had seen how cool coffeehouses were on Friends, Frasier, and even Felicity, and I imagined going to one of these quirky, independent places with a guy, listening to the local music, discussing books and philosophy, and holding hands over our mochas. This didn't happen for me in high school, or, really, until I started dating my now husband, but these days, coffeehouse dates are some of my favorites for a few reasons. 1) Coffeehouses are perfect for lingering -- for having long conversations, for playing a game of scrabble, for catching up on your studying -- but with each other. Just make sure you buy food and drinks and tip your barista. 2) I enjoy Starbucks, truly; I'm even a gold card rewards member, but if you branch out from Starbucks you can find some cozy, wonderful local gems, and these places need your support. As a musician who has played in many coffeehouses, I've seen a lot of these places come and go, and it's always sad to see them close. Support local business; go to an independent coffeehouse. 3) If you go some place that's not Starbucks and it's a weekend, chances are good you'll get to hear some good local music for free.
4. Bookstore date
I find wandering through tall stacks of books to be very romantic on its own. Stealing a kiss in a remote section of the store feels like just the right blend of sweet and sneaky. Plus I love books, so it's really a no-brainer for me. My favorite bookstores for the purpose of dates are the Half Price Books flagship store in Dallas, because it's huge and has an attached coffeeshop (See number 3), and Recycled Books in Denton, which is filled with so many secret nooks and corners, you could get lost. I've heard some people suggest that a good way to get to know each other if you're just starting to date is to each pick a book for the other to read.
5. Local Theatre
In Dallas, it can seem like the only available live theatre is cost-prohibitive. That's simply not true. Check out what the smaller groups are up to. While you may end up with a dud (we spent one Valentine's Day watching a horrible production of some pre-cursor to Romeo and Juliet), you'll probably still have fun (they offered free food and drink at intermission, and the bad acting was worth the laughter.) However, most local groups feature excellent work, and the price point is much more affordable than the shows at Bass Hall or AT&T Peforming Arts Center. I can personally recommend Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas if you want food and some silliness, and Stolen Shakespeare Guild in Fort Worth, for thoughtful, intimate renditions of the classics. (Also, this Valentine's Day, their production of "As You Like It" opens, featuring some original songs by yours truly).
Happy dating!
1. Museum Date
Both the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and The Dallas Museum of Art offer their permanent collection free to the public. While the museums usually close too early to work for date night, the Kimbell is open until 8:00 pm on Fridays (Hint: Valentine's Day is on a Friday this year), and the DMA is open until 9:00 on Thursdays. Both Museums have excellent food choices in their cafe, and at the DMA, Thursdays also happen to include free jazz from 6-8 pm. I was just there last week, and the jazz is amazing. The DMA also has "late night at the museum" once a month, when they are open until midnight and have lots of art-themed events.
This was taken in the "Cindy Sherman photo booth" at Dallas Museum of Art during one of their late night events.
2. Shake up your Movie date
Movies can a boring date idea, but here are two ways we've made movie dates more fun. 1) Find out who is screening a classic movie and go see it. There's something about seeing your favorite movie on the big screen for the first time that is really special. Studio Movie Grill, The Angelika, Alamo Drafthouse, and the Inwood theatre in Dallas all routinely feature screenings of movie classics. Often, these screenings are less expensive than a new release, and you can pick a film that's truly special to you. On our first Valentine's date together, Adam and I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Angelika, and it was wonderful. 2) Go to the movies without any advance planning and make a random movie selection, withholding judgment as much as possible. This technique works best during the day so it feels like you're playing hooky, and at a place like the Angelika or the Magnolia, or during a film festival, where there will be some films you may have never heard of. This date is fun because it's kind of like an adventure. You may watch something you hate -- in which case you'll get a good laugh out of it, or you may find a new favorite movie that you wouldn't have tried before. Either way, you'll have a date to remember.
3. Coffeehouse date
When I was in high school, I fell in love with coffeehouses. This was the late nineties, so Starbucks was just becoming the giant coffeehouse machine it is today. I had seen how cool coffeehouses were on Friends, Frasier, and even Felicity, and I imagined going to one of these quirky, independent places with a guy, listening to the local music, discussing books and philosophy, and holding hands over our mochas. This didn't happen for me in high school, or, really, until I started dating my now husband, but these days, coffeehouse dates are some of my favorites for a few reasons. 1) Coffeehouses are perfect for lingering -- for having long conversations, for playing a game of scrabble, for catching up on your studying -- but with each other. Just make sure you buy food and drinks and tip your barista. 2) I enjoy Starbucks, truly; I'm even a gold card rewards member, but if you branch out from Starbucks you can find some cozy, wonderful local gems, and these places need your support. As a musician who has played in many coffeehouses, I've seen a lot of these places come and go, and it's always sad to see them close. Support local business; go to an independent coffeehouse. 3) If you go some place that's not Starbucks and it's a weekend, chances are good you'll get to hear some good local music for free.
At Opening Bell Coffee, one of my favorites.
4. Bookstore date
I find wandering through tall stacks of books to be very romantic on its own. Stealing a kiss in a remote section of the store feels like just the right blend of sweet and sneaky. Plus I love books, so it's really a no-brainer for me. My favorite bookstores for the purpose of dates are the Half Price Books flagship store in Dallas, because it's huge and has an attached coffeeshop (See number 3), and Recycled Books in Denton, which is filled with so many secret nooks and corners, you could get lost. I've heard some people suggest that a good way to get to know each other if you're just starting to date is to each pick a book for the other to read.
5. Local Theatre
In Dallas, it can seem like the only available live theatre is cost-prohibitive. That's simply not true. Check out what the smaller groups are up to. While you may end up with a dud (we spent one Valentine's Day watching a horrible production of some pre-cursor to Romeo and Juliet), you'll probably still have fun (they offered free food and drink at intermission, and the bad acting was worth the laughter.) However, most local groups feature excellent work, and the price point is much more affordable than the shows at Bass Hall or AT&T Peforming Arts Center. I can personally recommend Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas if you want food and some silliness, and Stolen Shakespeare Guild in Fort Worth, for thoughtful, intimate renditions of the classics. (Also, this Valentine's Day, their production of "As You Like It" opens, featuring some original songs by yours truly).
Happy dating!
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