80 Creative Second Date Ideas to Keep the Spark Going

You can do better than dinner and a movie.

Stock photo of young happy couple laughing at outdoor music festival
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Now that you've gotten the awkward first date small talk out of the way, there's room to get creative on the second one. Yes, you could play it safe and opt for a traditional dinner, but it pays to think outside the box. A new shared experience can help you get to know your date in ways you wouldn't be able to, say, chatting over a three-course meal—not to mention, those get expensive! Unfortunately, coming up with creative date ideas isn't as easy as feels like it should be. It's easy to say you don't want to just do dinner and a movie, but when it actually comes to planning something more out of the box, you're not alone if you completely freeze up.

Luckily, you don't have to live in a real-life romantic comedy to plan something special in the second date department. All it really takes is a little extra effort and some soul-searching about what you truly love to do (and what you think your date will truly love to do, based on what you learned about them on the first date). And, if you're still stuck, you've come to the right place. Ahead, we've compiled 50-plus second date ideas. They all guarantee fun, get the conversation going, and/or ensure there's no mid-date awkwardness, plus many of them double as genuinely cheap dates (that don't feel cheap). Happy dating!