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The Best First Date Ideas According to Online Dating Data

This couple is on a coffee date, one of the best date ideas according to women of all age groups.

When most people think of a first date (or a second or a third) getting drinks is usually the go-to idea. It’s simple, casual, and easy to bail out of if things don’t go as well as you’d hoped. But is getting drinks really what most women want to do on a date? To help figure out what the best first date ideas are according to real women, we turned to the online dating site Zoosk and what we found may surprise you.

To find out what women really want, Zoosk looked at profiles of women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s to find out what the most common words and phrases women mentioned while describing their ideal date. Here’s what they found, along with a few key takeaways:

The Best Date Ideas by Age Group

20s

30s

40s

50s

60s

dinner

dinnercoffeecoffeecoffee

coffee

coffeedinnerdinnerdinner

movie

walkconversationwalk

walk

walk

moviedrinkdrink

conversation

movies

conversationmoviewine

talk

talk

drinksbeachbeach

wine

drinks

beachmusicmovie

quiet

beach

moviesquietquiet

lunch

food

winechatwine

drink

simple

musiclunchlunch

movie

drink

foodmoviesmusic

beach

bowling

surpriseparkdrinks

fun

surprise

romanticlaughchat

music

romantic

restaurantfoodpark

restaurant

picnic

quietdancingmeal

park

outdoors

bowlingromanticrestaurant

dancing

hiking

lunchpicniclaugh

meal

music

gameoutdoorsdancing

movies

wineoutdoorspubmovies

drinks


Coffee or dinner is better than drinks.

Across all age-groups the two most popular ideas were
coffee dates or dinner, so don’t be afraid to go for that dinner date! Especially if you’re dating someone in her 20s or 30s, since younger women mention dinner most often when describing their ideal date. Getting a drink or drinks was still a popular choice but ranked 4th through 8th depending on the age-group.

Going for a walk is always a good idea.
A good, simple date idea that you might not have thought of is going for a walk. After dinner and coffee, a walk was the third most popular date idea for women in their 30s, 50s, and 60s and ranked 4th with women in their 20s.

Better yet, make that a walk on the beach.
Women of all age groups mentioned the beach as a great venue for a date. (I guess some classic date ideas never go out of style.)

It’s all about the conversation.
Whatever location you pick, make sure you have a good spot to talk and get to know each other. High on the list for every age group was conversation or being able to talk. Another word that come up often with women in their 30s and up was quiet, so when choosing a bar or restaurant, you might want to go for something less busy and a little more intimate.

Women like their wine.
Though women in their 40s did mention pub as a popular date option, wine was by far more popular and a common phrase across all age groups.

Women in their 20s and 30s like to be surprised.
Lots of women mentioned they like romantic dates but women in their 20s and 30s also mentioned that they like being surprised. Try planning a little something extra or just don’t tell her exactly where you’re going until you get there.

Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s like to go dancing.
All age-groups mentioned go to see some live music as a good idea but older women in particular were ready to get on the dance floor. Dancing ranked among one of the top ideas.

Overall, when planning your date, some of the best date ideas are the more traditional ones—movies, picnics, long walks on the beach, good food, and good conversation always makes for a good time.

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