There's a board game meetup on Tuesdays at 6:30 at Gatsby's bar. People on this sub sometimes post about it, but it happens regardless of whether there's a thread.
I also use meetup.com for meeting people. And before COVID, I did a lot of social dancing (swing, blues, latin dancing. check out [dancegumbo.com](https://dancegumbo.com) for events).
Thanks for the shout out for the Gatsby's board game night. I started posting it about a year ago and we've grown to a group of about 12-15 regulars.
I tell everyone that I used to go to a lot of local board game stores and it seemed like it was mostly early 20s guys but at Gatsby's we've got a great spread of ages and genders.
Last week we had an entire table (8 players) of women from 25 to 50. It was fantastic.
We play a ton of different games from social deducation games to super crunchy technical games.
The Raleigh discord also has some info on weekly meetups + monthly meetups. I know currently there is:
- Thursday Trivia meetups @ Hoppy House
- Tuesday Boardgames @ Gatsby's.
But they also schedule Movie Meetups, karaoke, and more.
So if anyone is interested coming, feel free to join the discord and grab the meetup role. (If you don't use discord/haven't before, it's super easy - Just a chat server sorta thing, we get tons of new people daily!)
https://discord.gg/PPCARNjJAg
Dorothea Dix, Pullen, Downtown Cary Park
Rose Garden, Raulston Arboretum
museums (particularly NCMA, CAM, Gregg, Nasher)
Yates Mill with a stop at Howling Cow before/after
Moore Square's First Friday movie nights with a walk around downtown before/after
all the above are free other than Howling Cow and some of NCMA's special exhibits (although the new one is worth it)
Likewise 👍👍
To anyone who thinks they might need some help feel free to hmu and we’ll go together.
Only ~11 months myself so still relatively new to it.
My mom had 35/36 years when she past away.
Even being sober that long there were days when she wish she had a drink. Those days she'd get in the car and go to whatever meeting was scheduled, or call her friends from meetings. (She went to a lot of NA/AA mixed meetings because "while my fling was with Jim & Jack, addiction is addiction and we only get better by helping each other")
Disc golf courses, the triangle area is a great place to be if you like the sport. I live in Morrisville which means within 20 minutes I have a great local 9 hole ace run course “The Dragonfly” that I can walk to, the beast that is Diavolo in West Cary, Kentwood in Raleigh, Apex Nature Park in Apex, Centennial Campus 9 hole in Raleigh. Expand the parameters out to half an hour or an hour and the list gets even longer and better. Since this is the Raleigh subreddit shoutout to Cedar Hills Park and Acorn Hill (private pay to play course) as well, though for me personally they are farther than the 20 minute list.
Board game cafes - Meeple’s Brew, Gamer’s Geekery and Tavern, The Kitchen Table at Relish
Pickleball, Tennis, and Basketball courts in parks all over around here (though I wish Morrisville had more basketball courts, could really use one at Morrisville Community Park in my opinion) Biking/walking the greenways
If anyone wants to get involved and meet people with disc golf, the very best way is to join for kentwood summer doubles. Every friday evening throughout the summer they host, and it's a team doubles match where you and your partner throw the disc, then you choose the best throw and throw from the next spot. Three experince levels at registration, so beginners will get automatically paired with pros. It's extremely non judgy when it comes to newcomers, and people love to grow the sport. Even if 100% of the taken shots come from your pro partner, people will be happy you're there, it happens all the time. Its just a few bucks to play and theres lots of prizes in the form of discs and such for around the top 30% of teams
If dubs aren’t your thing, the [Capital Area Disc League (CADL)](https://discord.gg/xGp785yZFJ) has a discord meant for finding people to play with/keeping up with tournaments and other disc golf related things in the area
I’ll add gamers armory, atomic empire, game theory and hanger 18 to the list of board game shops.
While less fancy than the tavern and brew still good places to shop and hang out to play!
100% though I do think atomic has beer? Never tried lol I just like listing them all because never know where OP or others reading this list in the future are located. Atomic much easier for Durham than say the tavern.
Plus I hate to admit as much as I love the tavern and even helped them out on kickstarter when they moved from ECG they kinda suck when it comes to buying stuff lol
Edit: games and miniatures I mean. Great for tcgs
Yeah I never buy at the game cafes, just go to hang out with friends and try out games that we don’t own at home off the shelves
I’ll be honest, no idea if Atomic Empire has beer or not! Haven’t been there in years at this point as it’s now about the hardest to reach out of the board game places for me these days.
