Try: An Outdoor Shakespeare Festival

If you want to get a little cultural enrichment into your dating game, you might want to seek out your local Shakespeare fest. They're often free and/or inexpensive, and they also happen to be a lot of fun. Plus, don't you want to seem extra cultured and smart in front of your date? Just remember to pack a bottle of wine and a killer picnic spread.

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Try: A Hike

This depends a lot on the area you live in, but a nice walk through nature can be quite relaxing and romantic. Whether you live in a dry climate with dusty craggy hills like LA, or an area with fairytale-style woods like the Pacific Northwest, a long, secluded walk is a great way to spend some quality time together.

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Try: A Carnival

So, carnivals are kind of a seasonal thing, and you're not always going to be able to find one in your area... but if you're lucky, and all the stars align, it could make for a really fun, low-key date. Seriously, doesn't eating cotton candy on a rickety Ferris wheel sound impossibly romantic in an old-school kind of way?

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Try: A Local Museum

Okay, so it may not be the Instagram wonderland that is the Museum of Ice Cream, but you'll see some really great things on a trip to your local museum, which makes it a fun date idea on a budget. You'll have a lot to talk about, and a lot of freedom -- strolling around together can feel less limiting than your traditional dinner/movie combo.

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Try: The Natural History Museum

So, maybe fine art isn't exactly you're thing... but maybe science is. And honestly, can you think of anything that sets the mood better than dioramas of cavemen, and giant dinosaur fossils? Come on.

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