Which niche hobby communities have the nicest/most interesting/most inclusive people?

[Anonymous]

I find skiers to generally be very friendly when chatting on chairlifts or in the lodge. But it is not exactly an easy way to make new friends (esp if you live in DC!).

I made some great friends through running groups - esp when I did a marathon training program. Those runs are long (esp at my slow pace) so you have a lot of time to talk.

[Anonymous]

Pokémon go groups.

[Anonymous]

My teenage son has gotten into playing Magic the Gathering cards and I have been so impressed by how welcoming and nice the people are. He plays at Dream Wizards in Rockville. Not my thing my 10,000 miles, but it is a super nice community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have found that most of the people I've played tennis with have been nice, and you wind up playing people from all over the world in the DC area.

Classes and recreational, yes but league players are extremely intense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birders are very chill, unless you’re at the very top and going it professionally (yes, that’s a thing, there are book writers and bloggers and tour leaders). Many people like birding in groups because with the crowd-sourcing you’re more likely to see or hear birds, and get opinions on ids. They tend to be older, though, because really good binoculars and a scope can get expensive, plus travel if you really get into it.

I could get into this. I love spotting animals in the wild. Not just birds. Love the travel aspect too. I wonder if birders keep logs or photos of what they've seen that would be an interesting thing to start.

DC Audubon does “Introduction to Birdwatching” classes several times a year. They make a conscious effort to use the classes to help people get connected to the local nursing community. eBird (app/website) is what most people around here use to keep sighting lists and share sightings.

[Anonymous]

Swing dance is v inclusive, welcoming, and friendly. Everyone is expected to dance with others, no matter what the skill level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watch out for the knitters. I know a gossipy and mean spirited knitter who likes to start dramas. She is in a knitting club, so it's not all sugar and sunshine. Of course she preys on nice people so maybe everyone else is nice.

I have always met nice people doing volunteer work.

Yep. Some of that is a product of this area and where you take a class.

[Anonymous]

I play guitar and find folks that play country/folk or are singer/songwriters are lots of fun. The snarky folks are younger.

[Anonymous]

Hunting, mainly birds.

[Anonymous]

Mountain biking, unlike road cycling, has a very nice/welcoming community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My teenage son has gotten into playing Magic the Gathering cards and I have been so impressed by how welcoming and nice the people are. He plays at Dream Wizards in Rockville. Not my thing my 10,000 miles, but it is a super nice community.

I hear good things about Dream Wizards. We play at The Android’s Dungeon in Bowie

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Boardgaming groups - very inclusive - we take all kinds as long as you like to game. Nicest? Weeeeelllll, that depends on your definition. Generally very nice, but we can be cutthroat competitive on the table. Interesting? In my estimation, everyone can be interesting if you are a curious person.

Can I ask how you found out about this group? Was it through friends or on something like meetup? I’d love something like this but haven’t heard of any groups like that

Go to your friendly local game store - Labyrinth in DC, Dream Wizards in Rockville - or a boardgame cafe - Board and Brew in College Park or Crossroads Tabletop Tavern in Manassas. All of these places usually have boardgame nights that are open to the public. There will be people there that have been doing it for ages, but others as well, and generally everyone is welcoming. There's also smaller boardgame conventions where you can learn to play games or find groups to play with. Washingcon in September and Congress of Gamers quarterly.

[Anonymous]

Knitters are nice but they judge you based on the size of your needles.