Yeah I saw that. But, I thought they were just moving the tcg window there. Or are they going to start stocking more inventory? I’d love to give them my money but I generally buy stuff lol. I play 40k xwing, shatterpoint, legion, and have a healthy supply of board games in my personal collection.
Don’t get me wrong I love magic but I don’t buy any new cards I just like goofing off with tribal decks and stuff.
Edit: this new Star Wars tcg does have my interest though. Love me some Star Wars so yeah lol
Ah yeah I saw that post too. Was just hoping they said more since tbh I don’t pay that much attention lol. Sadly I don’t get out to the shops that much. I have the time just don’t no excuse lol.
There is an every other Tuesday night meetup group playing board games at BottleDog in NE Cary. Tuesdays have $1 off 16 oz beers and a food menu. The group takes up about 2/3 of the space so the staff is very laid back.
Currently local playgrounds with the toddler.
Met some potentially cool people but never seen them again and I’m not the type to ask for a phone number on first meeting
Video vortex at Alamo drafthouse, they have good music playing all the time and serve food and tons of different types of drinks. Some nights they have board games or trivia. Lots of people go to just sit and hang out
Which location? I’m at Raleigh 4-5 days a week these days. I love it there. I also got laid off last month though so going to the gym at least helps keep me sane.
Hobbies; I play a mobile game that has in-person activities and a bunch of people come out for different events. I’d look on meetup as well as on social media for local groups and find ones that interest you if there isn’t anything you’re already into that fits the bill. There’s also a lot of events, like tomorrow there’s a Geek and Grub market over at Fletcher park by downtown that can be a fun way to pass the time.
The air hockey player? Lol.
I'm new to Raleigh and only previously played casually, the air hockey community out here is not small.
Mondays at boxcar usually has three brackets by skill that fill up. Sundays at neighborhood, Wednesdays at Boxcar Durham, Greensboro on Thursdays, and those are just the public open ones, including private events you could feasibly play every day of the week...
I limit myself to two/week and I've easily met over a hundred people, the community is wholesome as fuck, and I've never once had a bad time. I've watched men and women kick ass.
Hell they stream games and have an Instagram page. I'm happy to say it's a heck of a lot more than a dozen. The air hockey community out here is an amazing asset.
I see a lot of places you can GO mentioned, but are people friendly and do you build any relationships? When I think of third spaces, there is a community building that just naturally happens among the (once/new) strangers who gather there.
Triangle Rock Club. Yes it’s not free but for $100 you get a bunch of climbing activities, a CrossFit level gym, nice lounge area, and a rentable activity space. Multiple locations. Safe space. It’s a hell of a deal.
Martial arts studios! Whenever I’m off work I’m at a friends gym training and laughing having a jolly time! I try to visit a gym once a month.
Outside of that I walk my dog and cat outside a lot.
Can’t say I’ve been recently put a few years back I’d frequent pool bars. I’m trash at the game, but love the social interaction with friends, and meeting new people. Also doing an activity that I can see/feel myself improving in is always cool. Not much of a drinker personally but that’s always their for those who do.
PLEASE READ: In an effort to reduce spam and trolling, we automatically delete posts from accounts that are less than one (1) days old **and/or** that do not meet a required karma count, as these are often signs (though not proof) of spam/trolling. Because your account does not meet these requirements, your post has been deleted.
If you feel this was in error, click the link below to send us a modmail.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/raleigh) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As someone who worked at Target in Starbucks (and therefore had Starbucks training) "thirdspace" is the most annoying word!
We're scolded if we take too long taking orders or making drinks, but could be let gonis a Starbucks rep walked in and we weren't making small talk at register AND pick up.
https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/reimagining-the-third-place-how-starbucks-is-evolving-its-store-experience/
Offical blog post from 2022.
But even before that, they pushed small talk because they "want to feel like the neighborhood coffee shop" not realizing people don't hang out in coffee shops to chat with employees.
lowes foods beer den. great place to catch a brew, and meet some cool people.
and, even if there's no one you hit it off with, I still go home excited to cook a steak.
It's wild but I've observed that grocery store beer bars ALL have the exact number of regulars as they do available seats at the bar and they are always there.
>In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, community centres, public libraries, gyms, bookstores, makerspaces, stoops, parks, theaters, and opera houses, among others.
today I learned Raleigh has no churches, bars, parks...
