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7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

by DIGITAL TIMES
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If recent stats are anything to go by, drinking is on the decline nationwide. 

In 2024, for the first time ever, Americans were more likely to have a daily dose of weed than a cold one after work. That may seem like the logical outcome of legal cannabis making its way to more and more parts of the country, but sober curiosity is becoming a bit of the norm. After all, it isn’t terribly uncommon for a Dry January to extend indefinitely into the year. 

Over in the dating world, getting together for drinks has become equally rare. According to a recent poll, over 56% of daters said they were trying to drink less on dates while two-thirds said they actually preferred a dry date. Overall, young adults are drinking 10 percent less than in the previous two decades.

And if you care to join their ranks, there are plenty of ways to avoid getting loaded while you’re out and about. For those actively de-boozing their lives or just exploring slightly lighter settings for first, second, or third encounters, the options aren’t nearly as limited as they appear. You can go to a bar or restaurant for some N/A beverages. When the weather warms, there’s always taking in a sunny afternoon laid up in the park or at the beach. But maybe you met at the run club over the summer, and are trying to find ways to stay active together on your next outing. These are all plausible and perfectly reasonable scenarios.

So here are a few suggestions for your next sober date in Brooklyn.

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Laobra Cafe
53 Scott Ave.
A photo studio during the week, Laobra Cafe is tucked away three floors up in a nondescript building deep in East Williamsburg. Floor-to-ceiling windows backdrop the brutalist, concrete room with floor pillow seating, a long cozy couch, and communal tables. Touted as a place “designed to explore great ideas,” day passes are available for $15 and include unlimited coffees, teas, or lattes and the option to have the featured treat of the weekend. It’s great for a sunset, hot drinks, and good conversation.

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Molasses Books
770 Hart St.
Like a coffee date with a twist, Molasses Books has a cafe with coffee, tea, wine, light bites, and books (of course). With hours until midnight seven days a week (!!), the shop is great for a sober date spot and needn’t be cut short at 5 pm like most other cafes nowadays.

Pro-tip: Pick out a book you want to share and one you think your date will like when they aren’t looking. Buy both for them. (HOT.)

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Recess Grove
327 Grand St.
Upon landing on the Recess Grove website, there’s a suggestion in all lowercase letters: “move slow and make things.” Don’t mind if we do. Part cafe, part pre-school craft table, part respite from the world burning, Recess Grove was established as a place to flex your creative muscle and chill the fuck out.

Visitors can either go low stakes and pull up to the cafe or put a little effort in (and you should definitely put forth the effort) and sign up for one of their supported art sessions where you can draw, mingle, paint a mural with everyone there, and learn to knit. They also have fun workshops like intro to woodworking and drawing for beginners or building a bouquet. Recess Grove is a fun, relaxing date idea where you can exercise a little parallel play and get to know each other (and your creativity) in different ways.

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Bathhouse 
103 N 10th St.
A bit more social than its Flatiron outpost, Bathhouse is great for a date. The subterranean booze-free hangout is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., making it just right for a late evening sauna session meetup, breakfast date or post-work unwind together – no happy hour specials necessary.

You can simply get day passes and try out the thermal pools, cold plunge, tropical steam room, and dry sauna, or you can opt for massage services. They also have a cafe should you need a snack. Leave your phone in the locker room, bring a water bottle, and sweat it out together.

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Reforesters Laboratory 
147 Metropolitan Ave.
New to the neighborhood, Reforesters offers a couple of date options all in one place. The cafe has a variety of vegan, vegetarian, gluten or dairy-free treats with adaptogens like Ashwagandha in their Cuddle Muffin (a tiny version of a carrot cake) and hot drinks like their Mystical Mint tea with skullcap mushrooms for relaxation and a rotating list of lattes. There are puzzles, books, soaps, and other knick knacks for purchase as well.

Beyond the cafe, the sound clinic boasts 24-channel spatial audio experience and a variety of programming. No need to sit at the bar of the trendiest listening room without ordering a drink. Audiophiles can enjoy yoga, breathwork sessions, meditation, and other events together at a range of frequencies.

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
990 Washington Ave.
Yes, we know the roses and magnolias really steal the show during the warmer months, but the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a great year-round date activity. Winter Weekdays are pay what you wish, and if you can go on a snowy day, the orchid collection within the Aquatic House and the Japanese Hill-And-Pond Garden are extra magical.

7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond

Mockingbird
213 7th Ave.
Opening their doors at the top of 2025 in Park Slope, Mockingbird offers the look and feel of a sexy cocktail bar with an N/A version of classic cocktails, alcohol-free beers, and wines, and it’s proving to be a hot new date-night destination with a twist (hold the booze). Open until 10 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 12 p.m. on weekends, modern disco and afrobeats are in heavy rotation. On weekdays, they offer snacks like charcuterie boards and truffled pretzels, while weekends have a variety of savory waffles. And they also feature art from local artists available for purchase.

The post 7 Sober Date Ideas for Dry January and Beyond appeared first on BKMAG.





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