Call them cheap dates if you must, but the preferred term is "frugal." And you may start with a quest to save money only to end up with a superior dating experience.
If you seek out inexpensive date options in Atlanta, you can have more of them. Take away the hoopla surrounding reservations and high-expectation concert tickets and you may have more fun, even when your date's the sweetheart you see with bed head every morning.
And if you're on the "trying to meet that special someone" circuit? Remember, a low-cost date takes a lot of the pressure off and you can just be yourselves. No matter your reasons, there are lots of great date options in Atlanta that come in under $20. Here are eight of them:
Mother Bar & Restaurant Taco Tuesdays
Price: You pick 10: $2 tacos, $2 tequila shots, $2 Tecate on Tuesday.
Total date tab: $20.
447 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. motherbar@gmail.com.
If your date doesn't like wallet-friendly tacos, does this relationship have a future? This is a no-pressure date spot if ever there was one, just an energetic place with an indie vibe and great eats. This Tuesday night choice can also include karaoke! And if the attraction is there, you can hang out at Mother's until 2:30 a.m.
Play disc golf on the Suwanee Creek course.
Free.
Suwanee Creek Park, 1170 Buford Hwy., Suwanee. 770-945-8996. www.suwanee.com/explore-suwanee/parks.
Soak in all those health benefits of being outdoors and the date will be worth it, whether it's your first and last or your 1,000th. This short course is designed to be fine for beginners but offers a bit of challenge, too. Two of the holes involve tossing the disc over water. Mercifully, it's in a shady, wooded area so it's appropriate for late spring and summer dates, too.
Play old-school games at Joystick Gamebar.
Price: $5 for game and foosball quarters; $7 for tornado potatoes to share; $4 each for Tecate or a housemade ginger beer. Total date tab: $20.
Joystick Gamebar, 427 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-525-3002, www.joystickgamebar.com.
Joystick is proud to be a nerdy dive bar. It's an easygoing place for your first meet-and-greet, or for an established couple who needs to get out of the house and away from the kids already. Just know that it's 21 and up after 8 p.m. And bring your quarters! Where else could you possibly play cabinet games like "Galaga" or "Street Fighter II" for 25 cents? Or pinball for the same flimsy quarter a pop? Foosball's 75 cents, and it all adds up to a nostalgic couple hours of enthusiastic, affordable fun.
Historic Oakland Cemetery Stroll
Free public park + self-guided tour map. Total date tab: $5.
248 Oakland Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-688-2107. www.oaklandcemetery.com.
So maybe this isn't everyone's best choice for a first date, but for the lovers of stirring stories of Atlanta's past, this could top the list. The cemetery is lavish and serene, not creepy. It's part of a public park, open from dawn to dusk every day of the year. For your strolling-along pleasure, it encompasses a Victorian garden cemetery, sculpture garden, botanical garden and wildlife habitat. The historic cemetery has moved with the times, so it's also possible to take a "dial-in" tour. The number for Oakland's Timeless Gardens is 678-880-4247; for African American Voices, 678-365-0232.
Visit kitties at Java Cats Cafe
Price: $10 each for an hour with reservations; $7.50 for a half-hour without reservations. Total date tab: $15-$20.
Java Cats Cafe, 415 Memorial Drive SE, Suite C, Atlanta. 470-305-7575, www.javacatscafe.com/
Love me, must love cats? If that's your attitude, Java Cats Cafe is a great get-to-know-you date that won't cut into your cat-toy budget. A reservation grants you a visit with 15-20 adoptable shelter cats at Atlanta's first cat cafe. If they're not asleep, you can cuddle or socialize with the kitties. They're not there for your entertainment, they're there to improve their odds of a forever home, but it's so much fun you'll forget that. The reservation route is best if your date is preplanned because you'll know you're getting in. It also includes unlimited mugs of brewed Firelight drip coffee or a choice of organic tea. This isn't the date for night prowlers, though: Java Cats Cafe closes at 8 p.m. during the week and 7 p.m. on Saturdays, along with being closed Mondays. There's one in Marietta, too.
Hit up Whole World Improv Theatre on a Thursday.
Price: $10 for the men all night long, free for ladies between 7 and 7:30 p.m. Total date tab: free-$20, depending on makeup of couple
1216 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. 404-817-7529, wholeworldtheatre.com.
This apprentice-cast member show is a great option if you share a slapstick sense of humor. And it's tough to find a live show that costs so little. The laughs run for about an hour and 45 minutes. There's a 15-minute intermission midway to get to know your date better (or ask why they're not laughing).
Go see where "Walking Dead" was filmed.
Price: Gas for your car. Total date tab: $5-$20.
If you have access to a car and the heart of a fan, you've got the means for a fun date that costs only a wee amount. "Walking Dead" is a television series filmed in Atlanta, and here's your chance to see at least some of the 14 metro-area shooting locations. Catch up on locales like Bellwood Quarry, which became the survivor's campsite on the show. Bring water bottles and charge up handhelds to take lots of selfies. Oh, and make extra sure both of you will be talking excitedly about the show on the drive. This could inspire some cozy Netflix and take-out future dates, too, if you decide the trip down memory lane merits watching the hit show all over again.
Drink High Life and play trivia at the Independent on Tuesdays.
Price: $8 for four $2-beers; $10 for an order of batter-fried green beans and chips and salsa to share. Total date tab: $18.
The Independent, 931 Monroe Drive NE, Suite C205, Atlanta. 404-249-9869, www.theindependentatlanta.com.
"The champagne of beers" is still having its moment, and you can share that trend with your sweetheart. See how you pair at trivia starting at 9 p.m. The tasty appetizers come from a cozy, slow-food kitchen at this strictly "booze-bistro-billiards" venue. It's the kind of place you could frequent, together or separately. The availability of fried Twinkies might put you a wee bit over the $20 date-for-two budget, though.
About the Author
