10 cheap (but fun!) Bay Area date ideas for summer

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It’s summer. It’s beautiful. And the living’s easy here in the Bay Area. But it sure ain’t cheap, especially if you have your sights set on romance. Even dinner and a summer blockbuster can cost you major coin, and that’s before the popcorn and Milk Duds.

So, like a superhero swooping in to save the universe from annihilation, we are here to help with 10 pocketbook-preserving summertime date ideas — fun, light-hearted and free (or nearly free) summery things to do with a sweetheart, from romantic spots with glorious views to midsummer dreams with Shakespeare. (Psst, you’ll find nine cheap eats suggestions that pair with these here.)

1 Let there be light (house)

Head north of the Golden Gate Bridge and motor through the Marin Headlands to the historic Point Bonita Lighthouse, where you’ll swoon for your sweetie, as well as the stunning coastal views. You’ll swoon even more when you see the final approach: A walk across a wind-whipped (but totally safe) suspension footbridge that spans a craggy chasm, as waves crash below. Think of it as a good excuse to hold each other tight! Then picnic at the nearby Battery Wallace, where there are benches, grills and restrooms.

Details: The lighthouse is open for free self-guided or docent tours from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sundays and Mondays. The historic building is closed the rest of the week, but those glorious views are always available. www.nps.gov/goga/pobo.htm

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2 Oh, go fly a kite!

The steady breeze off the bay is just right for a day of kite flying and frolicking at the Berkeley Marina’s Cesar Chavez Park, at the end of University Avenue. The park hosts the free Berkeley Kite Festival each year — July 28-29 this time around — filling the sky with giant undulating octopi, teddy bears and alligators. But you can fly your own kite any old time and soak up spectacular bay scenery, too.

And if kites aren’t your thing, go sail a boat! Once a month, the nearby Cal Sailing Club holds an open house with free sailboat rides. The next one will be July 15.

Details: Find kite festival information at www.highlinekites.com/pages/berkeley-kite-fest.html, and the Cal Sailing Club at www.cal-sailing.org/activities/csc-open-house.

3 Cut a rug

Something seriously swanky happens from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday behind the de Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. It’s Lindy in the Park, with free swing-dance classes where couples and singles can kick up their heels, old-school. Then, well, you’re in Golden Gate Park, so wander the patchwork of pastures and trees, have a romantic picnic in the Shakespeare Garden, or visit the Hamon Observation Tower at the de Young Museum. The museum has entry fees, of course, but you can take the elevator to the tower for free and enjoy beautiful views of the park and city.

Details: Get the Lindy scoop at www.lindyinthepark.com. Find Golden Gate Park information and maps at goldengatepark.com.

4 Get sand in your toes

For summertime romance, nothing beats a balmy evening beachside at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, lights sparkling from the 1911 Looff Carousel, cotton candy crystalizing in the moist ocean air. All-access day passes for rides are not cheap ($40), but you can pick and choose individual rides. So the Giant Dipper (a must-ride) is only $7 a pop. And on Friday nights during the summer months there are free concerts on the beach — two shows, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. – with bands like Los Lobos and Smash Mouth.

Details: Find concert listings, free movie nights and more at beachboardwalk.com.

5 Party downtown

Oakland’s First Fridays event is free and totally cool, with hip stuff to see and do, all manner of art, music, food, dancing and more. What began more than a decade ago as a cool gallery walk has swelled into the city’s biggest monthly public block party, a massive street festival drawing about 20,000 people, shutting down Telegraph Avenue between West Grand Avenue and 27th Street in Oakland’s Uptown and KONO (Koreatown Northgate) districts.

Details: Plan your evening with a little help from www.oaklandartmurmur.org and oaklandfirstfridays.org. Psst, there’s a First Fridays bash in San Jose, too, in that city’s SoFA district; www.southfirstfridays.com.

6 Stroll Santana

There’s more to San Jose’s Santana Row than shopping at Gucci and Tesla. On Wednesday evenings, the tree-lined outdoor mall morphs into a colorful farmers market from 4 to 8 p.m. with organic produce, local cheeses and flowers filling the walkways. Stroll through and score some free samples, feed each other grapes and Gruyere. And on Tuesday nights in July, the mall offers its summer music series from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring a blanket or chairs and enjoy the tunes.

Details: Check out the concert lineup at www.santanarow.com.

7 Hail a floating cab

Getting around San Francisco has become a huge pain. So maybe it’s better to “get around” the city by boarding the San Francisco Water Taxi. For $10, you can get an all-day hop-on/hop-off pass and float around the fray. Take this adorable ride from Pier 1.5 at the Ferry Building all the way to the Hyde Street stop, then walk up to Ghirardelli Square’s historic soda fountain to share a butterscotch hot fudge sundae.

Details: Find out where to board the water taxi at sanfranciscowatertaxi.org/about-us/. Get the scoop on Ghirardelli sundaes at www.ghirardellisq.com.

8 Get down downtown

San Jose’s Music in the Park summer concert series has begun, rocking the downtown plaza and park area like a community happy hour, with bands like Malo and Third World with Jordan T. Concerts are held at Plaza de Cesar Chavez and start at 5:30 p.m. on July 12 and Aug. 3 and 24. They’re not free, but with tickets priced at $15-$20, it’s not too spendy. Besides, it’s outdoors. In a park. So you can hear the music all around the area, too. Wander into the Fairmont Hotel for a swanky cocktail in the Lobby Lounge. Or trek over to the Tech Museum of Innovation.

Details: Check out concert details at sjdowntown.com/music-in-the-park, the cocktail menu at www.fairmont.com/san-jose/dining and the exhibits at www.thetech.org.

9 Channel young love

Feel like giggling, squealing kids again on Alameda’s Park Street. Play a round of Bay Area-centric indoor mini golf at SubPar, where the course includes Alcatraz, Lombard Street and a Golden Gate Bridge loop-di-loop. They also have a slot-car track, arcade games and nighttime glow-in-the-dark golf on Fridays and Saturdays. Then head across the street to the High Scores Arcade and time travel to the ’80s, playing Donkey Kong and Asteroids. Finally, cool off with a scoop of “super creamed” ice cream at Tucker’s. May we suggest a Red-White-and-Blueberry or the new Maple Bacon?

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14 best new Bay Area restaurants for date night (or any night) Details: Subpar is in Alameda (now through Nov. 19) and Ghirardelli Square; subparminigolf.com. Get the lowdown on High Scores at www.highscoresarcade.com and sweet treats at tuckersicecream.com.

10 Shake it up

Fan the moonbeams from your sleeping eyes and get thee to Pleasanton’s Amador Valley Community Park for the 2018 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which follows the misadventures of four young lovers, a group of aspiring actors and a team of mischievous fairies. The ensuing hilarity and chaos run through July 15 in Pleasanton, then move on to Cupertino, Redwood City and San Francisco. Cozy up on a blanket, bring a picnic and savor “this bud of love by summer’s ripening breath.”

Details: Find program information, dates and locations at www.sfshakes.org/programs.

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