Hobby Clubs and Classes In New York

So, you’ve just moved to New York and finished setting up your apartment. Do you have friends in the city, or are you looking to meet new people? Are your weekends already filled in your calendar, or would you like to find out about NYC meetup groups and hobbies clubs? Try out with (or without) your roommate!

Most new young people we talk to in the big cities are wary of spending all their time and money on drinking with friends in their free time. But they also don’t want to spend long days indoors and want to be productive instead.

Luckily, New York is a city with one of the most diverse populations in the world. They have many special hobby clubs, classes, workshops, and NYC meetup groups. Check out our top picks for hobby clubs in New York and see what suits you best to make some new like-minded friends.

Brooklyn Brainery

Brooklyn Brainery is an NYC meetup group that has been hosting classes for curious adults for ten years now. The classes range from physics to cooking, from journaling to career advice, and from identifying trees to HTML. Go through their schedule and pick your choice; you also have the option of suggesting classes.

Most classes are affordable and last one to four weeks. While some classes of these NYC meetup groups have been moved online during the pandemic, some are still organized in their venues with precautions.

Birding Around NYC

Central Park is a treasure trove of birds, welcoming migratory birds seasonally as well as providing a comfortable home to some residents. But that’s not all, you can find birds across New York if you know where to look. Pick up your binoculars, pack your essential day-backpack, put on your mask, and join the birdwatchers of BirdingAroundNYC to learn about nature and natural interaction through birds. You can register here, too, to join this NYC meetup group.

“Learn to cook like a grown-up”

Classes with The Brooklyn Kitchen can be taken by cooks with some experience as well as by complete newbies. Explore their calendar to find out which class you want to attend – do you want to learn how to make soup dumplings, or would you rather try your hand at biscuits and gravy? Or will be surprising your roommate with potato gnocchi on the weekend?

The Brooklyn Kitchen also take private classes if you have specifications and want to learn alone. What better hobbies in NY than to make your own delicious meals!

Improv and sketch comedy

Laughter is the best medicine. You don’t have to be good at or even knowledgeable about comedy and improv acting; join this fun NYC meetup group and workshop. This is a great way to meet new people in New York. This is because part of the course itself is to break the ice and get to know each other. UBC Training Center has courses in comedy teaching you the art of improv and sketch comedy for eight weeks. Surround yourself with laughter after the train wreck that 2020 was.

Pottery classes

When you want to do something with your hands and want to keep your mind occupied with long meditative minutes of a single activity, pottery could be for you. Mud Matters in New York offers different packages in classes and workshops, and takes COVID seriously – you will be given your wide space and things will be handled with hygiene in mind. Well, as un-messy as it can be with clay and mud anyway!

Jam making

There is nothing quite as satisfying and calming as slow cooking, and the best comfort food to make are jams and preserves. Anarchy in a Jar was started by Laena McCarthy who collected preserve recipes and secrets from around the world. Learn how to make different jams, marmalades, pickles, and mustards by using local produce through this hobby class in New York. With so much homemade preserve, you’ll never buy a jar from a supermarket again.

Watch this space to know about more NYC meetup groups, classes, and hobbies in NYC; we’ll be talking about sports clubs, LGBT communities, photography, writing with kids, and more.

Need some more Roomi in your life? Have your pick from Roomi’s endless recommendations crafted to your needs. Doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a room to call home, a couch to call your bed or a mate to share these with! Download the app here — and get surfin’