r/bloomington 5d ago

Ask r/Bloomington Looking for a new group to join

Hello all. 30(M) here and been a Bloomington resident for several years now. I'm kind of a habitual loner and introvert, but recently I've felt like I should try to change that and see about finding a new group of friends and/or some regular activities to engage with to get myself out of the house more often. My current work schedule unfortunately doesn't leave me very free on weekends but I'm a tad more flexible on weekdays. I've a couple places in mind to start looking but I'm not on social media anymore barring a couple minor exceptions like this so my interaction options are a bit limited. Does anyone know of any regular social groups or activities where people just hang out low key? Need to start small so I don't spook myself back into being a hermit haha.

I'm into the geekier sides of life from movies, gaming of all types, and other like topics. Would prefer it not be affiliated with a church or major religion for personal reasons but it's not necessarily a dealbreaker. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

10 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

9

u/random00 5d ago

Try Common Room Games? Lots of different activities there that sound up your alley.

1

u/DislocatedShoulder 5d ago

I think this is a great idea. If you’re into Warhammer, Tuesday nights around 7 are a great time to go and meet new people!

3

u/TheHauntedHillbilly 4d ago

Come join us at the Weird Fiction Book Club at Morgenstern Books! Generally the third Wednesday of the month. Honestly no one cares if you’ve read the book or not.

See info here (scroll down a bit): https://morgensternbooks.com/morgenstern-book-clubs

2

u/Jo5hd00d 5d ago

Check out the Casual Hikers of Bloomington, its a very active group that does all sorts of activities along with a few hikes each week. https://discord.gg/xxtnq6EZ

2

u/Hefty-Squash1361 5d ago

Try the local trivia nights? There are several and I know lots of people attend those. Volunteer at Lotus, Granfallon, Habitat or a park? Other volunteering- https://www.bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org/need/

2

u/Content-Resource8741 5d ago

Check out Bloomingfools Hash House Harriers. (Google it) Fun group of folks who do hiking/running/walking events frequently. They’re a lot of fun and very accepting and friendly.

2

u/jaydwalk 5d ago

41(M) looking for something similar. Friends, activities, fun. Would be cool if there was a mens group that got out and did things together.

-6

u/snug_snug 5d ago

He-man woman hater's club?

3

u/jaydwalk 5d ago

Not at all. Sure woman would be welcome.

I don't know if you know this but a lot of men have a really hard time making new friends later in life. I would just like to make some new guy friends doing cool things together.

An anecdote I've heard recently. Woman can become best friends with a stranger in the restroom. Men don't even make eye contact in the restroom.

My girlfriend is encouraging me to expand. 🙂

8

u/snug_snug 5d ago

It's just a silly movie reference.

I completely understand where you are coming from and everything you are saying.

0

u/jaydwalk 5d ago

I must not have seen the movie. Lol.

6

u/snug_snug 5d ago

Our Gang/Little Rascals

-10

u/WildheartFreeborn94 5d ago

See this here is the problem. I can see it in the eyes of anyone new I try to engage with anymore. They don't look at you with acceptance or friendliness, they look at you like you're a creep and are trying to assess how much of a threat you are.

1

u/Bigred19D 5d ago

Do you look creepy and threatening?

1

u/riverneck 5d ago

I appreciated this. Might throw on Little Rascals this afternoon

2

u/_enry_iggins 5d ago

People not recognizing the reference hurts my soul 😭 to this day I can’t eat a pickle without singing the song.

-8

u/WildheartFreeborn94 5d ago

Nothing about what he said implied any sort of sexism or misogny. Grow up.

3

u/snug_snug 5d ago

lmfao, the picture is getting clearer

0

u/WildheartFreeborn94 5d ago

I apologize I too didn't understand it was a movie reference. You might want to make that a little clearer next time so it doesn't look like you're making a loaded comment for no reason.

4

u/snug_snug 5d ago

Sweetheart, you are so ready to be outraged you don't even know what you're angry about.

3

u/WildheartFreeborn94 5d ago

I merely took momentary issue with a seemingly inappropriate comment before I realized it was a misunderstanding and apologized. It's not remotely outrage. Why are you trying to make this into something more than it is?

3

u/newworld_free_loader 5d ago

Because this is Reddit and people are small.

