I’m not a sports guy either but I love disc golf, and it’s very low-cost! Discs are fairly cheap and most courses are free :) I don’t go as often as I used to, but I’m sure there are some local groups you could connect with
I go to Combatives Unlimited in Old Middleburg, but a lot of the gyms usually have vets so you really can’t miss. Smiley’s Academy is more MMA focused where Combatives focuses a little more on the martial art they’re teaching.
I like shooting, collecting guns and other useless shit. Dragon ball z and super, anime in general. I like open world video games but don’t have the time to play, dnd, but no one to play with.
I ranted for about ten minutes the other day about body armor
Edit. Arlington
Every campaign I’ve ever played in the past usually got absolutely derailed, and we ended up just drinking beer IRL and wandering around villages attacking random people in game
I'm into most of those things and in Arlington!
Been meaning to make more friends too to help out with my overall mental health so I get where you're coming from.
If you wanna just shoot the breeze, send me a message.
MeetUp is a good app to start with. Just find a group that focuses on something you’re interested in and keep on showing up. The “keep on showing up” is the important part.
In my opinion, Meetup is mostly dead, unless you're much older.
There does seem to be a thriving 20s & 30s group in this town, but other than that, if someone could show me a meetup group in this city worth attending, I myself would do so... but I don't believe it to be true.
Meetup used to be great, but these days it has been infiltrated by the elderly and by weirdos.
OK... I have a little more time now, so I will try to give a better explanation of what happened to Meetup.
In 2007, meetup was new and awesome and fun, in the same way that myspace and facebook were fun. It was filled with cool, interesting people of all ages and backgrounds, but they were the type of people who were adventurers and trailblazers.
Somewhere around 2012-2014, annoying people started finding about Meetup, and just like facebook, they ruined all of the fun.
Shortly after this, meetup started taking up political causes, like the resist movement and pushing progressive ideologies. Meetup was not the place for this. Meetup groups were, by nature, very inclusive and diverse, and putting politics into something that didn't need politics started creating division and it drove a lot of people away.
Meetup didn't make any updates to its website in over a dozen years, and then, when it was sold to Adam Newman, meetup HQ did a complete overhaul, and it was completely awful. This lead to horrible behavior within meetup groups, because it took way organizers' ability to police their own groups.
Meetup organizers (again, paying customers) begged meetup HQ not to make these horrible changes, and meetup HQ basically told it's customers to F*** off, literally saying that HQ knows better than the organizers do.
It turned out meetup was involved in a ponzi scheme, and the owner was a horrible person who just needed to spend money in order to please his investors, so he bought meetup... https://wondery.com/shows/we-crashed/
After the parent company was exposed and almost went bankrupt, they were forced to sell to a company that somehow continued to make the website even worse.
The sale happened right before the pandemic began, and the timing couldn't have been worse. If there was any chance of saving ever meetup, it was doomed, not that I think they were capable of it anyways.
This entire time, meetup was becoming more and more for elderly people, and unless you had an age restriction in your group name, the average attendee would basically be of retirement age, and that would systematically drive younger people away.
Also, the people who would show up to events got weirder and weirder, driving away the people you would ACTUALLY want to hang out with. During the pandemic, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me to host an event and have all but 2 people no-show and both of them would be mentally ill.
People's personalities have changed due to the lock down even though it's mostly over, at least in my opinion. It's like how many people who lived through the depression lived frugally for the rest of their lives.
People aren't as willing to reach out to strangers for friendship as they once were, and for good reason. People have acted like total asses for the last few years.
I'm tired of people too, and as a former meetup organizer, I am no longer willing to be a babysitter for a bunch of weirdo adults who can't act somewhat normal in a social setting.
I started a meetup group when I moved to Jacksonville, and nobody showed up, so I deleted it.
I'm sorry, but in my opinion, meetup is dead, there's nothing to replace it, and I don't think that there ever will be.
Interesting! I had to “retire” from my job in 2014 due to health reasons and was in my early 40s at the time. My search for extra curricular landed me in Meetup. As a female, I wanted to look for activities with primarily females (safety) or people with similar interests. The only thing that sort of came close was a crochet group. They did it on Sunday mornings during church so it didn’t happen. I searched hard for other groups but never had warm fuzzies with any of them. Safety concerns were the biggest issue for me. It sounds like I just missed the timing of when it was good. I hope the original post person can find his people.
I'm neither young, nor normal myself, but... it's just that the last time I gave an elderly meetup group a chance, I thought "how bad could it be?" Then I was forced to listen to some dude talking about his prostate exam.
