Join the Club
Making friends as an adult isn’t easy. Between work, family, and the endless scroll of obligations, the playground simplicity of “want to be friends?” feels like it belongs to another lifetime.
Many of us crave community but aren’t sure where to start—especially when small talk over coffee or networking mixers leaves us cold. That longing to find our people, to connect with a tribe that feels like home, is what inspired this story. As it turns out, the antidote to loneliness often comes disguised as membership.
Which is exactly why, on any given night in Winter Garden, you might stumble across a circle of adults in chainmail clashing swords like it’s 1425 instead of 2025. A few blocks over, a coffee shop gathering is communicating only through page turns, their Silent Book Club blissfully free of forced icebreakers or the dreaded “so what did you think?” Meanwhile, across town, people are flooding the streets in 80s-themed neon, chasing miles with Home State Run Club before clinking post-run beers.
These aren’t your typical service clubs or staid meetups—they’re portals into whole new subcultures, waiting just outside your front door. Welcome to the wild, sometimes weird, but always fascinating world of local hobby clubs, where adults find connection not through small talk but shared obsession.
Winter Garden Social has elevated the concept of “just hanging out” into a full-blown club, with curated events designed to turn strangers into fast friends. Striker Sports & Social proves soccer is just the start—cornhole, volleyball, and futsal are all on the menu if you’re looking to relive recess with a grown-up twist. And yes, Pokémon Go is still alive and thriving, only now it’s less about catching a Snorlax in a strip mall parking lot and more about catching a crew of like-minded explorers who want to walk, laugh, and play together.
Some of the best clubs, though, are hidden in plain sight. Your neighbor might host a bourbon-tasting circle that rivals a Kentucky distillery tour. The quiet guy at the office? He could be captaining an ultimate frisbee squad with weekly pickup games at sunset. Facebook groups are a treasure map—search “your city + hobby,” and suddenly you’re connected to swordfighters, bakers, quilters, dungeon masters, and amateur astronomers eager for a new recruit.
Adulthood doesn’t mean giving up the joy of making new friends—it just means finding the right playground. Whether your style leans toward sneakers, swords, or a steadfast circle of faith, there’s a club for you. And the best part? The friends you keep will be even better than the hobby itself.
