{"id":82,"date":"2007-07-20T13:43:03","date_gmt":"2007-07-20T20:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bspcn.com\/2007\/07\/20\/20-dates-for-under-20\/"},"modified":"2007-07-20T13:50:13","modified_gmt":"2007-07-20T20:50:13","slug":"20-dates-for-under-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/2007\/07\/20\/20-dates-for-under-20\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Dates for Under $20"},"content":{"rendered":"
Written By Sarah Pierce<\/a> <\/p>\n Who says romance has to cost an arm and a leg?<\/p>\n With great weather and a desire<\/strong> to be adventurous, there’s no excuse for you and your partner not to go on a date. Don’t have enough money, you say? Here are 20 ideas for memorable dates that won’t set you back more than $20.<\/p>\n 1. Find the best happy hour<\/a> in town.<\/strong> Look through your newspaper or search online for local restaurants and bars with happy hours. Most places offer half-price food and drink specials, allowing you to get two drinks and share an appetizer for less than $20.<\/p>\n 2. Go to a museum.<\/strong> Most museums<\/a> either have free admission or offer free entry on certain days of the month.<\/p>\n 3. Visit your local zoo<\/a>.<\/strong> Most zoos offer adult tickets for less than $10. Pack your own snacks and bottled water and have a mini picnic while you’re there.<\/p>\n 4. Go on a romantic hike<\/a>.<\/strong> Bring a backpack and surprise your partner with a bottle of champagne, glasses and fresh strawberries.<\/p>\n 5. Go swimming<\/a> at your local pool, lake or beach.<\/strong> Bring some water toys and have more fun than the kids.<\/p>\n 6. Beat the heat with an ice cream<\/a> date.<\/strong> Take two scoops to the park, or take a walk downtown and go people watching.<\/p>\n 7. Hit the dollar movie theater<\/a>.<\/strong> Lots of cities have discount movie theaters showing second-run features. Pick a rainy day and have a movie marathon.<\/p>\n 8. Take a downtown walking tour.<\/strong> Discover things and places you never knew existed. While you’re there, pick up a free visitors guide for more date ideas.<\/p>\n 9. Plan a cheap picnic.<\/strong> Go on a picnic at the beach, mountains or in your own backyard. Grab a blanket, pack a deli sandwich and a bottle of $5 wine.<\/p>\n 10. Take a blanket to the beach<\/a>.<\/strong> Split your budget between a bottle of wine and cheese, then enjoy the sunset while you snuggle on a blanket.<\/p>\n 11. Stroll through the botanical gardens<\/a>.<\/strong> Spend the day walking hand in hand through rose gardens and tropical rainforests, for less than $10 a ticket.<\/p>\n 12. Be a kid again.<\/strong> Go bowling<\/a>, play miniature golf<\/a>, ride go-carts or play laser tag.<\/p>\n 13. Build a bonfire.<\/strong> All you need is some firewood, snacks and a drink of your choice. This is also a great opportunity to make ‘smores.<\/p>\n 14. Rent something.<\/strong> Go roller- or ice-skating, rent a two-seater bike<\/a> and pedal through the park, or paddle a boat on a pond.<\/p>\n 15. Paint pottery<\/a> together.<\/strong> Lots of studios let you get creative for around $6 an hour.<\/p>\n 16. Pitch a tent.<\/strong> Park<\/a> fees are usually less than $10, which leaves money for food and firewood. Go camping and roast hot dogs as you gaze at the stars.<\/p>\n 17. Go wine tasting.<\/strong> Most wineries<\/a> charge around $5 for a tasting of five different wines — plus,you’ll get to keep the glass as a souvenir of your date.<\/p>\n 18. Take a scenic drive.<\/strong> Pull over to have coffee and dessert at a nice cafe.<\/p>\n 19. Explore local galleries<\/a> and artists.<\/strong> Many cities have art walks one night a month during the summer, with the bonus of a free glass of wine.<\/p>\n