Cheap summer dates in Metro Detroit under $20
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Inside Michigan Central Station. Photo: Joe Guillen/Axios Detroit
Dinner, drinks and tip? $80. Movie tickets? $25. Even a simple outing can add up — dating is expensive, and prices are rising everywhere.
The big picture: Whether you're on a first date or looking to surprise a longtime partner with something creative, here are some local summer date ideas under $20.
🍩 Grab coffee ($2.75) and donuts ($2.65) from Yellow Light, the café inside Michigan Central, and sip and snack while you explore the first floor of the former train station that's now open to the public.
- Kresge Court, inside the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is free to tri-county residents, is another date-worthy cafe.
🍦 Stop by Ice Cream La Michoacana in Southwest Detroit, then stroll through Clark Park with your treats.
- Try the crowd-pleasing fresas con crema popsicle with strawberries and cream, or opt for creamy guava, lemon with gummies or rompope (eggnog). Your bill should come in far under $20.
- Impress your date with your knowledge of the recent $4 million in improvements to beloved Clark Park that include a splash pad, new basketball courts, a playground and trees, per Outlier.
✈️ Want something out of the box? Take a free commercial drone pilot certificate course with your darling — as long as you're sure you won't get tired of them within the span of a four-week class.
- Saturdays in the D offers the course in June, August and September in partnership with the U of M Center for Innovation, preparing students for the FAA remote pilot exam. It's at Newlab at Michigan Central in Corktown.
- Imagine a future with you and your partner, staring into the sunny Detroit summer sky, legally piloting your matching commercial drones.
🏖️ Picnic on the beach at the Lake St. Clair Metropark. Daily passes are $10 per vehicle.
- Pack a cooler and some sandwiches and post up at a picnic table or throw down a blanket on the sand.
- The Metropark has tons of other things to do: hiking trails, volleyball, a swimming pool and more.
🍟 Have a french fry tasting contest: Get fries at three different spots, then rank them and crown a winner. Bring water for the salt…
- Note: This is about grabbing and going, not trying out fancy restaurants' pommes frites.
- We recommend Detroit 75 Kitchen's garlic cilantro fries ($6), Bucharest Grill's curly fries ($4.50), Green Dot Stables' cajun or truffle and herb fries ($3.95 each) or Motz's shoestring fries ($3.99).