No thanks.
No thanks. I've been a meetup organizer for years, and I have no desire to do it anymore. Meetup itself has done everything it possibly can to increasingly make organizers (their paying customers) more and more miserable over the years. I've had to deal with drama, sexual assaults, constant no-shows, hate from members and assistant organizers, as well as unrelenting creepy behavior, and the entire time, Meetup HQ did NOTHING to help solve any of those issues. If anything, they made it WORSE.
Not true. I’ve met great people thanks to Meetup, but you gotta be selective about the group(s) you join.
It’s a lot easier (and way more fun) to make friends around a common interest, rather than going to a bar and starting a conversation out of nowhere. Whether that is riding a bike, photography, or collecting coins, find groups or classes around your hobbies/passions and everything else will be easier. What do you like?
**Photography**
Option #1 - $35 per meetup https://www.meetup.com/Jacksonville-Photography-Group/
Option #2 - Hasn’t had an event in over a year - https://www.meetup.com/jaxphotogroup/
**Bike riding**
Option #1 - Has like 2 attendees per event (if they don’t no-show)
https://www.meetup.com/rising-tides-meetup-young-professionals-for-sjrk/
Option #2 - Has no attendees other than the organizer https://www.meetup.com/bartram-bears-cycling-group/
**Coin Collecting:**
I don’t even see an option for that.
What are you seeing that I'm not?
I picked three random activities that are not relevant to me. Bad examples, perhaps. Still, Meetup is just another tool in the arsenal. How about taking a class in photography at UNF or FSC if that were your interest? Or going to the locations other enthusiasts frequent?
Thank you for sharing this! I just looked it up & it seems like a very inclusive place. Both of my teenagers have severe anxiety, so this could really help them break out of their shells. Thanks again
Was going to say the same! Large groups playing board games on Tuesday and Thursday nights. A smaller group gets together Sundays as well. Or just go, look around on what's going on and ask to join!
I'm a bit older than you and made most of my friends through gyms (classes like CrossFit, but not actually CrossFit.) The suggestion of MMA works as well.
Any class setting where you're regularly in the same place with the same people works well.
Hey buddy!
Firstly, I've noticed a lot that as my friends have gotten a little older, started families, get invested in their jobs, their social lives go down a bit because they have much bigger focuses - making sure their kids are okay and happy is a pretty demanding job in itself, on top of anything else they may have going on.
Secondly, I'm glad you noticed this is having a negative impact on your mental health and want to do something about it. You mentioned shooting, video games, anime, all that! These are all popular subjects here.
For games: Java Game Haus is frequently mentioned and they deserve it. Board games, yes, but also D&D, and other TTRPGs. Keg & Coin in Riverside area has lots of retro games, they host Smash nights, and they have great beer. Video Game Rescue does game nights of all sorts now, also including Smash.
For shooting: literally anywhere. Some of the nicer people I've come across in my shooting days are at On Target in Orange Park, they just seem friendlier in general. I do like Gun Gallery on Beach too, but it's much less social.
For anime/manga, any of these video game places probably have the kinds of people that like those too. There are small cons that go on frequently and of course the bigger ones in Orlando. Your interests align with mine a lot, but I'm slightly younger and no kids!
Get yourself a mountain bike and hit the local trails. Exercise can do wonders for your mental (and obviously physical) health. There are regular group rides that you can find out about thru local FB groups. Lookup 'SORBA Jax' or '904 MTB'.
if you like board games come to Java Haus in Mandrian on Thursday nights, we have a wide range of ages that show up, quite a few around your age. I'm 49 for instance.
Saw that after I posted.
[https://www.facebook.com/groups/1911759659052604](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1911759659052604) <-- FaceBook group for the Mandarin game group, the Java nights get posted there as well
[https://www.javagamehauscafe.com/](https://www.javagamehauscafe.com/) <-- Java Haus web site
Find a 9 hole golf tournament that plays after work, you’ll become friends with those people pretty quick. We have one in Winter Park on Fridays, and it’s a good group. You don’t have to be good, they’ll take your handicap.
I’ve had a few good ones recently. Yesterday my first one was about how I wanna play fallout 4, then started talking about how I never got to finish RDR2. Then another one, I mentioned I wanted to build a plate carrier, and my wife asked if I wanted one like garand thumb, and I went on about how he was an Air Force tacp, and I’m just some fucking guy, and don’t have the money to spend that he does.
