What Are Good Third Date Ideas?

A good third date gives you more time than the last one. It shows her a little of your real life. It has you doing something together instead of facing each other across a table. A long walk that ends at a favorite place, a meal you cook together, or a half-day outing all fit. Pick one with a bit of privacy and an easy way to keep going or stop.

By now she has seen you twice and chose to come back. The pressure of the first date is gone, and she is wondering what it would be like to know you in ordinary life. That makes the third date the right time to move past "meet and talk" and show her more of how you spend your time.

You are also still the one who plans it. My view is that you should pick the plan yourself, near your place or hers. A date set far from both makes it hard to extend a good night. He also says dates go better when the woman has a long window of time, not an hour. So give her notice, pick an evening or an afternoon with room in it, and tell her the plan in one line.

A walk that has stops. Start in a neighborhood you like, stop for a coffee, walk to a park or a view, and end with a drink or dessert. It is cheap and flexible, and a long walk is an easy place to take her hand.

A day date. Take a small trip: a market two towns over, a beach, a hike, a lake. Four hours in one place show you how she is when she is tired, hungry or has to decide something. Keep it light and keep the options open, because a long day only works if both of you are enjoying it.

A late afternoon that turns into dinner. Meet at four for something short, such as a gallery or a bookshop, and let the evening decide whether you eat together. This is better than a booked dinner because nobody has to stay until the dessert plates come.

Your favorite place. Take her to the cafe, bar or record store you actually go to. It tells her something true about you, and the staff greeting you by name does more than any description.

Cook together. Pick something simple, like pasta or tacos, and make it at your place or hers if she is comfortable with that. Tasks keep your hands busy and make conversation easy. Make sure it is her choice to come, and have a good plan B for an outing if she would rather stay out.

Something you are good at. If you climb, play pool, dance or sail, invite her to try it with you. You are good at it, so you look good, and you are patient while she learns, which says a lot about you.

A class. Cooking, pottery, salsa or a mixology night puts you next to each other doing something new. You laugh at yourselves, you touch by accident, and you get an easy topic.

A game night. Mini golf, bowling, darts or a board game bar gives you teasing, competition and something to do with your hands. coach remembers a game of miniature golf from his own early dating as a very cute date.

A show with a bar after. If you go to a concert or a play, plan to talk afterward. A show alone is a problem because you spend two hours looking at a stage. coach tells men to avoid comedy clubs and movies early on. She ends up interacting with the performance instead of with you.

• The same bar as the first two dates. The same room brings back the same conversation.
• A formal dinner with a long tasting menu. My complaint is that you lose control of the timing, and the table keeps you from sitting close.
• Anything that needs a big announcement, such as meeting your friends or family. That is a later step.
• A plan with no exit. Have a second place in mind in case the first one is too loud or too quiet.

Say it in a line with a day and a time: "Saturday, I am taking you on a long walk and then to my favorite taco place. Four o'clock?" Specific beats open. She only has to say yes or suggest another time, and you look like a man who has a plan.