You finally shot your shot—even though you were sweating bullets—and landed a date with your crush. Now comes the hard part: Figuring out how to impress them during your first adventure out on the town.
Fret not, friend, because we have all kinds of South Florida date night ideas for folks living in Magic City. Get those breath mints ready and give these fun places a go. (Good luck!)
Solve an Escape Room
If your date has a sense of adventure and likes to test their brain, booking an escape room session can all but guarantee an unforgettable experience.
There are plenty of five-star rated escape room activities in the Miami area, many of which offer a selection of different inventive and challenging scenarios for you and your date to choose from. For the most romantic results, be sure to book a sesh with just the two of you. Not only is it a fun way to spend an afternoon, but it’s also one of the best first date ideas to see if you communicate and work well as a team. Never too early to find out, eh? (And solving the mystery is a surefire way to impress your date!)
Be sure to grab some brain food before you go—nothing worse than being trapped in an escape room while you and your date are having a hangry attack. Book a rooftop brunch reservation at Klaw for some out-of-this-world seafood.
Go on a Jaunt Through the Keys
Did you know that there are a ton of Southern Floridians who’ve never actually driven the Overseas Highway? With such an iconic American road right in our backyard, that almost seems like a crime.
The trip from downtown Miami to the farthest reach of Key West is over 150 miles and can take upwards of four hours (unless you own a fast Bugatti). Luckily, you don’t actually have to make it all the way to the end to have a great time.
In fact, the drive alone is a cool date idea in and of itself. As U.S. Highway 1 gently curves westward, you’ll see charming little resort towns, some of the most stunning beaches in the entire Gulf, and of course, the bridges. About halfway between Keys Largo and West, the renowned Seven Mile Bridge stretches over acres of open water—imagine whipping your Chiron Super Sport across that! Take the drive any time of day for an unforgettable, sparkling ocean view that’s sure to impress on a first date.
There are plenty of places to stop and grab a nice dinner all up and down the Keys. If you’re down for a bit of a drive, a fan-favorite location is Kiki’s Sandbar, where you can catch some music and share a plate of their famous ahi tuna nachos, before heading back to the mainland.
If you’re working with a shorter timeframe, another fantastic date idea in the Upper Keys is to visit Long Key State Park. Pack up a charcuterie assortment and find a west-facing spot on the picture-perfect beach, where you can watch a life-changing sunset.
Try Your Hand at Axe Throwing
Need a really fun date idea? Hailing from the Great White North, the sport of axe throwing has taken the world by storm, and if you’ve ever tried it, it’s easy to see why.
If you’re looking for the full food-and-drink package, there are plenty of great places for a date near you. Many Miami axe throwing locations have drinks on site, and some also allow outside food as well—order yourselves a carryout pizza to share and bring it with you. Just like that, you have all the makings of a super fun night eating, drinking, and playing all the carnival-style skill games they have to offer. After all, what’s more attractive than watching someone throw something sharp across a room, right?
Get Outside at Big Cypress
Outdoorsy folks will jump at the chance to go on a hiking date, and luckily for us Miami natives, we have plenty of amazing trails right in our backyard.
Big Cypress National Preserve has miles of varied hikes, with endless opportunities to see the local flora and fauna. Some trails can become flooded at certain times of the year, so maybe save the wet season hiking for the second or third date.
On the off chance you get bored of hiking, don’t worry—the park offers tons of other activities, like kayaking, bicycling, bird watching, ranger-led tours, and even scenic drives. This is also a fantastic idea to show off your culinary game by stocking a cooler for a surprise picnic date among the trees. (Read some of the best places to have a picnic in South Florida.)
Hire an Everglades Airboat Excursion
Are you and your date into photography? For a thoroughly unique date idea, you can hire an airboat tour to take you through the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi.