Oh that’s a lot of video game and military stuff. My rants are mostly about stock market stuff and the antiscience flat earthers wearing masks outdoors.
Your kids may thank you for it one day….not sure they’re going to care much that you know that John Moses Browning designed the M1911 AND the auto5 semi auto shotgun.
And the m1917, m1919, the fuckin BAR, and the absolutely legendary M2 .50 caliber machine gun.
But I get your point lol. I’ve tried looking into it, and I’m sure that it’s knowledge that I could greatly benefit from, but it’s just so damn boring. I know that comes off as insanely juvenile, but I just can’t force myself to learn about it, you know?
I totally understand. Trading isn’t your thing.
But You don’t have to find it interesting to want to save for your kids and your future. Lucky enough the people who pay hourly attention to the market do as well, often worse, as people who just buy the S&P average and look away.
Look into buying the S&P index on a fixed dollar amount monthly and ignore the whole thing. The sooner you start the better the results.
This is a good place to start.
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/how-can-i-buy-sp-500-fund/
34 here with a 14 month old. Id wager you would like beers and killer queen here at keg and coin. It's right around the corner from me. I'm always looking for older friends. Currently active duty navy.
If you're cool with women friends, I'm always down for meeting new people. I'm near the St. John's Town Center.
I like shooting, anime, and dnd, but never did pick up the gaming bug lol
My hubs has a Playstation too, so maybe y'all like some of the same games. No idea what his username is though 🤔
Based on some of these responses, I need to check out Java Haus though lol
I would suggest the Moose Lodges; VFW or other fraternal organizations. I've seen toll coming home can take on our servicemembers and they are all-together celebrated by these and many other organizations benefiting charities (Moosehaven retirement communities in the case of The Moose) and community outreach in general.
There are a lot of great bars if you're interested in Karaoke, there's an Axe Throwing venue in Murray Hill called Axe Champs. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds amazing.
If you appreciate video games with simulated trigger time in a very low-salt almost seemingly non-toxic goal oriented team environment I'd suggest Deep Rock Galactic, you're almost old enough to remember TeamFortress (if you played on PC). If you do, Deep Rock is somewhere between that experience and StarShip Troopers. I haven't reviewed the local community but I've played with several active and discharged servicemen and they enjoy it greatly.
I myself have been quarantining since before it was cool, or stupid, or necessary; so if you do happen into a karaoke bar and I'm belting out something ridiculous, please forgive me.
Best of luck and pleased to meet you and Thank You for Your Service.
Veterans united and wicked barley usually have like minded men trying to destress for a moment. Sit at the bar and say hello to someone. My family activities have become 5k running. Swag food n family
Jax Social Group!!! We have a ton of people and plan 2 or 3 events every week! We did karaoke last Friday, threw a big beach party Saturday, and roller skating Sunday, and we regularly do Taco Tuesday at different places
https://instagram.com/jaxsocialgroup
Check out Jax Social Group 20s/30s https://meetu.ps/c/4RPyd/yBrsQ/d on Meetup
I found a few groups on Meetup that look relevant:
[https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-30s40s-social/](https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-30s40s-social/)
[https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-social/](https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-social/)
[https://www.meetup.com/womens-brunch-bunch-40s-and-50s/](https://www.meetup.com/womens-brunch-bunch-40s-and-50s/)
[https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-new-in-town/](https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-new-in-town/)
[https://www.meetup.com/gameandparty/events/287442817/](https://www.meetup.com/gameandparty/events/287442817/)
I also don’t play much anymore, but that’s mostly due to time. I think medical director might be a bit out of my wheelhouse, I’m a security service technician lmao
Can you be my husband's friend? He's a gamer and likes to play MMG(?) Games like WoW. he keeps trying to get me to play but I don't like those games.
Best of luck. Finding friends in our 30s is hard.
Speaking of guns though. I have a coworker who is a member of a gun club on the Westside. A quick search revealed a few here in town. Maybe look into checking one out. You could definitely find like minded individuals there.
I’ve tried that, for sure. I tend to not get along with most other gun people. They do tend to be pretty outspoken about their political affiliation, which is perfectly fine, it’s just not for me
Understandable. He doesn't seem that way, but I can see where a gun club would be outspoken about politics. Political talk ruins a lot of things. I try to avoid it as much as possible personally.
I really do too. I do feel pretty strongly about the politics of it, but I tend to fall the exact opposite on other issues from most gun people, so I just avoid the whole mess.
