Ideally something you can do with the same people every week so you get to know each other.
Board games at a local game store. Many will have a board game night.
Adjacent to this is: check your local library. Ours has regular board game nights and RPG nights. I’m pretty sure they aren’t actually organized by the library itself, but they use the space and the library lists them on their website and advertises the nights on the board out front.
Hmm. Might need to check out a local game store.
As well as game stores and libraries, board game associations have meetups.
We have 5 or more clubs around town. Anywhere from 20-50 people at an event, smart interesting people generally.
Gangbang
Take some sort of hobby class. Painting, woodworking, etc. Join a club of something that interests you. Play in a pool league.
If there is something you’re passionate about, then going to events that are about that. Usually it’s easier to make friends when you have something in common that you’re both passionate about.
Whatever interests you. You probably won’t make any friends forcing yourself to go to events and gatherings for things that don’t interest you
That’s true, but I may be interested in things that I wouldn’t think of by myself that they exist.
Being social. Go to bars or cafés. Engage in conversation. Insert yourself tactfully when you hear someone talking about a thing you like or know about.
Also, be aware but not overly sensitive if people don’t want to continue talking to you. Be friendly, but not obnoxious. Stay cognizant of social clues.
Mountain biking. Especially if you have a local organization for trail management. They’re almost always looking for volunteers.
You’ll have the biking, being active outdoors, some hiking for trail management, typically some fund raising events, bike maintenance/repair workshops, community rides and potentially more depending on the size of the group.
Good variety of activity from solo riding to big social gatherings. And I’ve found it a much more chill group of people than road bikers. And it doesn’t really require the super expensive $2k+ bikes some people opt for. My current ride is at about $700 all in and does everything I need it to do.
Sport –
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Outdoors
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Can exercise
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Can talk or not talk
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We found awesome people at our local gymnastics place that did adult classes
Sports is always great, one easy option in case people aren’t to keen on running around: Disc golf is easy, cheap, and every one can play.
Couch or online video games…you can go with party games like Jack box or Co-op stuff
tennis, bit of a learning curve though
Hiking and gym. Both communities are pretty friendly and they might even overlap. Gym, I’ve noticed some places you can walk in, they don’t even need to check your card (I go with my friend and sometimes they don’t even ask for his card).
I haven’t found any I’ve been successful at, but the closest I’ve come is going to the movie theater.
Indeed, what better way to get to know someone than to sit next to them for 2.5 hours in silence
There’s also the intermission periods, you know. Have you never struck a conversation before a movie, before the second act, or while in line to get snacks or tickets? Also, some movie theaters allow talking during the movie if it’s one of those smalltown theaters that plays movies from a century ago.
I’ve never once been to a movie that had an intermission in 25 years. And no, it’s mostly small talk and then the show starts
In all the movies in all the movie theaters I’ve been to, every movie always starts out with a commercial prelude to the movie, when all the lights are on and there’s nothing important to interrupt. I’m not saying any conversation of note happens during that time, just that it’s the closest I’ve come to genuine platonic success.
