Austin Date Night Ideas That Aren't Dinner and a Movie

Every Austin date night guide eventually lands on the same advice: book a nice dinner, maybe catch a show. Fine, but you can do better. Here are six date ideas in Austin that give you something to actually do together, most of them under thirty bucks.

Two-step at The White Horse

The White Horse on East 6th and Comal is the least pretentious honky tonk in town, and it runs free dance lessons most nights around 7pm. Show up early, learn the basic step, then stay for the live country band. No cover most nights, Lone Star is cheap, and there is a taco truck out back when you get hungry. Nobody cares if you step on each other's feet. That is half the fun.

Sunset paddle on Lady Bird Lake

Rent a double kayak or a canoe from Texas Rowing Center or Congress Avenue Kayaks for around $20 to $25 an hour. Time it right, roughly 7:30pm in summer, and you can float near the Congress Avenue bridge when the bats fly out at dusk. It sounds like a tourist thing. It is, and it is still worth it. Bring a dry bag for your phone.

Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In

Yes, this is technically a movie. It is also nothing like sitting silently in a multiplex. Blue Starlite is a tiny drive-in that plays cult classics and rom-coms, and a car pass usually runs $35 to $55 depending on the night. You can talk, bring your own snacks, and set up lawn chairs if you would rather sit outside the car. Book ahead on weekends because it sells out.

BYOB mini-golf at Peter Pan

Peter Pan Mini-Golf on Barton Springs Road has been running since 1948 and it shows, in a good way. Two 18-hole courses, giant concrete T-Rex, around $12 a person, and it is BYOB. Grab a six pack, play both courses, and settle who pays for the next round. Open late most nights, cash and card both fine.

Basement jazz at the Elephant Room

If your idea of a good austin date night leans quieter, the Elephant Room on Congress is a dim basement jazz club that has barely changed in thirty years. Live jazz nearly every night, often no cover on weekdays and around $10 to $15 on weekends. Get there before the first set to grab a table near the stage. Martinis are the move here.

Mount Bonnell, then ice cream

The classic finisher among austin date spots, and it costs nothing. Climb the hundred or so steps at Mount Bonnell around golden hour for the best free view of Lake Austin and the hills. Then drive ten minutes to Burnet Road for a scoop at one of the ice cream shops that stay open late. Simple, cheap, and it always lands.

💡 ATX Weekly Tip: Half of these get better with a deal attached. Check the Deals tab in the ATX Weekly app before you head out, members get happy hour and activity discounts around town most weeks, and the map view shows what is close to wherever your night starts.