(e’s note: Please welcome today’s guest writers for Great Dates in 50 States, relationship coaches and awesomeificationists Pace & Kyeli of Freak Revolution.)
Looking for a great place to take a date in Austin, Texas? Here are some great (and geeky) ideas!
Mother’s Cafe and Garden
Mother’s Cafe and Garden is a comfortable, friendly vegetarian restaurant with friendly staff and a nice, laid-back atmosphere. They have a nice, open-feeling back room with lots of plants, art, and a koi pond. Their selection is varied enough that even omnivores will find something yummy. We recommend the BBQ Tofu and the Spicy Tempeh Enchiladas.
Alamo Drafthouse
The Alamo Drafthouse is totally cool. It’s a movie theater where they serve food and drinks during the movie. The aisles are spaced extra wide so the servers can run back and forth without getting in the way or obstructing the view. They show mainstream films as well as lots of quirky and cult films. Also, instead of the normal previews and commercials you’ll find at every other movie theater, they show ridiculous and wacky things, so it’s always a treat to show up early and laugh with your date.
Zilker Botanical Gardens
The Zilker Botanical Gardens are beautiful. There are oodles of flowers, a ridiculous number of butterflies, and a lovely, peaceful, Japanese garden.
It’s a good stroll from end to end of the gardens, so be sure to bring enough water.
Austin Playhouse
The Austin Playhouse performs a mix of popular and quirky plays, but everything they put together is fun. Their main stage is a room with seating on three sides, where the front row sits practically on the stage! Even in the back row, you still feel like part of the action instead of a distant observer.
Toy Joy
Delight your date by going to one of the most whimsical places in the nation. It’s a toy store, but it’s not a normal boring toy store where all the toys are shrink wrapped and in boxes; there are lots of toys to play with, not just to look at. They also have tons of Japanese toys, so if you or your date is a Japanophile, this is totally the place to go. Let loose and have fun!
Texas Rollergirls
A bunch of hot chicks running around on roller skates and beating the crap out of each other.
Need we say more?
Pace and Kyeli live in Austin, TX. They’re both geeky girls – Pace has been working in AI for ten years and been a geek all her life and Kyeli’s got her training boots on and is learning Geekdom by surrounding herself with awesome geeks from all walks of life. They work, live, and play together, and still go on fun dates even after nearly five years together. They spearhead the Freak Revolution, built to encourage world-changing people to band together and more effectively change the world as a community. Check them out at www.freakrevolution.com.
Might I also ditto on the Texas RollerGirls. It’s a nice intimate venue and you’re right up close to the action. Definitely a super fun date. (They have bouts on the first Sunday of every month)
Also, there are a bunch of pub quiz nights called Geeks Who Drink (www.geekswhodrink.com) pretty much nightly all over Austin. So you could form your own team with your date and have some fun getting geeky.
I’m not a Texan but it sounds like there’s some interesting things to do there. I have to take issue with states large enough to need two great dates articles. Dating in Rhode Island is much simpler, if something is in the state you can get there in an hour: http://geeksdreamgirl.com/2009/01/21/great-dates-in-50-states-rhode-island/
Nicholas´s last blog post..Epic Showdown: Role-players vs. Powergamers
@ Talia – Awesome! Thanks for the tip on the trivia nights!
@ Nicholas – You could fit like 100 Rhode Islands into Texas. Maybe 1000. I’m bad at math stuff.
Given Austin is two hours away it’s great to have this list date or not.
Maybe I should write up Groton/New London, CT. With the first nuclear powered submarine as a lead-off site (what geek can’t like something atomic) it’s got some great options.