Less Than 15 Dallas Date Ideas for Less Than $15

We’re going through a series at The Porch which talks about dating (among other things).

We’ve actually encouraged godly men at The Porch who are ready for marriage to find the godliest woman they know and ask her out.

Perhaps you still need some help, though. Perhaps you don’t know where to ask her out to. Maybe you’re new to the area, or you’ve changed your playground and playmates and need some new ideas that don’t rely on your old definition of “fun.”

To help, we asked around about some creative, clean, low-pressure date spots around DFW. Something besides just dinner or coffee, since you have plenty of options for that. And we tried to limit it to ideas that weren’t that expensive ($15 or less per person) since we are also proponents of good financial stewardship. We came up with 14 ideas, but feel free to add your own in the comments at the end.

Less Than 15 Dallas Date Ideas for Less Than $15

1. Klyde Warren Park

This downtown/arts district park has quickly become one of the most popular cool spots in Dallas. Yes, it’s a park—and is built on top of a highway—but it has food trucks, a restaurant, wifi, a dog park, a reading area stocked with reading materials, chess, croquet, ping pong, a putting green, and petanque (whatever that is). And the price is right: everything but the food is free.

Also, this Friday (February 21, 2014) a couple hundred Porchies will be there at 8 p.m. for an open-air worship night called “Awaken.” Everyone is welcome to join; check out the Facebook page for details.

2. The Dallas Museum of Art

Right next to Klyde Warren Park is the DMA, which is now also free all the time (except for special exhibits). It normally closes at 5 p.m., except for Thursday evenings and the Late Nights on the third Friday of every month (which is also this Friday). During Late Nights you can also check out the Nasher Sculpture Center next door for free, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art right next to that. All are open until midnight on third Fridays.

3. Fort Worth Museum District

On the FW side of DFW, Fort Worth has its own collection of art museums. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art and the Kimbell Art Museum are both free and well worth a visit. Next to the Kimbell is the Modern Art Musuem of Fort Worth, which costs $10, but is free on the first Sunday of every month. Next to the Amon Carter is the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, which is also $10.

4. Fort Worth Zoo

OK, so there’s both the Dallas Zoo and the Fort Worth Zoo to choose from, but most people seem to agree that the one in Fort Worth is the better of the two. Admission is $12. You may think of the zoo as a place for kids, but an unscientific poll of two grown women showed that they both thought it was a great date idea.

5. Fort Worth Stockyards

Real cowboys might scoff at its touristy nature, but for city slickers the Stockyards do allow you to see cattle drives, gunfights, and wild west shows, while browsing through blocks of western-themed shops. There is also a rodeo every Friday and Saturday night, though that will cost you a whopping $17.50. (During the summers on the opposite side of the Metroplex, you can attend the Mesquite Rodeo any Friday or Saturday night for $14.)

6. White Rock Lake

The lake, and the park and 9-mile trail that surrounds it, is a good place to watch a sunset, have a picnic, go for a walk, or (for the athletic/outdoorsy types) go running, biking, or roller blading. Kayaks can be rented for $14.99 an hour, or a two-seater canoe for $10 per person.

7. Dallas Arboretum

Girls love flowers, and the Arboretum has 66 acres of them. Hard to go wrong here, guys, as long as the weather is nice. Tickets for non-members are normally $15, but next week (February 24-28, 2014) it’s only $5 per person.

8. Movies at Valley View AMC

There are plenty of movie theaters around, including multiple AMCs, so why list this one? Because it’s cheap. All movies are $6 unless they start before 4 p.m., in which case it’s only $4. And yes, these are first-run movies; the same as the ones you would pay twice as much for at the NorthPark AMC. NorthPark is a million times better mall than Valley View, but the theaters aren’t really that different.

Or, with a little drive, a much more creative movie option is…

9. Galaxy Drive-In Theater

About 30 miles south of downtown Dallas, where it gets dark enough to actually project movies outside, there is the six-screen Galaxy Drive-In Theater. Tickets there are also $6, but for that you get two movies (a double-feature) and a neat 1950s vibe.

10. Plaza Theatre Company

Starting from downtown Fort Worth instead, head 30 miles south to Cleburne and you can watch a live play at the Plaza Theatre Company. They have shows every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening, as well as a Saturday afternoon matinee. It’s a theatre in the round, which means any seat is a good seat and you’re way up close to the action (you can’t stick your feet out in the front row because you might trip one of the actors).

11. Shakespeare in the Park

During the summer, you can catch some outdoor theater with Shakespeare in the Park at the Samuell Grand Amphitheatre. Oddly enough, some of the shows are not actually by Shakespeare. Tickets are $10 each.

12. North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center

For a little more real-life drama, you can try your hand at the 120-foot indoor rock climbing walls at Carrolton’s North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center. If you can make sense of their daily specials, you can get your climb on for $8 - $15 per person. There are other local rock climbing gyms as well, but this is the only one built inside an old grain elevator, and therefore taller than a 10-story building.

13. McKinney Square

Historic downtown McKinney features Second Saturdays, which is a time to explore the local shops, art galleries, and restaurants. (No, not that 2nd Saturday, though that would be a creative way to serve together as a couple—and since they occur at different times of the day, you could do both.) The second Saturday this April is McKinney Square’s annual Arts in Bloom, when you can take an ArtWalk and see work by over 100 local artists. Both are free, unless you buy something.

14. The Porch

OK, so not a traditional date idea, but it is the place to be on Tuesday evenings. Outside of Tuesdays, we regularly have events like the Valentine’s party at Bowl and Barrel last week. It’s a way to date in community, the same way that dates used to happen on the front porch where the family and community could see. We’ll let you know about events when we meet on Tuesdays, and you can also check our Facebook page for invites.

What’s your favorite date idea in or around DFW?

Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xvisionx_Dallas_Stemmons.jpg