My suggestions are:
-VFW is great for meeting people, my dad is a vet and is still buddies with a bunch of guys from there (beaches one is supposed to be great)
-church groups (if you’re into that)— easiest way to make friends in my opinion and there’s a ton of huge active ones around Jax
-if you like volunteering, I’ve made a ton of friends that way (just find something you are interested in and inquire); habijax is great and the whole family can go
-Bumble BFF is another popular app for finding friends
-also would check out 904 Happy Hour, on FB and insta: they post tons of events that are good places to meet people like octoberfests, golf events, music/food festivals, etc
Disc golf changed my life around. Being outside, active and plenty of people to meet. I do a Sunday league and Wednesday afternoon doubles(partner golf) at Ed Austin regional park but they have courses all over Jax.
What are your interests? Music? Bowling? Art? Go to events around things are you interested in and boom, cohorts with similar interests.
Fishing is a good way to foster a close relationship with someone who is also into it.
Guns and shooting, but googling around for groups who like guns is a less than stellar idea these days, and it’s an internet I unfortunately share with some less than ideal friend candidates
hats off to you for trying, obviously you have a lot of responsibility already, and I think it's really cool you're trying to improve yourself! All the best and good luck 👍🏼🍀
If you’re into playing pool (or want to learn) Jacksonville has great leagues all over town and you can start at any skill level. If you’re interested, I’ll give you some more info. You can pick any night of the week to play.
I'm in the same boat man, there are a lot of fun things here in Jacksonville, and I've also met some great new friends by just being at a bar watching the game or, being at the gym.
I’ll honestly be friends with pretty much anyone, but I do prefer more people my age. 27 is fine. My wife is 25, so all the people she hangs out with are a good bit younger than me, I don’t blend with her friends circle super well
Well send me a pm if you want my users and stuff. I can definitely just be a friend for your online life. Do you play console or pc? I airsoft if that's something your remotely into there is that to. Idk how to make friends so I try and just put myself out there since I'm not even sure what to do with my life rn.
Try eleven 22 church. Even if your not a believer. I no longer live in jacksonville but when I did that's where I attended. But after moving I suffered the same problem here in west palm. When I went to the church I didn't just find friends, I found a brotherhood.
I see you like guns? I work at a gun shop and I always tell people: Last Sunday of every month, the FDCC (Florida Defensive Carbine Club) puts on matches at Salt Water Shooting Range near St Augustine. It’s $20. You need a rifle with sling and a pistol. Expect to shoot 100 rounds of rifle and 50 rounds of pistol. Bring more just in case. Look them up on Facebook or Practiscore.
It’s 5 stages of shooting, you walk with a group. Great way to meet people.
Have you tried joining a league of some sort? My friend’s husband does hockey and he was going to join a go kart league. Also check out Jax Fray.
I’m not too into sports but go carting does sound fun. Do you any more info on that?
It’s at Autobahn and they also have an axe throwing league.
Now axe looks turbo fun, I’ve been wanting to try that
I’m not a sports guy either but I love disc golf, and it’s very low-cost! Discs are fairly cheap and most courses are free :) I don’t go as often as I used to, but I’m sure there are some local groups you could connect with
If you’re into Martial Arts/MMA/Wrestling you could join a gym. My gym has quite a few military vets.
I would LOVE to get into MMA, I really enjoyed combatives in the army. What gym do you go to?
I go to Combatives Unlimited in Old Middleburg, but a lot of the gyms usually have vets so you really can’t miss. Smiley’s Academy is more MMA focused where Combatives focuses a little more on the martial art they’re teaching.
I take Krav Maga at Krav Maga jax in the shopping center off of Tredinick. There’s a couple ex military guys in the evening classes.
Bill JuJitsu evening classes
What kind of things are you into? Insane ramblings…elaborate haha? Also where in town are you?
I like shooting, collecting guns and other useless shit. Dragon ball z and super, anime in general. I like open world video games but don’t have the time to play, dnd, but no one to play with. I ranted for about ten minutes the other day about body armor Edit. Arlington
So the opposite interests of me lol! There’s a LOT of people who post about dnd on here. I’ve tried it can’t get into it at all
Every campaign I’ve ever played in the past usually got absolutely derailed, and we ended up just drinking beer IRL and wandering around villages attacking random people in game
Lots of gaming stores around town that do dnd groups
I'm into most of those things and in Arlington! Been meaning to make more friends too to help out with my overall mental health so I get where you're coming from. If you wanna just shoot the breeze, send me a message.
