some basic questions

Here's my situation:

I'm 18, I've graduated high school, and I'm going to college in the fall. I've only had 1 relationship, and it was only for my first 2 years of high school. In other words, I've been on a 2 year drought. Since that relationship, I've never gone beyond light flirting (except 1 situation with the ex, but that isn't going anywhere). The only other girl that I almost got anywhere with ended up having a boyfriend, and that's where things died off.

Anyway, first problem:

Where do I meet girls?
Outside of school, I've just been clueless about this. I've had someone suggest parties, but I never hear about and thus never go to parties, so that isn't an option. Any time I travel somewhere, I have a specific reason to do so, whether it be shopping or whatever. As for clubs, I don't see how that could be a comfortable atmostphere and on top of that, I don't know of any local clubs. The only clubs I know of are in a big city somewhat near where I live and are all 21+.

How do I approach the girl?
This is my #1 problem. The whole "be yourself" thing is dumb, because being myself is sitting back and waiting for her to come to me. In order to approach a girl I'm attracted to, I'd have to do something I'm very not used to and have no idea how to do. I really need a lot of help with this.

What kind of conversation do I start/how do I start it?
Simply put, what do I start babbling about after approaching?

When is it okay to ask for phone number/e-mail address/screen name/whatever?

What the hell is a date?
Dinner and a movie? Coffee? Isn't there a better excuse to just talk to someone face to face? The dinner and a movie thing seems like something for people who are already "going out" together, not for people who are getting to know each other.

Thanks for reading and I hope to get some helpful responses. Tweet