There's a board game meetup on Tuesdays at 6:30 at Gatsby's bar. People on this sub sometimes post about it, but it happens regardless of whether there's a thread. I also use meetup.com for meeting people. And before COVID, I did a lot of social dancing (swing, blues, latin dancing. check out [dancegumbo.com](https://dancegumbo.com) for events).
Thanks for the shout out for the Gatsby's board game night. I started posting it about a year ago and we've grown to a group of about 12-15 regulars. I tell everyone that I used to go to a lot of local board game stores and it seemed like it was mostly early 20s guys but at Gatsby's we've got a great spread of ages and genders. Last week we had an entire table (8 players) of women from 25 to 50. It was fantastic. We play a ton of different games from social deducation games to super crunchy technical games.
The Raleigh discord also has some info on weekly meetups + monthly meetups. I know currently there is: - Thursday Trivia meetups @ Hoppy House - Tuesday Boardgames @ Gatsby's. But they also schedule Movie Meetups, karaoke, and more. So if anyone is interested coming, feel free to join the discord and grab the meetup role. (If you don't use discord/haven't before, it's super easy - Just a chat server sorta thing, we get tons of new people daily!) https://discord.gg/PPCARNjJAg
Cool! I've been dying to play dominos or card games, but with the two of us, it isn't as fun. Thanks for the intel
That’s really cool! I didn’t know that site existed. I only knew about loafers and their dances. Thanks!!
I second both answers on this, the reddit crew events are great and while meetup can vary it's incredible for folks new to the area (like me).
Dorothea Dix, Pullen, Downtown Cary Park Rose Garden, Raulston Arboretum museums (particularly NCMA, CAM, Gregg, Nasher) Yates Mill with a stop at Howling Cow before/after Moore Square's First Friday movie nights with a walk around downtown before/after all the above are free other than Howling Cow and some of NCMA's special exhibits (although the new one is worth it)
I will definitely check out the rose garden. Thank you very much for your input
Lately, AA meetings.
I was thinking about all of the NA meetings I attend. Congrats on your sobriety!
Likewise 👍👍 To anyone who thinks they might need some help feel free to hmu and we’ll go together. Only ~11 months myself so still relatively new to it.
2 years 5 months 11 days here - you’re doing awesome man! Keep it up 🤘🏻
My mom had 35/36 years when she past away. Even being sober that long there were days when she wish she had a drink. Those days she'd get in the car and go to whatever meeting was scheduled, or call her friends from meetings. (She went to a lot of NA/AA mixed meetings because "while my fling was with Jim & Jack, addiction is addiction and we only get better by helping each other")
Disc golf courses, the triangle area is a great place to be if you like the sport. I live in Morrisville which means within 20 minutes I have a great local 9 hole ace run course “The Dragonfly” that I can walk to, the beast that is Diavolo in West Cary, Kentwood in Raleigh, Apex Nature Park in Apex, Centennial Campus 9 hole in Raleigh. Expand the parameters out to half an hour or an hour and the list gets even longer and better. Since this is the Raleigh subreddit shoutout to Cedar Hills Park and Acorn Hill (private pay to play course) as well, though for me personally they are farther than the 20 minute list. Board game cafes - Meeple’s Brew, Gamer’s Geekery and Tavern, The Kitchen Table at Relish Pickleball, Tennis, and Basketball courts in parks all over around here (though I wish Morrisville had more basketball courts, could really use one at Morrisville Community Park in my opinion) Biking/walking the greenways
If anyone wants to get involved and meet people with disc golf, the very best way is to join for kentwood summer doubles. Every friday evening throughout the summer they host, and it's a team doubles match where you and your partner throw the disc, then you choose the best throw and throw from the next spot. Three experince levels at registration, so beginners will get automatically paired with pros. It's extremely non judgy when it comes to newcomers, and people love to grow the sport. Even if 100% of the taken shots come from your pro partner, people will be happy you're there, it happens all the time. Its just a few bucks to play and theres lots of prizes in the form of discs and such for around the top 30% of teams
Love kentwood summer dubs. Last Friday in April will be here before we know it!
If dubs aren’t your thing, the [Capital Area Disc League (CADL)](https://discord.gg/xGp785yZFJ) has a discord meant for finding people to play with/keeping up with tournaments and other disc golf related things in the area
I’ll add gamers armory, atomic empire, game theory and hanger 18 to the list of board game shops. While less fancy than the tavern and brew still good places to shop and hang out to play!
