The 10 Best Dates Ideas in Washington DC
They can’t ghost you after these impressive dates, right?
These days, dating in Washington can be as tough as reaching across the aisle. And while dating in DC is notoriously difficult, there is no shortage of great date spots around (and beyond) the District. Once you've set a date with a potential partner, here’s where to go when you’re looking for a more creative date than drinks at your neighborhood dive bar—from hitting the dancefloor to nerding out on a quirky museum date.
If you’d normally grab a drink:
Bar hopping in Ivy City
Ivy City
Formerly industrial, now decidedly trendy, Ivy City’s warehouses and factory spaces have been converted into restaurants, shops, and a few excellent drinking establishments that make for a more interesting date than any old bar meetup. Start at Other Half Brewing which has a solid collection of beers on tap and a covered patio with board games and TVs. To dial up the romance, head to the former garage turned distillery of Don Ciccio & Figli. They specialize in Italian herbal liqueurs, and you can enjoy cocktails, flights, or an extensive guided tasting.
Try iconic foods
Various locations
As true Washingtonians know, the city’s food scene has exploded in recent years with more Michelin starred restaurants and celebrity chefs than you can count. Yes, dining out in DC’s trendy establishments makes a great date, but have you eaten your way around the city’s OG food staples? Doing so makes for an adventurous date, one that could stretch for hours or even days. Start at Jessie Taylor Seafood in The Wharf’s fish market, where you can score steamed Chesapeake crabs coated in Old Bay. Move on Half Smokes at Ben’s Chili Bowl, oysters at Old Ebbitt Grill, and wrap up the night with midnight jumbo slices at Duccini’s.
Sneak into a speakeasy
Various locations
Few settings are as cozy, romantic, and date-worthy than a speakeasy. Tucked in the back of restaurants or hidden down dark alleys, speakeasies give a fun twist to your average bar date. Check out The Wells, which has moodily decorated interior and a gin-heavy cocktail menu, Allegory an award-winning concept bar hidden off a common room at the Eaton hotel, or Captain Gregory’s in Old Town Alexandria, which offers an intriguing combination of the town’s nautical flavor with some 1920s-esque elegance.
Hang in a food hall
Various locations
Sometimes booking a dinner reservation for a date is more trouble than it’s worth. That’s the beauty in opting for a date at one of the city’s food halls. Opt for a casual meal at one of the city’s food halls, like Union Market, La Cosecha, The Roost, Bryant Street Market, or The Square.
Have a picnic
Various locations
DC is home to some of the country’s best restaurants, but sometimes packing a baguette, cheese, some wine, and finding a city place is more interesting than booking a table at the current hot spot. Settle down in one of DC’s best-known parks like Rock Creek Park, Meridian Hill Park, and Lincoln Park. They’re all great picnic spots, but for something a little off the beaten path, look to one of the smaller green spaces in the city like Bishop’s Garden, Lady Bird Johnson Park, or Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens.
If you want to get creative:
Visit a museum after hours
Various locations
With 17 Smithsonian institutions in the city and countless other smaller, underrated spots, there’s no shortage of places to explore in DC. But there’s something extra romantic about strolling the halls of a museum after hours. And for a first date, walking around while looking at art takes some of the pressure of just talking across a table. Phillips Collection stays open until 8 pm on the third Thursday of every month, and the downtown National Museum of Women in the Arts is open until 8 pm on the third Wednesday of every month. Library of Congress stays open until 8 pm each Thursday with live music performances, poetry readings, and book talks. And The National Gallery hosts popular Gallery Nights which are available to attend by their lottery system (if you snag tickets, your date will definitely be impressed).
See a classic film
Various locations
Several of DC’s movie houses show classic and black and white films on the regular, so turn up the charm and grab tickets to see a classic film somewhere in the city. The Miracle Theater in Capitol Hill, The Angelika Pop-Up in Union Market, Landmark’s E Street Cinema downtown, AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, and the Alamo Drafthouse in Brentwood and Crystal City all have regularly scheduled classic film screenings. The cherry on top: Tickets start at just $8 and many of the theaters have impressive wine and beer selections.
If you want to get active:
Sweat at a sauna
Various locations
The couples that sweat together, stay together, right? Book an infrared sauna sweat session and a salt soak at Pure Sweat + Float Studio in Georgetown. Or make a full day of it and check out the spa, hydrotherapy pool, and various saunas at Balian Springs in Alexandria.
Go ice skating
The National Mall
Maybe you have the moves, maybe you don’t, but regardless, it’s hard not to have fun while ice skating, even if you haven’t tried it since you were a kid. Even if you fall more times than you would like to admit, skating at the skating rink in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden is a pretty iconic experience, and one you and your date won’t soon forget. Warm up afterwards with a hot chocolate from the Pavilion Cafe.
Spend some time in nature
Various locations
Studies show that even just a short walk in nature can reduce stress and anxiety, which sounds like a perfect cure for first date jitters. DC is a super green city, full of forest bathing opportunities —the Japanese concept of shinrin yoku, or engaging all the senses in a therapeutic connection to nature. Try a walking date, roaming through the sprawling National Arboretum (the Arboretum often hosts guided forest bathing walks), or exploring the gardens of Dumbarton Oaks or the C&O Canal.