Creative Date Ideas in Milwaukee
Milwaukee residents have a huge metro area at their disposal, so there’s no excuse for a boring date. You can take advantage of the Cream City’s charms regardless of your wallet’s thickness. Here are some more creative date ideas.
1. Urban Photo Shoot. Milwaukee is remarkably photogenic, with a chuggish, charming beauty all its own. See if your date has an eye for composition as well as an eye for you! Grab a digital camera and capture what inspires you. Take pictures of people, landmarks, or any old scene that strikes your fancy. Bring along a laptop and download the pictures over coffee. If you hit it off, you’ll always have a visual reminder of your date. If your date turns out to be a dud, at least you have some photos to share with your friends.
2. Running along the Lakefront. Can your date keep pace with you? For the physically active, exercising together can be a good get-to-know-you. And there’s no better scenery in Milwaukee than the well-preserved lakefront along Lincoln Memorial Drive. Jog from downtown to Shorewood and back again. Even if you don’t score a sweetheart, you may bag an exercise buddy.
3. Thrift Store Shopping. Instead of meandering through Mayfair Mall in the burbs, why not make shopping an adventure? Second-hand stores like Yellow Jacket and Closet Classics (both in the Riverwest area) are fun places to ravage the racks. And if you’re looking for more than just clothes, try the Milwaukee outlets of Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Because you’ll come across strange items, along with some colorful characters, second-hand shopping makes for a fun day. And it has a practical side: you can learn about your date’s taste. If you see your prospective beau buying used Yanni cassette tapes, you might think twice about a second date.
4. Indoor Soccer.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ It’s not uncommon for people to attend professional sports events on a date. Heck, it seems like every Milwaukee Brewers home baseball game involves some hapless guy proposing to his fiancee. But instead of baseball or basketball, opt for something a little different. Milwaukee’s indoor soccer team, the Wave, plays at the US Cellular Arena, and the cheapest seats are only $12. See if your date really does get a kick out of you. Visit www.milwaukeewave.com for details.
5. Miller Brewery Tour.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Milwaukee loves its beer. Instead of just grabbing some brew at the Water Street bars, celebrate Miller Time with a tour of the beer giant’s facilities. After learning about the company’s history and its brewing plant, enjoy the complimentary pints in a German-style pub on the premises. See if your date can keep pace with your alcohol habit.
6. Pabst Mansion Tour. If you’re less into drinking and more into dÃ?©cor, Milwaukee’s beer baron past can still supply you with a great date. Just west of the downtown, you’ll find the Pabst Mansion at 2000 W. Wisconsin Avenue. You and your date can revisit the 1890s together without the trappings of formal courtship. Tours are only $8 a person. For details, visit www.pabstmansion.com.
7. Volunteering together. If you want to give back to the community before you give “it” to each other in private, try volunteering together. The Shepherd-Express publishes a list of opportunities each week. You can also check with local organizations that cater to mutual interests. Watching how your date treats other people in the Milwaukee community may tell you a lot about how you’ll eventually be treated.
8. Bumming around BayView.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ From bead shops to antique stores and booksellers to galleries, a walk through this Milwaukee neighborhood, especially if you’re not already familiar with it, can be a great way to learn about the city and your date. Start at Bay Street and Kinnickinnic Avenue and walk south, stopping in shops and feeding your fancies. There’s something to be said for just wandering around a cool neighborhood.
9. Frisbee Golf.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Most of us are not country club types who want to cart around a course with a bag of clubs. For a more bohemian take on the traditional game, grab some discs and drive out to the special frisbee golf course at Dretzka Park, 12020 W. Bradley Road. By the end of 18 holes, you and your date will test your accuracy as well as your compatibility. And it you don’t own any discs, buy some first at Art Smart’s Dart Mart and Juggling Emporium at the corner of Brady Street and Humboldt Avenue.
10. Airport Plane Watching.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Okay, so it’s the Milwaukee equivalent of going to park at some scenic overlook. But why not relive those awkward teenage years for the sake of novelty? If your date is up for it, the observation area at Mitchell airport, just off of Layton Avenue, is a great place to watch planes and wax philosophical. You can even tune your radio to 88.5 FM and hear the pilots communicate with air traffic control. Though it may not be everyone’s idea of a dream date, it’s cheap and conversation-oriented. If you were going to have coffee anyway, grab the lattes to go and use the landing strip lights as a backdrop.