That’s right, the Everglades isn’t just a giant mudhole—it’s a stunningly diverse environment, and one of the Sunshine State’s most important landmarks. The National Park Service lists a few authorized tour guides, and there are a ton of other mom-and-pop operations west of Greater Miami that offer stellar exploration opportunities. You can spend hours zipping through prehistoric mangroves and seeing all sorts of beautiful wildlife like birds and gators. Many tours also offer hiking trails and up-close encounters with native animals. Bet you won’t dare your date to hold a baby alligator!
Once you work up an appetite, zip on down to Everglades City and check out the mango salmon at the Diving Pelican.
Absorb Some Culture
Wondering about a good way to impress a date? A nice dinner followed by a long stroll through a local museum is an instant winner.
Miami has the benefit of being one of the most culturally diverse cities in the entire country, so it just makes sense that it’d have a wealth of awe-inspiring art and history to check out. The Museum of Contemporary Art, the Frost Museum of Science, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Perez Art Museum—the list goes on and on, which means you have plenty of options. Make a list of your top five and let your date pick which one catches their fancy.
Right next door to the Rubell Museum is Leku, a Basque-themed culinary experience that’s sure to pique your interest if you’re in the market for expensive date ideas.
Take a Pottery Class
Are you ready to channel your inner Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore?
The disciplines of wheel throwing and clay building aren’t easily mastered, but if your date is the artsy type, enrolling in an evening class is a rewarding and creative date idea. Beginner pottery classes tend to focus on the basic fundamentals, so you probably won’t be crafting a foot-tall vase or anything. You will get to keep your finished product though, so you and your date will always have a little reminder of a fun night spent together.
Once you’ve picked a glaze and sent your pottery creation off to be fired in the kiln, we recommend channeling your inner Sophilos and sharing a Greek sampler from Mandolin Aegean Bistro—after you thoroughly wash your hands, of course.
Catch a Drive-in Movie
Remember drive-in theaters? Whatever happened to them, anyway?
As it turns out, they never went anywhere, and an outdoor theater on a warm South Florida night is a perfect fun place to go on a date.
There are very few good first date ideas that match the classic vibe of seeing a movie together, but the drive-in presents an added bonus: you’re not trapped inside a regular theater! You and your date can stay insulated in your car, free to relax on plush leather, listening to a premium sound system while you talk and cuddle to your heart’s content—no more worrying about someone in the back row throwing popcorn at you for making fun of whatever cheesy flick you end up at.
As a little extra perk, the drive-in is a good chance to show off your ride. If you’ve got a Bugatti, we’re willing to bet you’ll have the sickest car in the crowd.
See Some Live Music
There aren’t many fun places in the world that you can enjoy authentic Cuban food and music all in one place, and of course, Miami happens to be one of them.
There are endless options for a night of delicious Latin food and music—drive on out to Little Havana and you can spend the whole night hopping from place to place. Sala’o is a great place to take a beginner—it has an incredibly diverse pool of talent, with different performances every day of the week. Their seafood and Cuban sandwiches are to die for too; just don’t eat so much that you can’t cut a rug when the rumba hits you!
Attend a Car Show
Does your date happen to have as much passion for hypercars as you do? Bringing them along to an auto show is a no-brainer.
Car shows in South Florida happen year-round, so there’s never a bad time to start planning the next one. Events come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like Supercar Saturdays Florida, are free impromptu gatherings that occur on a monthly basis. These relaxed shindigs are a great opportunity to meet up with local afficionados, ogle at other hot rods, and enjoy a number of local vendors and food trucks with your special guest.
Other local car shows involve a group cruise, which gives you an opportunity to really impress your date. We can guarantee if you whip out a W16 Mistral, heads will turn all up and down the block. Who ever said you can’t show off every once in a while?
Need a Ride for Your Next Hot Date?
The original Bugatti motor company was founded in France, where the current Bugatti corporation is still based—and French is the language of love, after all.
If you’re looking for the perfect ride to go along with a romantic date idea in Miami, Braman Bugatti is your one stop shop for luxury automobiles and accessories. Ask online about our Bugatti lease options, or give us a call at (786) 577-5216 to chat with one of our team members about owning your very own custom exotic supercar.