Date ideas for dating somebody who doesn't drink?

[humbleMouse]

Hey everybody, I would appreciate your input on this situation. 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting a nice woman, and it turns out she does not drink alcohol.  She seems to like spending time with me (had one outing so far) and I am wondering what sorts of date ideas are appropriate for somebody who does not drink.

All of my past relationships and dating experiences have been centered around alcohol and bar related activities.  It is very exciting to meet somebody who doesn't drink and I am totally down with it.

So far I thinking... musical? theater? art museum? I would just have her over to my place and cook for her but unfortunately I don't have a kitchen until next month.  Also keep in mind I am in my mid-twenties.   I live in minneapolis, which is a nice place for bar and food dates, but lacking in the outdoorsy date type stuff(gets pretty chilly at night in september). 

[mrteacher]

Museums (get free passes from library)
Improv shows
Plays
Biking
Rollerblading
Picnic in the park
Hiking
Get coffee and walk around a cool neighborhood
Movies
Cook dinner together
Puzzles
Board games
Ice skating (in the cold, MN. winter)
Going out to eat

There are plenty of date options that do not require/involve alcohol.

[NumberCruncher]

Not freezing:
water activities (kayaking, canoeing, etc), lake/beach trips, picnics (if it's a bit chilly...hot cocoa in a thermos? :D ), Sculpture Park, biking

freezing: cross country skiing! Snowshoeing!

In general: Museums, Theater, any of your typical food related activities minus alcohol (super easy), coffee dates

Rediscover your city! This is something my spouse and I are doing right now - going out of our "usual places" / activities at least once a month. Read posts like this http://www.minneapolis.org/visitor/tours-attractions/suggested-itineraries/150-things-to-do-in-minneapolis and be inspired.

[waffle]

My wife and I both don't drink, so the idea that a date would center around alcohol is kind of foreign to me. Here are some of the dates we went on and other ideas.

Walk around the mall window shopping/people watching
Go to dinner and a movie (just because there's no drinking doesn't mean she doesn't like going out)
drive out of town and go star gazing.
visit the local zoo/aquarium
go for a hike
make it a group date and have a couple other couples over for a game night
most any sort of service activity form cleaning up a park to reading to children or old folks in a nursing home
explore your city's parks
as you already mentioned theaters/museums are great.

The possibilities are pretty endless.

[okits]

Do bar and food dates automatically = getting drunk?  It's possible to go out for a meal or drinks and consume zero alcohol.  A great date can be simply sitting together and hours of interesting conversation.

[AZDude]

Mystery Dinner Date - went to one of these not that long ago after I complained that we never do anything interesting. It was fun.

[Bracken_Joy]

Look up free events in your city. Not because you need to be cheap, but because you can find some super cool stuff this way. Amateur plays in parks, go watch a town hall debate, free movie screenings. Bonus: chilly nights, so long as they're not dangerously chilly, invite snuggling and hot cocoa. They don't need to preclude outdoor time- just make sure you've got your gloves and hats.

[Bracken_Joy]

Oh! Just remembered one of my favorites dates ever. He picked me up in a friend's pickup with the bed of the truck filled with blankets and pillows, and had downloaded a star gazing app on his phone. We went to a sight seeing point and burrowed in and identified constellations. Perfect if she's the nerdy sort, and bonus points if you known the greek mythology pertaining to the constellations in question.

[trailrated]

Try making sushi together

[MayDay]

So many good restaurants.  We drink some, but never out, because $$$, so to me dinner still sounds great!

Bike the grand round?

[I'm a red panda]

Except going to a bar or wine tasting, I don't think this would require anything specific.  I guess the only thing is that if the REASON she doesn't drink also mean she cannot/will not be around alcohol.

I don't drink at all. My husband and I still regularly go to the winery for the murder mystery dinners. He has some wine, we both play along the game. Lots of people use concerts as a chance to drink- I used them as a chance to listen to music. Restaurants often have wine pairings, but you could just skip it. For many people, going to the lake = drinking beer, but it can also mean hanging out on the boat and enjoying good company.

What would you do on a date with someone who drinks? Surely it isn't just get drunk?  So do that, but then don't have a beer with it.

You might also find out if she is comfortable with YOU drinking on dates.  Not heavily, but a glass of wine or a beer with a meal.  If she isn't - is that a deal breaker for you?  For many people, it would be.

[FrugalShrew]

The typical fall activities make for great daytime dates: apple picking/cider mill, pumpkin carving, corn maze.

[Retire-Canada]

If she is not new to town she'll know what's fun to do that doesn't involve drinking. So why not just ask her what she'd enjoy?

[jda1984]

The season is over now, but Minneapolis has movies and music the parks from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  Lake Harriet bandshell has live music every night while other parks have one or two days of the week throughout the season (Minnehaha, Father Hennepin, a couple others).  The movies move around quite a bit more.  It's free and can be a lot of fun.

Depending on the question of tolerance for being around alcohol, there's a lot of great sports options around too if you're into that kind of thing.  The St. Paul Saints are in the minor league playoffs and have a nice fancy new stadium.  We went this summer once and general admission tickets were $8/ea for adults.  Plus, you could take the green line over from Minneapolis and not worry about parking, driving, etc.  Other low cost sports ideas are any of the local colleges around.  The Twin Cities has quite a few colleges (Hamline, St. Thomas, Bethel, Mc Calister, Northwestern, etc.).  Take a walk around campus, take in a sporting event, theater, musical performance, etc.  It can be quite a bit cheaper and nearly as much fun as a big name team/venue.  Plus, since most of the students can't legally drink, many stadiums/venues don't offer alcohol.

