Top Three First Date Ideas Near Burnside, Iowa

Where I live, most people go to Fort Dodge, Ames, or even Des Moines to find "something to do". And while it's true we don't have a lot of attractions, there are several very nice venues just a few minutes from home.

An Old Fashioned First Date

If you want to take your date for a good meal at a good price, you need look no further than the Nifty 50's in Lehigh, Iowa. (Just 4.8 miles from home.) At this little diner you can great service, a nostalgic setting, and some superb "home" cooking. You can choose from old standards like pizza, or a burger and fries, or wait till Wednesday night for "all you can eat" broasted chicken (complete with a mini salad bar). The tables are cozy and you can have a sweet treat with your sweetie to top the evening off. (They offer both scoopable ice cream or the more new-fangled "Flavor Burst" variety.)

An Outdoor Adventure

If you're a bit more adventurous you can check out Dolliver Sate Park (Just 4.2 miles from home--practically walking distance!) You can enjoy a picnic lunch, walk along the creek, or just watch the Des Moines River flow by (or in early spring, watch it flood the park). Another favorite activity is hiking. This park is really beautiful in all seasons. During the wetter seasons, small waterfalls cascade down the rock fronts off Bone Yard Hollow. In autumn the trees put on a gorgeous display. You can also check out the Copperas Beds (unique sandstone formations) or climb the highest trails to the hidden "Indian Mounds". If you're lucky you will also see some local wildlife: hawks, raccoons, deer and many others. (If you ever see the beaver, let me know! We have only seen his handiwork!)

Something Completely Different

If you want an off-the-wall date idea, you might want to check out Vegors Cemetery near Lehigh. (Google says this is 14.2 miles away, but it's much closer if you know the back roads.) Nothing brings people together like a good scare. Local legend has it that the cemetery is haunted. According to said legend this is proven by the "fact" that the rectangular inset of the large stone memorializing Mrs. Jno. H. Lott (first white settler to die in Webster County) is cold in the summer and hot in the winter. The view from this cemetery is really beautiful, but, as you can imagine, this is a date best enjoyed under cover of darkness. Especially on Halloween night.

So if you are looking for a fun date, you needn't look far. It only takes a bit of creativity and imagination. And yes, I've gone on all three of these "dates" at sometime in my life (as a teen, a wife, and even a Mom).

I've even gone on Halloween night.

Have fun!