I sure that a lot of you think of dating as an evening activity. Maybe it's dinner and a movie. Maybe it's a nice walk around the park on the way out for some cocktails and some pleasant conversation. Don't forget that dates can be really any time of the day, morning, noon, or night as well. I was thinking about this just the other day when I went for a little outing with some friends and we were discussing how great our activity would be for an inexpensive and fun date during the afternoon. What's the activity, right?...well I'm getting to it. As you see, the area that we live in is pretty famous for its wineries, and our little town alone has three of them. One in particular, just about six miles away from downtown is the most well-known, and is one of the only places in quite a large radius where people are able to purchase bottled alcohol on Sundays. The greatest part about this particular winery is that its tasting house is open every day from noon until six in the evening...and it's free! That's right, you can go out to the winery and sample six to eight different versions of their delicious wines, along with a little mini wine tasting lesson given from the knowledgable employees, any day of the week for free. Sure, you aren't getting huge glasses of wine, rather one ounce tastes, but it's a lot of fun, and it's something that you can't do everywhere. If you decide to make your date on the weekend, friday through sunday, you can have an extra special added bonus of taking a free half hour tour of the winery where you can learn about the wine making process, the history of the wine and the facility, and watch a short video outlining the parts of the process that you aren't able to see as visitors. Once you're done with your tasting and tour, the staff invites all visitors to lounge about the grounds of the property where they have tables with umbrellas set up overlooking beautifully landscaped gardens and a large pond. You can purchase a bottle of wine, as well as crackers, cheese, cured meats, and even baguettes to enjoy while taking in the scenery. Most of the bottles of wine are between eight and fifteen dollars, so you can have a very enjoyable afternoon, even if you're on a pretty tight budget.

My friends and I like to go out to this particular winery maybe once every other week just to see what is new and to get away from the usual things that we do with school and work. It's almost like a little oasis just outside of town where you can escape from everyday life. I personally think that it's the perfect place to go on a date, on a fun afternoon with friends, or even a place to take the family when they come into town to visit. After learning about this particular type of inexpensive outing in my own town, I did a little bit of research on my own and learned that similar tours, tastings, and the like are offered at wineries and brew pubs all over the country. If you don't happen to live in a place that has wineries you're pretty much out of luck for wine tasting, but it's more often the case that microbreweries exist in many countries. It is still an inexpensive and fun experience for you, your friends, or your loved ones. If you're not quite into the alcoholic beverage tasting scene, there are always plenty of other opportunities for fun and inexpensive "tasting" events all over the place. Once again, I can speak of my own town because I know it best, but I'm sure that these events, often sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Tourism Board, are all over the place. I know this because I recall them occurring back at home, down in Florida, and now here where I currently live in Indiana. One of my most favorite events that I have attended recently was this past March when I bought tickets for a date to the local Chocolate Festival. For just twenty dollars, we were treated to a six-hour-long all you can eat and drink showcase of local chocolates, drinks, and other sweets. There was also lottery drawings for prizes and live entertainment. Not too bad of an afternoon for twenty dollars! Things definitely get kicking into higher gear with these types of festivals and gatherings towards the spring and summer months, as I recall there has been a wine festival, a strawberry festival, and veggie festival since the warmer months have began. Don't be afraid to search on the internet for events like these in your own town. Chances are that they have been going on for years, and you have noticed, so you've been missing out!