Don't put that much importance on dates. You'll stress yourself out and if your date gets even a whiff of you making it into a big deal it's going to put stress on them as well. I dated for years before meeting my significant other. Some were good, most were meh and some were bad. Almost all the bad dates were either me or the other person taking the date too seriously and not really opening up to participate.

I used to set up dates in restaurants/museums/parks etc. I wanted to visit. First of all it gave me some idea of who I'm meeting because I would discuss with them what places on my list would also interest them. And it also doubled as a way to get something out of the date if it was a bust, at the very least I would be able to enjoy the atmosphere.