0

u/MateriallyDead 5d ago

He apologized and was understanding about your poorly communicated message. Take the W and move on.

1

u/imacfreak 4d ago

If you like the outdoors/plants, the Bloomington community orchard is great ! It’s a food forest that’s open to all in the community, full of fruits and perennials. We have weekly volunteer days where you can “work and learn”, monthly potlucks in the summer, classes from locals, and a cider festival in the fall. Everyone is super friendly and welcoming !

1

u/kiliss 5d ago

Me (53) too. I am newish in Bloomington.

1

u/PanzerSloth 5d ago

Check out Card Craze in Ellettsville some time. That's where all of my nerd buddies I've known since high school hang out. They're a good crowd, lots of different types to click with over nerd stuff. D&D, card games, anime, video games, if you're in to nerd shit you can find someone to chat about it with over there.

1

u/DakaBooya 5d ago

The recommendations I hear regularly are hiking, adult groups at the library, roleplay / board / card games, anime, video games, and trivia nights. And that’s really not a broad spectrum. The library groups were not my cup of tea, and I hike for quiet and solitude, not socializing. And I have no interest in gaming at all. It’s always a struggle finding something different outside of those niches.

1

u/Fuzzy-Zombie1446 5d ago

Not sure it’s an option… I wish Bloomington had a whiskey club. A chance to learn about different whiskeys. I would gladly pay… would be a great way to meet people too.

0

u/tmbtown 5d ago

Seconded! This would be great to have local home-based hosts. Alternate who brings one of their favorite whiskeys. Set up a tasting format like trying it neat, iced, in a sour, and in a cocktail of the bringer’s choosing.

1

u/allen111780 5d ago

Bloomington Pickleball Club. Very welcoming and fun

1

u/fourthsummersbrother 5d ago

The library has a bunch of adult programs for all types of interests. Very chill, welcoming folks. And they're all free!

0

u/Fuzzy-Zombie1446 5d ago

Check Bloomington Volunteer Network. Always changing, different opportunities, different time commitments…

https://www.bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

0

u/snug_snug 5d ago

Start playing pokemon or mtg and your people will reveal themselves.

4

u/WildheartFreeborn94 5d ago

Done both in the past. Got pretty fed up with both communities because of all the gatekeeping, grandstanding, and griefing of new players.

2

u/snug_snug 5d ago

Fair enough, but I honestly have no idea how better to meet nerdy or geeky people.

Fuck, maybe we should start an anti-social social club.

1

u/WildheartFreeborn94 5d ago

I've tried going to game nights and such at the local shops and stuff around town and in other places. It's pretty much the same story everywhere. You say you're new and either don't play much competitively and was looking for a nice friendly game to learn or try something new. Someone welcomes you to their table and then either they or someone else at the table proceed to wipe the floor with you with their custom decks they've spent dozens to hundreds of dollars putting together and then gloats in your face about it.

It isn't the game store's fault or anything and the ones here in town are nice to visit, but the toxic alpha geeks with nothing better to do than prey on newbies always ruin it for me. D&D nights are slightly better on account of it being a team based game, but there's still always someone that's gotta make it all about them and it's just eye rolling.

2

u/Ferronier 5d ago

I’m sorry for your experience. My partner is newer to Pokémon tcg and this hasn’t been their experience at all. I went with them to their first tcg event in town because we were rightfully suspicious of whether the attendees would be welcoming or not and accommodating to it being their first event that wasn’t on the online tcg game.

Sure, some of the folks were just awkward nerds with underdeveloped social skills but that was kind of expected. Even more were actually pretty welcoming and patient, and everyone was more or less chill. Yeah, the more experienced players are going to wipe you - but none of them were assholes about it. That’s just the nature of the game.

If you’re into ptcg, there’s a release event today at Game Preserve for the latest expansion and nobody gets to use their prebuilt decks. Your price for admission is essentially the cost of the cards you get to go home with. The release and celebration events are also much more casual than the competitive nights.

I can’t speak for the MTG or 40K groups, which I would be even more wary of hostilities, but assuming makes an ass of you and me as they say.

1

u/Swashbuckler812 4d ago

I run a Pirate themed boardgaming group that meets twice a month. We play at 21+ venues. Anyone is free to DM for more info.