First dates can be horrendously stressful affairs. Never mind worries about making a first impression, what you are wearing and how your hair looks; the date will be made or not depending on what you decide to do.
Lucky for you there is no shortage of interesting and unique experiences across Waterloo Region that will help spark the romance.
“A boring first date has about zero chance of leading to a second date,” says Minto Schneider, Chief Executive Officer of Waterloo Region Tourism. “If you put some imagination and effort into it, you can share an experience that will most certainly put you in a good stead for a return engagement.”
Minto offers the following suggestions for a memorable first date:
• Dinner and a movie. This has the risk of being terribly cliché, unless you wow your date with a unique meal at a chef-inspired restaurant from one of Waterloo Region’s food boroughs and follow it with a movie theatre experience unlike any other. The 177-seat ‘Original” Princess Cinema is found on the second floor of a historic 19th century brewery, giving off a truly funky, independent vibe. Here you will find festival hits, documentaries, mini-festivals, Hollywood classics and cult films as well as a Live on Stage series. The newer Princess Twin, located just around the corner, has two screens with more modern or mainstream films. It also has gallery space in the basement showcasing the unique works of local artists.
• Catch a play. Where to start if you desire live theatre? Drayton Entertainment’s 400-seat St. Jacobs Country Playhouse will feature the world premier of Marathon of Hope: The Musical, bringing the fabled Terry Fox story to the stage, on October 5th. The play will run until October 30th. Take fun-filled bop down memory lane with Red Rock Diner, running until Christmas Eve, at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse, an intimate 100-seat theatre with astounding acoustics, or rock out to classic 1980s hits with Footloose, playing October 12th to 30th at the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge.
• Enjoy a concert. The Centre in the Square in Kitchener is the region’s largest performing arts centre. Upcoming events on its calendar include various performances by the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, an appearance by Canadian comedian Red Green, Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace and I Mother Earth and the legendary Gordon Lightfoot.
• Go for a ride. Climb into a wagon for a romantic horse-drawn tour through historic St. Jacobs, or be more interactive and go horseback riding with Conestogo River Horseback Adventures. If horses aren’t your thing, take a canoe ride on the Grand River or get a scenic view of Waterloo Region from the vantage point of a helicopter.
• Get cultured. Take a stroll through the Cambridge Sculpture Garden, check out the interactive exhibits of THEMUSEUM or step back in time at the Doon Heritage Village at the Waterloo Region Museum or at historic Castle Kilbride, a national historic site. If visual art is more your thing, contemporary works are featured in Cambridge’s Idea Exchange and the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery boasts a permanent collection of more than 4,000 works. For something a little off the beaten path, visit The Fashion History Museum.
• Smoochie, smoochie. No date night in Waterloo is complete with stopping by the “Kissing Bridge.” Built in 1881, Ontario’s last remaining covered bridge is a 198-foot span across the Grand River. As the fall leaves are turning colour, it is about as romantic a backdrop as you will find anywhere.
