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Dallas Date Ideas
Date ideas around Dallas, from free sunsets to a gondola ride, with the bookings to make first.
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A few of these want a plan before you go. The Dallas Museum of Art is free, but you reserve a spot online first. That Texas Couple says to get tickets well in advance for Pocket Sandwich Theatre's annual Scrooged show, since it is often sold out. The gondola ride is a booking too, so don't wing that one. For the rest, check each place before you head out. The list runs from a low-pressure first date to a gondola ride, with a few free or under-$40 evenings mixed in. It sticks to Dallas and a few short hops out, and it doesn't pick restaurants for you.
Why these items are on the list
- Walk the Katy Trail. Start at Ascension Coffee in the Design District. If the talk drags, wrap up after a mile.
- Wander the Dallas Museum of Art. Free general admission, but reserve a spot online first. Gives you something to look at besides each other.
- Eat at Klyde Warren Park food trucks. Grab a street taco and a spot on the lawn. The buzz kills first-date tension.
- Play arcade games at Cidercade. First in Dallas says $12 buys unlimited play on over 200 games. Go after 8:00 PM, when it's 21+.
- Play mini golf at Another Round. Two 9-hole courses, Daze and Nite, plus a full cocktail bar in West Dallas.
- Bowl at Bowlounge. Lanes full? The outdoor patio has cornhole and giant Jenga, so nobody just stands around.
- Watch sunset at Winfrey Point. A hill over White Rock Lake with a clear skyline view. Bring a blanket and a picnic.
- Browse the Dallas Farmers Market. Strolling the Shed on a weekend morning is free. First in Dallas says you can grab a $10 breakfast taco.
- Ride the M-Line Trolley. A free vintage streetcar through Uptown and Downtown. Hop off at Mutts Canine Cantina for the dogs.
- Explore Meow Wolf Grapevine. First in Dallas says over 85 rooms. Wear comfortable shoes, because you'll be climbing through refrigerators and closets.
- Book a gondola ride. A private Venetian gondola in Las Colinas. The message-in-a-bottle add-on suits an anniversary.
- Catch a show at Pocket Sandwich. You get to throw popcorn at the actors. Book early for the annual Scrooged.
- Stroll Bishop Arts District. Independent restaurants, galleries and bars in a few compact blocks. Emporium Pies works for dessert.
- See live music in Deep Ellum. Energy over quiet. The Bomb Factory and Trees are on the same strip.
- Pick a show at the Arts District. Check the calendar for something neither of you has seen, and dress up for it.
- Pair the Nasher with the DMA. Outdoor and indoor sculpture, easy to combine with the museum on the same afternoon.
- Spend a morning at the Arboretum. Sagebrush Counseling says 66 acres on White Rock Lake. The fall pumpkin festival and spring blooms are worth timing.
- Check Alamo Drafthouse special screenings. Themed screenings and quote-alongs beat defaulting to whatever is in wide release.
- Go to a Dallas Stars game. Per Kayla Mari Photography, doors open about 60 minutes before puck drop. She suggests DART to Victory Station.
- Day trip to Fort Worth. Sagebrush Counseling puts it thirty minutes west, with three museums within walking distance. Then dinner at Sundance Square.
Tick them off on your phone and the next date is already picked, which ends the where-do-you-want-to-go standoff. Share the list and let whoever's turn it is choose.
When to use it
Use it any time you want a plan beyond dinner and a movie, and reserve the museum, book the gondola, and buy Scrooged tickets early.