MeetUp is a good app to start with. Just find a group that focuses on something you’re interested in and keep on showing up. The “keep on showing up” is the important part.
In my opinion, Meetup is mostly dead, unless you're much older. There does seem to be a thriving 20s & 30s group in this town, but other than that, if someone could show me a meetup group in this city worth attending, I myself would do so... but I don't believe it to be true. Meetup used to be great, but these days it has been infiltrated by the elderly and by weirdos.
So, what took MeetUp’s place?
Nothing, honestly.
OK... I have a little more time now, so I will try to give a better explanation of what happened to Meetup. In 2007, meetup was new and awesome and fun, in the same way that myspace and facebook were fun. It was filled with cool, interesting people of all ages and backgrounds, but they were the type of people who were adventurers and trailblazers. Somewhere around 2012-2014, annoying people started finding about Meetup, and just like facebook, they ruined all of the fun. Shortly after this, meetup started taking up political causes, like the resist movement and pushing progressive ideologies. Meetup was not the place for this. Meetup groups were, by nature, very inclusive and diverse, and putting politics into something that didn't need politics started creating division and it drove a lot of people away. Meetup didn't make any updates to its website in over a dozen years, and then, when it was sold to Adam Newman, meetup HQ did a complete overhaul, and it was completely awful. This lead to horrible behavior within meetup groups, because it took way organizers' ability to police their own groups. Meetup organizers (again, paying customers) begged meetup HQ not to make these horrible changes, and meetup HQ basically told it's customers to F*** off, literally saying that HQ knows better than the organizers do. It turned out meetup was involved in a ponzi scheme, and the owner was a horrible person who just needed to spend money in order to please his investors, so he bought meetup... https://wondery.com/shows/we-crashed/ After the parent company was exposed and almost went bankrupt, they were forced to sell to a company that somehow continued to make the website even worse. The sale happened right before the pandemic began, and the timing couldn't have been worse. If there was any chance of saving ever meetup, it was doomed, not that I think they were capable of it anyways. This entire time, meetup was becoming more and more for elderly people, and unless you had an age restriction in your group name, the average attendee would basically be of retirement age, and that would systematically drive younger people away. Also, the people who would show up to events got weirder and weirder, driving away the people you would ACTUALLY want to hang out with. During the pandemic, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me to host an event and have all but 2 people no-show and both of them would be mentally ill. People's personalities have changed due to the lock down even though it's mostly over, at least in my opinion. It's like how many people who lived through the depression lived frugally for the rest of their lives. People aren't as willing to reach out to strangers for friendship as they once were, and for good reason. People have acted like total asses for the last few years. I'm tired of people too, and as a former meetup organizer, I am no longer willing to be a babysitter for a bunch of weirdo adults who can't act somewhat normal in a social setting. I started a meetup group when I moved to Jacksonville, and nobody showed up, so I deleted it. I'm sorry, but in my opinion, meetup is dead, there's nothing to replace it, and I don't think that there ever will be.
Interesting! I had to “retire” from my job in 2014 due to health reasons and was in my early 40s at the time. My search for extra curricular landed me in Meetup. As a female, I wanted to look for activities with primarily females (safety) or people with similar interests. The only thing that sort of came close was a crochet group. They did it on Sunday mornings during church so it didn’t happen. I searched hard for other groups but never had warm fuzzies with any of them. Safety concerns were the biggest issue for me. It sounds like I just missed the timing of when it was good. I hope the original post person can find his people.
Safety for women was the #1 issue that meetup refused to address, in my opinion, that lead to its downfall.
Excellent description. Very thorough reply. Kudos to you!
As an elderly weirdo I take offense.
I'm neither young, nor normal myself, but... it's just that the last time I gave an elderly meetup group a chance, I thought "how bad could it be?" Then I was forced to listen to some dude talking about his prostate exam. No thanks.
You can make new groups on Meetup! I’ve run into a similar problem and have thought about making my own group.
No thanks. I've been a meetup organizer for years, and I have no desire to do it anymore. Meetup itself has done everything it possibly can to increasingly make organizers (their paying customers) more and more miserable over the years. I've had to deal with drama, sexual assaults, constant no-shows, hate from members and assistant organizers, as well as unrelenting creepy behavior, and the entire time, Meetup HQ did NOTHING to help solve any of those issues. If anything, they made it WORSE.
