First Date Ideas for True Crime Fans

The best first dates give you something to look at, something to react to and an easy way to leave if it is not going well. For true crime fans that means places and plans with a story behind them, rather than a table for two and awkward silence. Ticket rules and opening times change, so check before you set a date.

Visit a museum with a story

The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, opened on February 14, 2012 in the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, a building from 1933. Its second-floor courtroom hosted one of the Kefauver Committee hearings on organized crime in 1950 and 1951, and the museum also has wiretap recordings, a forensic crime lab exhibit and a speakeasy in the basement. A museum is a good first-date setting because you can wander at your own pace and compare reactions as you go.

Tour a famous prison

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia opened in 1829, held Al Capone in 1929 and is now a museum and historic site. Visitors can take a guided tour or a self-guided audio tour. Alcatraz Island sits about a mile and a quarter off San Francisco and was a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963. It is now run by the National Park Service, and the official ferry leaves from Pier 33. Both are public places with a built-in conversation starter, and the ferry ride gives you time to talk.

Pick a mystery for the sofa

If you would rather stay in, choose something built for two. Our guide to murder mystery date night ideas covers board games, case file boxes and escape-room games, and our guide to true crime documentaries sorts five titles by the kind of conversation they start. Save these for a second or third date, when a night in feels comfortable.

Browse a bookshop together

Head to a bookshop or a library and find the true crime shelf. Each pick one book for the other, or one that looks interesting to you, and swap reasons over a coffee. It is cheap, it is public, and you find out quickly what the other person likes to read.

Take a podcast on a walk

Choose one episode of a podcast you both know, or one that is new to both of you, and listen to it on a walk in a park. Then stop for a drink and compare theories. Agree on the episode before the date, so nobody is surprised by something too graphic.

Keep it safe and light

Meet in a public place, tell a friend where you are going and arrange your own way home. Start with the shows, books and cases you both enjoy, and leave the heavier stories for later dates. Remember that every real case involves real people, so talk about them with care. You can read how we help you stay safe on our safety page.