Personally, I have always thought that going to the movies is a horrible first date idea.  There is little to no time for communication to see if you are truly interested in the person.  First dates should be like an audition or an interview.  You are screening this person to see if they have what it takes to return for a call back or a second interview.   This is when you begin the process to see if they have partner potential.  First dates should be comfortable and give you time to talk but also time to be active so that you don’t have to think of conversation throughout the date.

Museums and galleries are great first date venues.  You can talk to each other without disturbing those around you (like at a movie) but if conversation runs out, you can concentrate on the art.

 Going to a festival or carnival can be fun.  Again in you are in an environment that is conducive to conversation, but if you find that you don’t have things to talk about you can work on perfecting your skee ball game or bumping each other into oblivion with the bumper cars.

 The zoo may hold fond childhood memories, but it too can be a great first date place.  Once again the environment is terrific for conversation (are we noticing a pattern here?) but if you get tired of talking the animals are sure to provide plenty of entertainment.

First dates can be awkward but if you do something that’s fun, you will be more likely to have a good time regardless of whether your date is a success.