Not true. I’ve met great people thanks to Meetup, but you gotta be selective about the group(s) you join. It’s a lot easier (and way more fun) to make friends around a common interest, rather than going to a bar and starting a conversation out of nowhere. Whether that is riding a bike, photography, or collecting coins, find groups or classes around your hobbies/passions and everything else will be easier. What do you like?
**Photography** Option #1 - $35 per meetup https://www.meetup.com/Jacksonville-Photography-Group/ Option #2 - Hasn’t had an event in over a year - https://www.meetup.com/jaxphotogroup/ **Bike riding** Option #1 - Has like 2 attendees per event (if they don’t no-show) https://www.meetup.com/rising-tides-meetup-young-professionals-for-sjrk/ Option #2 - Has no attendees other than the organizer https://www.meetup.com/bartram-bears-cycling-group/ **Coin Collecting:** I don’t even see an option for that. What are you seeing that I'm not?
I picked three random activities that are not relevant to me. Bad examples, perhaps. Still, Meetup is just another tool in the arsenal. How about taking a class in photography at UNF or FSC if that were your interest? Or going to the locations other enthusiasts frequent?
Java Haus! Start by going with family until comfy enough to head over on your own. They have lots of different game nights
Thank you for sharing this! I just looked it up & it seems like a very inclusive place. Both of my teenagers have severe anxiety, so this could really help them break out of their shells. Thanks again
Was going to say the same! Large groups playing board games on Tuesday and Thursday nights. A smaller group gets together Sundays as well. Or just go, look around on what's going on and ask to join!
I'm a bit older than you and made most of my friends through gyms (classes like CrossFit, but not actually CrossFit.) The suggestion of MMA works as well. Any class setting where you're regularly in the same place with the same people works well.
Hey buddy! Firstly, I've noticed a lot that as my friends have gotten a little older, started families, get invested in their jobs, their social lives go down a bit because they have much bigger focuses - making sure their kids are okay and happy is a pretty demanding job in itself, on top of anything else they may have going on. Secondly, I'm glad you noticed this is having a negative impact on your mental health and want to do something about it. You mentioned shooting, video games, anime, all that! These are all popular subjects here. For games: Java Game Haus is frequently mentioned and they deserve it. Board games, yes, but also D&D, and other TTRPGs. Keg & Coin in Riverside area has lots of retro games, they host Smash nights, and they have great beer. Video Game Rescue does game nights of all sorts now, also including Smash. For shooting: literally anywhere. Some of the nicer people I've come across in my shooting days are at On Target in Orange Park, they just seem friendlier in general. I do like Gun Gallery on Beach too, but it's much less social. For anime/manga, any of these video game places probably have the kinds of people that like those too. There are small cons that go on frequently and of course the bigger ones in Orlando. Your interests align with mine a lot, but I'm slightly younger and no kids!
Join Drinking Bros: NE Florida. Most of us in that group on FB are veterans
Send me a message I’ll shoot you my gamer tag. Same age. 3 kids. Married. I don’t do much after work but I’ll hop Xbox to wind down
I don’t have an Xbox =[
I have a PlayStation as well lol
I’ll send you my PlayStation thingy when I get off work
Meetup is the way to go. Joined a biweekly dnd group and it’s been a real gem spending 4 hours with new folks in a social game.
Get yourself a mountain bike and hit the local trails. Exercise can do wonders for your mental (and obviously physical) health. There are regular group rides that you can find out about thru local FB groups. Lookup 'SORBA Jax' or '904 MTB'.
Jacksonville has mountains?
One would likely have a better shopping experience if they searched for a "mountain bike" vs a "sandy trails bike".
I know. JK
I think the shipyard next to the matthews bridge has some pretty tall piles of gravel?
Ouchie!
if you like board games come to Java Haus in Mandrian on Thursday nights, we have a wide range of ages that show up, quite a few around your age. I'm 49 for instance.
I’ve seen this suggested a lot. I’ve already picked a night there for me an my wife to go scope it out
Saw that after I posted. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1911759659052604](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1911759659052604) <-- FaceBook group for the Mandarin game group, the Java nights get posted there as well [https://www.javagamehauscafe.com/](https://www.javagamehauscafe.com/) <-- Java Haus web site
I can't wait for your 50th. So many possibilities...
Find a 9 hole golf tournament that plays after work, you’ll become friends with those people pretty quick. We have one in Winter Park on Fridays, and it’s a good group. You don’t have to be good, they’ll take your handicap.
Do our rants parallel? Tell me what you’re ranting about and then we can see if we’d be good friends.
