5 WORST First Date Ideas in Halton

Published July 13, 2017 at 8:54 pm

There are a lot of things you can do on a date in Oakville, Burlington, Milton, or Halton Hills that are perfectly romantic and fun (especially by the water!).

There are a lot of things you can do on a date in Oakville, Burlington, Milton, or Halton Hills that are perfectly romantic and fun (especially by the water!). That said, not all date activities are ideal first date activities. If you want to impress someone for the first time, it’s best to avoid anything that can result in messy hands, flying food, bruises, awkward questions, inappropriate reminiscing and yelling.

So, here are the top five places you should not take your first-time date to.


5) Seafood Restaurant – Shellfish

That sounds a little broad, so let me be clear — seafood itself is okay, but gargantuan shellfish are not. Imagine you’re meeting your Tinder match for the first time. You want to provide your potential mate with an experience that’s fancy, but not too fancy. You don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard and/or asking too much by suggesting a high-end bistro. To show your date that he or she is special, you suggest meeting at Spencers at the Waterfront or Jake’s Grill and Oyster House. That’s all well and good; just don’t order the king crab. Seriously. Don’t do it. It’s messy, sticky and complicated. The shell never cracks properly and hurts your hands while you wrestle with it. Debris flies everywhere. When you know each other a little better, feel free to set a date to fight with your food.


4) A Wedding

Halton has a ton of gorgeous wedding venues and a lot of people getting married. If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you’re probably averaging two to three weddings a summer and some of them might be going down at Country Heritage Park or  the Harbour Banquet and Conference Centre. If you’re a little on the spontaneous side, you might be tempted to ask your date to be your plus one. Don’t. Don’t think about the fact that the food and drinks are free because that’s not frugal, it’s cheap. Also, don’t think of it as a convenient way to kill two birds — your first date and your friend’s wedding — with one stone. It’s not smart, it’s awkward. Everyone will want to know how you met and when you’re getting married. That’s a hard question to answer at the best of times, but it’s especially hard when it’s your actual first date and you don’t know anything about each other.


3) A Nightclub 

Nightclubs can be great for subsequent dates, but never the first. When you’re getting to know someone, you need to be able to speak to and hear him or her. If the music is blasting and the bass is vibrating in your chest and you’re screaming “sorry?” and “pardon?” and “what?” all night, you’re not making a real connection. Also, you don’t want to be tempted to overuse alcohol as a social lubricant on a first date (and you if you feel like you have to get drunk to impress someone, you need to stop dating and check yourself). If you want to take your date out for some high-end cocktails at the Martini House or craft beer at Culaccino, do it during the dinner hours so you can actually hear each other speak. If the date goes well, consider staying for some dancing — but never make the dancing the date itself.


2) Something Really Physical

I’m not talking about sex (although “they” say to wait until at least your third date to make it extra special). Sporty dates can be interesting and fun and I’d never advise against them. I just don’t think they’re ideal for first dates. It might seem cool and off-the-beaten-path to take your date to Bad Axe Throwing or Archery Terminal, but it’ll limit conversation and up the potential for one or both of you to embarrass yourselves before you’ve reached a certain comfort level. Imagine failing to solve a murder mystery during a room escape or shooting your date in the ass with an arrow (or getting shot in the ass by an arrow). If you’re hyper-competitive, it might turn your partner off. If you’re slow or a poor athlete, your fit paramour might be unimpressed. Save the running, jumping, throwing and shooting for date three (and then have sex afterwards if it feels right).


1) A Walk Down an EX’s Memory Lane

If you’ve grown up in Milton, chances are you’ve dated there and maybe carved out a local haunt with a former beloved. You and your ex might have loved to walk down the main drag, hang out at Kelso or frequent a cozy diner. That’s all well and good, but don’t take your new date there. If you do, you’ll be tempted to reminisce about your then-bf or gf and that’s both awkward and inconsiderate. Ex talk is never acceptable on a first date. If you insist on unpacking your last relationship, you’re basically telling your date that you’re not ready to move on. Don’t go somewhere that’ll open the floodgates. You’re starting fresh and you should start on the right foot — in a new place with a new person. 

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