He stares at your shoes instead of his.

What most of these have in common is they provide a variety of external objects of attention to use as conversation starters. Sporting events can be good too, if there's a pre-existing common interest. For first and early dates, I'd avoid anything with long waits that can stall conversation; amusement parks, for example. It may be overly geeky, but it may be worth visiting a zoo or museum solo before taking someone else. Save experiencing something for the first time together for later in the relationship.