Crafts

• A crafty experience doesn't mean your date's sneaky or ill-intentioned. Craft-centered dates are a great way to explore your inner artist or to get to see your date's creative side. A variety of craft activities are sure to provide your night out with memories to last a lifetime, including scrapbooking, antique hunting, candle making and painting. Be sure to pack a change of clothes if your plans include the use of glue, paint or anything else that's messy.
  
  

Culture

• Attending a cultural event is another way to add a little something special to your dating repertoire. Planning a trip to a local museum, school play or Shakespearean festival is a good way to find out whether you and your date share a love for the arts. If music is more your thing, check out a local community concert or break the bank and purchase some tickets to a rock concert.
  
  

Service

• Though it may not seem so on the surface, volunteering to do some type of service is an excellent way to get to know your date. Many city organizations, including libraries and parks and recreation, gladly accept volunteers to perform various duties, such as storytelling or keeping time or score at a city sports league. Maybe someone in your ward or neighborhood is in need of a little yard work or errand running. Service-oriented dates are an excellent way to learn about your date without feeling self-conscious.
  
  

Group Games

• Group games are a good way to take some of the pressure away that people feel in one-on-one dating situations. Group games are a sure way to liven up the evening with a little competition and fun. Whether it's a board game, a full-out five-on-five game of basketball or a game of kick the can, group dates create a situation to see how your date interacts with others in a group setting. Group dates usually require advanced planning and coordinating, but the dividends are worth the extra effort.
  
  

Food-Related Dates

• Rather than going to a sit-down restaurant for dinner, try spicing up your night out with one of several types of meal-related date ideas, including a dutch oven cookout or a candlelight meal in the park with your friends acting as the hosts. Mix things up by eating the meal with your hands tied behind your backs or by using alternative utensils, such as a spatula or ice cream scooper.