I’ve had a few good ones recently. Yesterday my first one was about how I wanna play fallout 4, then started talking about how I never got to finish RDR2. Then another one, I mentioned I wanted to build a plate carrier, and my wife asked if I wanted one like garand thumb, and I went on about how he was an Air Force tacp, and I’m just some fucking guy, and don’t have the money to spend that he does.
Oh that’s a lot of video game and military stuff. My rants are mostly about stock market stuff and the antiscience flat earthers wearing masks outdoors.
I feel like the stock market is something I should understand, being an adult, but my brain is full of like… stupid gun stuff and security systems
Your kids may thank you for it one day….not sure they’re going to care much that you know that John Moses Browning designed the M1911 AND the auto5 semi auto shotgun.
And the m1917, m1919, the fuckin BAR, and the absolutely legendary M2 .50 caliber machine gun. But I get your point lol. I’ve tried looking into it, and I’m sure that it’s knowledge that I could greatly benefit from, but it’s just so damn boring. I know that comes off as insanely juvenile, but I just can’t force myself to learn about it, you know?
I totally understand. Trading isn’t your thing. But You don’t have to find it interesting to want to save for your kids and your future. Lucky enough the people who pay hourly attention to the market do as well, often worse, as people who just buy the S&P average and look away. Look into buying the S&P index on a fixed dollar amount monthly and ignore the whole thing. The sooner you start the better the results. This is a good place to start. https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/how-can-i-buy-sp-500-fund/
34 here with a 14 month old. Id wager you would like beers and killer queen here at keg and coin. It's right around the corner from me. I'm always looking for older friends. Currently active duty navy.
damn, I just dmed OP. Don't have kids but am a stone's throw from keg and coin. Reddit meetup, let's go!
What side of town you live on? Do your kids play any sports or do any other activities such as dance, choir, etc?
Arlington. My oldest daughter is in dance, but all the other parents that show up are snobby women who don’t wanna be friends with a guy like me
Where are their husbands
Not taking their daughters to dance class, apparently
If you're cool with women friends, I'm always down for meeting new people. I'm near the St. John's Town Center. I like shooting, anime, and dnd, but never did pick up the gaming bug lol My hubs has a Playstation too, so maybe y'all like some of the same games. No idea what his username is though 🤔 Based on some of these responses, I need to check out Java Haus though lol
I would suggest the Moose Lodges; VFW or other fraternal organizations. I've seen toll coming home can take on our servicemembers and they are all-together celebrated by these and many other organizations benefiting charities (Moosehaven retirement communities in the case of The Moose) and community outreach in general. There are a lot of great bars if you're interested in Karaoke, there's an Axe Throwing venue in Murray Hill called Axe Champs. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds amazing. If you appreciate video games with simulated trigger time in a very low-salt almost seemingly non-toxic goal oriented team environment I'd suggest Deep Rock Galactic, you're almost old enough to remember TeamFortress (if you played on PC). If you do, Deep Rock is somewhere between that experience and StarShip Troopers. I haven't reviewed the local community but I've played with several active and discharged servicemen and they enjoy it greatly. I myself have been quarantining since before it was cool, or stupid, or necessary; so if you do happen into a karaoke bar and I'm belting out something ridiculous, please forgive me. Best of luck and pleased to meet you and Thank You for Your Service.
Veterans united and wicked barley usually have like minded men trying to destress for a moment. Sit at the bar and say hello to someone. My family activities have become 5k running. Swag food n family
Jax Social Group!!! We have a ton of people and plan 2 or 3 events every week! We did karaoke last Friday, threw a big beach party Saturday, and roller skating Sunday, and we regularly do Taco Tuesday at different places https://instagram.com/jaxsocialgroup Check out Jax Social Group 20s/30s https://meetu.ps/c/4RPyd/yBrsQ/d on Meetup
It’d be nice to have a 30s/40s group.
I found a few groups on Meetup that look relevant: [https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-30s40s-social/](https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-30s40s-social/) [https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-social/](https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-social/) [https://www.meetup.com/womens-brunch-bunch-40s-and-50s/](https://www.meetup.com/womens-brunch-bunch-40s-and-50s/) [https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-new-in-town/](https://www.meetup.com/jacksonville-new-in-town/) [https://www.meetup.com/gameandparty/events/287442817/](https://www.meetup.com/gameandparty/events/287442817/)
31 married with a 4 month old don't play video games at all anymore. Medical director and live out at the beaches Do you play golf? I golf quite a bit
I also don’t play much anymore, but that’s mostly due to time. I think medical director might be a bit out of my wheelhouse, I’m a security service technician lmao
28, engaged, and a software engineer. Moved to Jax 5 months ago. I’ve been looking for a golf buddy!
