Waco Date Ideas

In a couple months, my wife and I will be celebrating our three year anniversary. It's a pretty big deal, I know.

Over the past three years, we have tried to take a date night at least once a week and sometimes we have done great, and sometimes we have not done so great.

It really takes a lot of energy to be creative and not just do the same thing every week. We definitely do have some "go-to" date night ideas, but we decided awhile back to start making a list of great Waco Date Ideas. Some of the things on our list we have done before and some of them are things that we want to do in the near future.

Here is our list so far, in no particular order.





1) Throw tortillas off the suspension bridge

• There used to be a second bridge next to the suspension bridge, but today all that is left are the pillars. A fun date idea is to buy a pack of tortillas and see who can make the most tortillas on top of the pillar.







My wife and I at the Baylor game when we defeated #1 Kansas State.

2) Any Baylor Sporting Event

• Sometimes we overlook the fact that we have a Big 12 school who usually has a nationally ranked team playing at any given time in our backyard. The football stadium is in walking distance from our house and during the spring you can catch a baseball game and enjoy the "grassy knoll."

3) Cameron Park

• In the past year or so the City of Waco has put millions of dollars into this gem of a park.
• Some of the great date night activities that you can do at Cameron Park include: bike riding, cooking out, taking a stroll on the River Trail, feeding the ducks, and playing a mean game of disc golf.
• This past year a new company opened up on the river called Outdoor Waco. This store rents bikes- mountain, road and tandem  (I'll pay to watch this), and watercrafts - canoes, kayaks, and my favorite, PADDLEBOARDS.
• You can follow up your activities will a frozen treat at Oso's Frozen Yogurt at the corner of 3rd and Franklin.

4) Brazos Nights

• During the summer the city of Waco puts on a free concert the first Friday night of each month.
• The best one of the year though is the July 4th weekend show where they have fireworks and lots of food vendors.

5) Diner on Austin Avenue

• In the past 5 years there has been a ton of development activity downtown on Austin Avenue.
• A classy dinner on Austin Avenue makes you feel like you are in Dallas or Austin or Nashville.
• Some of our favorite places to eat at on Austin Avenue include Austin's on the Avenue, Sam's on the Square or even Se Cocina.
• After dinner, take a stroll around Heritage Square and take pictures in front of the Waco "W" sign.  

6) Art in Waco

• There are a couple of art galleries on Austin Avenue that are worth checking out on a date night - the Siler Maple gallery and the Croft Art Gallery
• Also, the Hippodrome, after taking some time off, should also be back-up and into full swing this next year. It's a great place to catch a show.

7) Go All Out on Dinner

• There are a handful of places in Waco to go if you want to impress that special someone. 135 Prime and  Diamondbacks are two of the top places in town. 

 8) Go for a drive

• One of our favorite things to do is go on a drive. This might sound lame, but there are some beautiful drives around Waco. One of the best is the picturesque views on Lakeshore Drive. Then of course you have the Castle Heights areas. And if you are up for a spending a little more time together, take a drive down Highway 84 and stop by the Coffee Shop Cafe and get a piece of pie!

9) Start it early

• Sometimes you run out of date-night ideas and you just have to go on a date-day. Whenever this is the case, we usually have two main places that we go for a little breakfast/brunch date.
• In the up-and-coming NearNorth Waco Neighborhood you can grab a bite to eat at the World Cup Cafe. The best deal on the whole menu is the Texas Toaster. And our other favorite is Cafe Cappuccino downtown. Grab some coffee and get ready for some plate-sized pancakes!

What are some of your favorite Waco dates?



10 Cheap Date Ideas

 
As many of our friends may know, I (Josh speaking) am an extreme penny pincher. For the past couple of years, Jenny and I have been using the envelope system for all of our discretionary spending- groceries, dining, date night, blow money. So of course, at the end of each month there is almost nothing left in these envelopes, so you have to start getting creative.

Over the past few years, we have been on some embarrassingly cheap dates. The other day we saw the "YOU'RE A CHEAP DATE" Sonic commercial, and we laughed out loud because it is so true of us. So we decided to compile our list of our 10 Cheapest Date Ideas. Sad to say it wasn't that hard. We actually had to take a few off the list.

So here is our list:

10. Redbox- The tried and sometimes true best way to have a cheap date. If you can shuffle through all the lame titles, like All Dogs Go To Heaven 6, and are able to find a movie that you want to watch, Redbox is the way to go. Total Cost: $1.06

9. Jason's Deli- So you really have to play this one right to get a cheap date out of it. We used to both order side salads for $3.69 but then they started making you order an entree in order to get a side salad, and that is just way too expensive. So we found out that you can actually order a junior salad (which is essentially a side salad) for $3.49 and you get a drink to go with it. Not to mention the amazing FREE muffins and granola to go with the meal, and FREE ice cream to finish the meal off. Total Cost- $6.98

8. Starbucks- The other day we had a mid-day date (which I highly encourage these) at Starbucks. Jenny really wanted a drink so I had a receipt that had $2 off a frozen drink after 2 PM and she had a giftcard with around a dollar on it, so we were able to get her a drink for $.46. A few minutes later one of the baristas yelled out that there was a free drink, so of course I ran to get it. Total Cost- $.46

7. Dancing- Actually back when we were dating, I was driving home from work and saw a sign that said "Dancing Tuesdays and Thursdays." There was a $2 cover charge, but it was probably our best date ever. Oh yeah, it was also at the Sul Ross Senior Center, so we were the youngest people in the place by 50 years easy. Total Cost- $4.00

6. Dairy Queen- One of Jenny's favorite places on earth is the DQ. They have a deal where f you join their DQ Blizzard Fan Club you can get a free 16 ounce blizzard with the purchase of another 16 ounce one. Double Win! Total Cost- $3.49 +Tax 

5. Putt-Putt Golf- There is a place here in Waco called Lion's Park that I went to when I was a young kid, so I thought it would be the perfect place for a date for Jenny and I. It was actually surprisingly fun, but I dared not go down the "SUPER SLIDE." Total Cost- $7.00

4. Barnes and Noble-Chances are if you go to the Waco Barnes and Noble on a Tuesday night, you will most likely find Jenny and I there. If you're luck enough to grab a couple of their 4 comfy chairs, you are set for a few hours. Total Cost- FREE! (Unless you get sucked into the superb placement of the Starbucks at the front)

3. McDonald's- What cheap date list wouldn't be complete with good ole Ronald McDonald? Not ours! Bottom line: Go to McDonald's, get 2 ice creams for $.49 each and enjoy a quiet evening in a luxurious restaraunt. Total Cost- $1.06

2. Chick-Fil-A- Back in college we would go to Chick-Fil-A on Tuesdays because we could get a free kid's meal with an order of a combo. But we've matured now and only go when we get coupons for free stuff. A few months back we were given a few coupons for free spicy chicken sandwhiches, and those lasted us a few weeks. Realize though that if you get a spicy chicken sandwhich, you'll probably have to get something cold to wash it down. That's where they get you. Total Cost- FREE or $1.55 Plus Tax for a Drink

Bum...Bum..Bumm....And Number One Cheap Date Idea is....

1. ESTES PARK COLORADO!!!I know what you're thinking, "Estes Park is one of the most expensive places to vacation." And you're right, unless, you are a penny pincher like myself. Last summer, my uncle asked us to house sit for them while they went to DisneyWorld, and we had recently earned enough airline miles to get 2 free round trip flights. They allowed us to use their cars and Jenny was able to cook while we were there. Total Cost- $20