[GizmoTX]

I've never been to Minneapolis, but we've loved doing Segway tours as a very fun & unique way to tour. We've done them in downtown Dallas, Rome (the Appian Way), & Paris. Both the Dallas & Paris tours had excellent instruction; you need about 15 minutes of practice & you'll usually be a pro. For Rome, make sure you do another Segway tour first!

http://www.humanonastick.com/tours.htm

[Pinch of salt]

I would go for a comedy night. She is not worth dating if she doesn't like comedy ;-)

[ShortInSeattle]

You can still go to a bar if you'd like. Ask the bartender what they'd recommend for non-alcoholic, or ask them to whip up something fruity.  I've had some great drinks at bars, and I don't drink alcohol.

[TrMama]

Huh, I didn't know chilly weather wasn't conducive to a good date. Some of my best dates involved getting warm after being outside ;-)

If you don't have a kitchen, offer to cook dinner for her at her place. You bring the groceries and whip up your signature meal while sips some juice.

[bougette]

Except going to a bar or wine tasting, I don't think this would require anything specific.  I guess the only thing is that if the REASON she doesn't drink also mean she cannot/will not be around alcohol.

^I agree that this is the key.  I do know several people in recovery that cannot/will not be around alcohol.

I don't drink alcohol, and it doesn't bother me if others drink around me.  I had a fun date at roller derby last weekend (Maybe half the attendees were drinking). I may not enjoy myself as much if the activity mainly involves drinking though.  Most drunk people are not as entertaining as they think, and I get bored.  I declined an Oktoberfest date for this reason based on past experience. 

[Valetta]

I live in St. Paul. My husband and I met 9 years ago and here are a few frugal things we have done on dates (trying to avoid repeating other awesome things that have already been suggested):

- Cooking demonstrations / classes at Williams Sonoma stores - these are free and they don't give you the hard sell.
- Walking to a local playground and swinging on the swings
- Minneapolis Institute of Art is always free
- Como Zoo - just a $2 donation and open year-round (I'm a Como zoo member so I can enter without paying guilt free and don't have to carry cash, we go there a lot)
- Volunteering - Check out an organization like Arc and volunteer for a shift at the thrift store, it's low commitment and something fun to do together. People Serving People is also good for that - you can serve meals.
- Local high schools often have awesome drama departments and put on pretty decent plays. Tickets are very cheap.
- If you look at the historical society website there are lots of tours listed you could go on
- The Guthrie does a behind the scenes tour that is actually really cool to see how the theater works
- There are lots of cheap activities throughout the year at the State Fair grounds.
- Places like Bloomington Center for the Arts or HOpkins Center for the Arts offer free exhibits and activities
- Walk around Midtown Global Market or Hmong Village
- Farmer's Markets (some are open year round)
- In the winter - Go the Winter Carnival or Crashed Ice
- Northrup King Building First Thursdays - This is in the evening and very cool. Check it out.

[belgiandude]

I love to go to bars to talk with friends, but I do not drink alcohol.

Must be a Belgian thing. Pubs are everywhere, but most of my friends drink non-alcoholic beverages (tea mostly; if friends drink alcohol, it is limited to one alcoholic drink).

So you can go to pubs and not drink. As long as the company is good, nobody minds ;)

[wordnerd]

DH doesn't drink, but it never posed an issue. You can do pretty much anything while not drinking. Hiking, dinner, movies, theater, opera, walks in the park, food tours, street art tours, bike rides, whitewater rafting, paint-your-own-pottery, museums, improv shows, art festivals, concerts, open mike nights, visit a historic graveyard, go to a poetry reading, attend a live literature event, visit a planetarium, go actual stargazing, take a cooking class, cook a meal together at one of your homes, go to a sporting event. You just do the thing, and <here's the trick> consume no alcohol.

[firewalker]

Great ideas, all of them. And just think! You'll get to know each other with a clear mind. No blurred memories the next day.

[stlbrah]

Seems kind of pointless to even go to a bar if you already have a date.

[vagon]

How about a wine appreciation course?

[Noodle]

Lots of bars nowadays make fancy mocktails, especially the "craft cocktail" places. Since American women usually don't drink during pregnancy and often not while trying to get pregnant, plus all the other reasons people don't drink, there is plenty of clientele for non-alcoholic beverages. All this assuming the date doesn't mind being around drinking, of course.

[Syonyk]

I live in minneapolis, which is a nice place for bar and food dates, but lacking in the outdoorsy date type stuff(gets pretty chilly at night in september).

As has been pointed out... oh darn!  It's cold!  Better snuggle up! ;)

Seriously.  Bring coats.  Suck it up.  Go outside. :p

Do you both have bicycles?  Go potting around.  Try to get lost on random bike trails & such.  Pack lunch.

If it's clear, stargazing is awesome...

Go roller skating.  Or rollerblading.  It's awesome fun, especially if you're utterly terrible at it. :)

Ice skating is also a thing, if you happen to be adequate at roller blades.

[humbleMouse]

Thanks so much for all the detailed replies!   Appreciate the help brainstorming!

[MamaStache]

Comedy Sportz in uptown is a great comedy show

Go for a walk around lake Calhoun - you will get a great sense of their personality and humor through people watching

Watch Groupon for interesting ideas and fun activities you may not have heard about otherwise.

For MN people here is a good website with some fun ideas.  My husband and I have found lots of fun things to do through this site:
http://www.phenomnaltwincities.com/

Also it is fall...   go to an apple orchard!

Take your date to a Buffalo wild wings or a sports bar to watch a football game (if you guys are into that)

Invite your date to your house and order in (pizza or Chinese or whatever - you don't need a kitchen!)   and pick one or more of the following:

• Watch a show together (rent a DVD series from the library?  Redbox?  Amazon Prime/Hulu?etc?)
  Play board games
  Play card games
  Play video games
  Go for a walk around your neighborhood and point out all the cool sights, parks and buildings that you know