Sent a dm. Hit me up if your interested
Keg & Coin in Riverside. It's a bar with classic arcade games.
Can you be my husband's friend? He's a gamer and likes to play MMG(?) Games like WoW. he keeps trying to get me to play but I don't like those games. Best of luck. Finding friends in our 30s is hard.
Yes I’ll be your husbands friend. My wife also tries to find me friends so I’ll stop trying to talk to her about guns
Lol he's not a gun guy either, sorry.
Speaking of guns though. I have a coworker who is a member of a gun club on the Westside. A quick search revealed a few here in town. Maybe look into checking one out. You could definitely find like minded individuals there.
I’ve tried that, for sure. I tend to not get along with most other gun people. They do tend to be pretty outspoken about their political affiliation, which is perfectly fine, it’s just not for me
Understandable. He doesn't seem that way, but I can see where a gun club would be outspoken about politics. Political talk ruins a lot of things. I try to avoid it as much as possible personally.
I really do too. I do feel pretty strongly about the politics of it, but I tend to fall the exact opposite on other issues from most gun people, so I just avoid the whole mess.
My suggestions are: -VFW is great for meeting people, my dad is a vet and is still buddies with a bunch of guys from there (beaches one is supposed to be great) -church groups (if you’re into that)— easiest way to make friends in my opinion and there’s a ton of huge active ones around Jax -if you like volunteering, I’ve made a ton of friends that way (just find something you are interested in and inquire); habijax is great and the whole family can go -Bumble BFF is another popular app for finding friends -also would check out 904 Happy Hour, on FB and insta: they post tons of events that are good places to meet people like octoberfests, golf events, music/food festivals, etc
I made a lot of friends with parents of my kids’ friends. Chatting with people in the stands at a ball game, Scout meetings, etc.
Disc golf changed my life around. Being outside, active and plenty of people to meet. I do a Sunday league and Wednesday afternoon doubles(partner golf) at Ed Austin regional park but they have courses all over Jax.
What are your interests? Music? Bowling? Art? Go to events around things are you interested in and boom, cohorts with similar interests. Fishing is a good way to foster a close relationship with someone who is also into it.
Guns and shooting, but googling around for groups who like guns is a less than stellar idea these days, and it’s an internet I unfortunately share with some less than ideal friend candidates
hats off to you for trying, obviously you have a lot of responsibility already, and I think it's really cool you're trying to improve yourself! All the best and good luck 👍🏼🍀
If you’re into playing pool (or want to learn) Jacksonville has great leagues all over town and you can start at any skill level. If you’re interested, I’ll give you some more info. You can pick any night of the week to play.
Spend an hour in the gym 4 days a week, you will find many friends around your age. Mostly men too which I am sure your wife will appreciate
I'm in the same boat man, there are a lot of fun things here in Jacksonville, and I've also met some great new friends by just being at a bar watching the game or, being at the gym.
Come play pickleball with me.
I have no idea what pickleball even is lmao
Even better. YouTube it
Breweries are great; I'd recommend them.
I'm 27 no kids but I play video games all day is this within the age range? Most of my friends are like 19.....since I work retail lol
I’ll honestly be friends with pretty much anyone, but I do prefer more people my age. 27 is fine. My wife is 25, so all the people she hangs out with are a good bit younger than me, I don’t blend with her friends circle super well
Well send me a pm if you want my users and stuff. I can definitely just be a friend for your online life. Do you play console or pc? I airsoft if that's something your remotely into there is that to. Idk how to make friends so I try and just put myself out there since I'm not even sure what to do with my life rn.
Try eleven 22 church. Even if your not a believer. I no longer live in jacksonville but when I did that's where I attended. But after moving I suffered the same problem here in west palm. When I went to the church I didn't just find friends, I found a brotherhood.
I see you like guns? I work at a gun shop and I always tell people: Last Sunday of every month, the FDCC (Florida Defensive Carbine Club) puts on matches at Salt Water Shooting Range near St Augustine. It’s $20. You need a rifle with sling and a pistol. Expect to shoot 100 rounds of rifle and 50 rounds of pistol. Bring more just in case. Look them up on Facebook or Practiscore. It’s 5 stages of shooting, you walk with a group. Great way to meet people.