Hi everyone!

Since Valentine’s Day just passed us, I thought I’d share a few first-date ideas I have for incoming students (or even current students) living in Iowa City and looking to impress that very special someone. Despite being smaller in size, Iowa City has plenty of activities to offer its local community, so let’s get into some potential date ideas for you and the person you’re hoping to get to know better!

The Stanley Museum of Art

A hot spot for first dates is Iowa City’s newest museum! It’s free admission for students (so save your money for a nice dinner afterward!) and the museum is constantly changing its exhibits, so you and your date can enjoy multiple floors of new art and design even if you’ve visited in the past.

If you’re looking to do an activity while inside, the museum often has scavenger hunts, so you and your date can grab a sheet and start running around to check off all the boxes together! This is a great way to have some fun while still taking the time to chat with one another.

Dinner Downtown

As I mentioned above, you and your date should get a bite to eat and luckily, Iowa City has plenty of spots for resident foodies to enjoy! Within downtown, they have restaurants offering American, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and all types of cuisine, so whatever you and your date are in the mood for, I’m certain you’ll be able to find something to satiate your needs!

A personal favorite of mine is Pullman (if you’re okay spending a little bit of money), but if you’d like something a little cheaper, next door is a place called Nodo that’s just as great! If dinner isn’t the move, Iowa City is also a hub for local coffee shops. Overall, no matter where you go, all of these options should suffice for you and your date.

Seeing a Movie Together

A classic first date idea that will never go out of style has always been seeing a movie together. Iowa City has two different movie theaters: one in the Chauncey and one in the Ped Mall downtown. Since both theaters are small businesses, they’ll usually put on a combination of both new films and old films along with special deals for students.

If you and your date are looking to catch a movie that’s a bit more niche and unheard of, I’d definitely look into the many movies that both locations will be showcasing and see if anything catches your and your date’s eye.

Spare Me Bowling

Speaking of Chauncey, if a movie isn’t really your vibe, what about some good old-fashioned bowling? Located in the same building as the theater, Spare Me is a modern bowling alley with food and arcade games to go around! You and your date can have some fun playing games and getting to know one another over good food and video games as a nice and easy way to break some of the first date jitters.

This is also a great way to bring some other friends into the circle if you’re having a double date and looking to have fun as a group!

Yotopia

I know I can never say no to a sweet treat, so getting frozen yogurt would definitely be a fantastic first date idea for me! Located right on one of Iowa City’s main streets, Yotopia has a range of flavors, a wide variety of toppings, and places to sit, so you and your date can enjoy your frozen yogurt and get to know each other between each spoonful.

If dinner and coffee aren’t the vibe, this might be a great idea between the two!

Stand-Up Comedy at Joystick

A hidden gem in Iowa City has to be all the stand-up comedy shows that happen! Every Thursday and Sunday night, Joystick has open mics for anyone willing to get up on stage, but scheduled shows happen sporadically (just check Joystick’s calendar to know the exact dates!)

If you’re looking for something a bit more lowkey and underground, they also have Secret Stand-up which happens across Iowa City in secret locations which could be really fun to go and locate with your date!

In conclusion, these are only a few ideas of the many, many, many things you could do in Iowa City for a perfect first date. All that matters is that you enjoy your time with the other person, and you get to know one another as much as possible.

Enjoy the date and I hope these ideas helped!