There are “date dates” and then there are “friend dates”. The former comes along with all sorts of pressure – pressure to please, pressure to impress, pressure not to blurt out the wrong thing and then spend the next hour apologizing from outside the bathroom door. It can be so much pressure, in fact, that you forget to actually have a good time.
The latter, however – the friend date – is unique in that it contains all the fun of a regular date, without any of the stress of having to perform and satisfy. It’s just you and your best friend, chatting about whatever you want while you try something new. If that sounds like a small slice of heaven, then read on to find out the seven best date ideas.
Throw Some Axes
Let your inner Viking out an axe throwing facility. This ancient game isn’t that hard to learn, and once you do it’s incredibly addictive – pretty much, all you have to do is throw an axe at a wooden bull’s eye. If you already know how to axe throw, you can teach a friend to throw an axe but if you don’t, no worries. The best axe throwing facilities always have axe throwing experts on hand to show you the ropes. Be sure to snap a photo while you’re there, since nothing looks for badass than wielding a giant axe.
Follow Along With a YouTube Cooking Video
Friends who cook together, stay together. That’s just the truth. To that end, rather than rifling around the internet for a written recipe, just go to YouTube and follow along with one of the recipe videos there. Some great channels to get you started are: Food Wishes, Binging With Babish, Bon Apetit and Adam Liaw.
Hit Up a Bowling Alley
For a little bit of retro flair, throw on your coolest concert tee, head to the bowling alley, rent yourself some of those dichromatic shoes and compete with your best friend. Bowling alleys are a dying breed, but you can still find at least one in most big cities. Whereas it’s a wise idea to call ahead for something like axe throwing, the bowling alley will likely be pretty clear. If not, you can always do the next best thing: rent a Wii or head to an arcade for some virtual ten-pin.
Play Some New Board Games
There’s nothing wrong with playing board games, but why not shake things up with some new games. Great board games are being invented all the time, and, although you may to specially order them online, they’re fairly easy to find. The best new game of last year, according to Vulture, was Everdell, a German-style game that builds up fast and takes only a half hour, roughly.
Hit the Gym Together
No one’s saying that every friend date has to be entertaining. Sometimes, it’s enough to just get out of the house with a best friend and do something productive. Pick a weekday night that you’re both free, and meet at the gym.
Not only will it make the experience less boring, but also, having another person around is a proven way to push yourself harder during exercise. You can hold each other accountable to goals, and provide encouragement. If you’re really intense, and you and your friend are both competitive, you can even download a fitness challenge app with them.
Find a Trivia Night
You may not win the whole thing with just two people, but trivia is a fun way of spending the night out. Rather than just sit and drink, you get to flex your brain muscles. More and more theme trivia nights have been popping up, especially in bigger cities, like “Simpsons Trivia”, “Sports Trivia”, “Spongebob Trivia” and even “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Trivia”. Are you and your friend experts in any niche topics?
Have a “Whisky Appreciation Night”
When you call it “drinking whisky at home with your friend”, it sounds kind of pathetic. Gussy it up, however, with a name like “Whisky Appreciation Night”, and you’ve got yourself a dignified pastime. Share tasting notes, compare thoughts, or, you know, just have a couple drinks and laugh about your life. Of course, if you don’t like whisky, just sub it out for any other drink, like wine or beer.
For a fun night out (or in) with your best friend, try one of these amazing friend date ideas. You might not be going out… but that shouldn’t stop you from going out.