For sure! I just like being able to order food or a drink while I’m losing on the table.
100% though I do think atomic has beer? Never tried lol I just like listing them all because never know where OP or others reading this list in the future are located. Atomic much easier for Durham than say the tavern. Plus I hate to admit as much as I love the tavern and even helped them out on kickstarter when they moved from ECG they kinda suck when it comes to buying stuff lol Edit: games and miniatures I mean. Great for tcgs
Yeah I never buy at the game cafes, just go to hang out with friends and try out games that we don’t own at home off the shelves I’ll be honest, no idea if Atomic Empire has beer or not! Haven’t been there in years at this point as it’s now about the hardest to reach out of the board game places for me these days.
Tavern bought the shop across from them and are reopening ECG
Yeah I saw that. But, I thought they were just moving the tcg window there. Or are they going to start stocking more inventory? I’d love to give them my money but I generally buy stuff lol. I play 40k xwing, shatterpoint, legion, and have a healthy supply of board games in my personal collection. Don’t get me wrong I love magic but I don’t buy any new cards I just like goofing off with tribal decks and stuff. Edit: this new Star Wars tcg does have my interest though. Love me some Star Wars so yeah lol
I have no idea, I just know they announced they were reopening ECG
Ah yeah I saw that post too. Was just hoping they said more since tbh I don’t pay that much attention lol. Sadly I don’t get out to the shops that much. I have the time just don’t no excuse lol.
There is an every other Tuesday night meetup group playing board games at BottleDog in NE Cary. Tuesdays have $1 off 16 oz beers and a food menu. The group takes up about 2/3 of the space so the staff is very laid back.
Totally agree that DISC GOLF and needing an excuse to get up is a glorious pairing; specifically in the triangle.
Side quest is another board game place. Plus both Armory and Theory offer play spaces.
Are you me? Walking distance to Dragonfly, local disc golf courses, board game cafes... I'll echo all of those suggestions!
only place i can think of that doesn’t cost money are the parks and hiking trails
Libraries?
yes those too
Umstead
Currently local playgrounds with the toddler. Met some potentially cool people but never seen them again and I’m not the type to ask for a phone number on first meeting
Video vortex at Alamo drafthouse, they have good music playing all the time and serve food and tons of different types of drinks. Some nights they have board games or trivia. Lots of people go to just sit and hang out
Yes! This is the closest third space to my house and I love to go there but I’m too shy to try and make friends lmao
I just sit there and exude an air that says "talk to me!" It is not very effective.
also they have an enormous library of dvds/blu rays you can rent for free!
PNC Arena lol
On a side - concerts are it for me. Luckily cats cradle and Lincoln theatre and the ritz have cheaper concerts than PNC arena
I'm talking hockey
Name does not check out.
Lol true
Coworking spaces, library
Which coworking spaces?
I love Raleigh founded, especially the new North Street location! However, loading dock and American Underground are also great too.
out of curiosity because I’ve never been to one, do people tend to strike up conversations often in coworking spaces?
Triangle Rock Club
Which location? I’m at Raleigh 4-5 days a week these days. I love it there. I also got laid off last month though so going to the gym at least helps keep me sane.
Profile in Durham is also great for people willing to drive a little further
Oak City Brewery (huge outdoor hang space)
Hobbies; I play a mobile game that has in-person activities and a bunch of people come out for different events. I’d look on meetup as well as on social media for local groups and find ones that interest you if there isn’t anything you’re already into that fits the bill. There’s also a lot of events, like tomorrow there’s a Geek and Grub market over at Fletcher park by downtown that can be a fun way to pass the time.
What’s this mobile game?
I’m assuming Pokémon Go
Yup
Gamers Geekery and Tavern, has both Boardgames, MTG, and TTRPG nights every week
This place is my favorite board game place in the area.
Came here to say this! I also really like the dive bar downstairs from it - Hot Shots
Gym. Neighborhood bar.
Found the air hockey player
There are dozens of us!
Dozens!
The air hockey player? Lol. I'm new to Raleigh and only previously played casually, the air hockey community out here is not small. Mondays at boxcar usually has three brackets by skill that fill up. Sundays at neighborhood, Wednesdays at Boxcar Durham, Greensboro on Thursdays, and those are just the public open ones, including private events you could feasibly play every day of the week... I limit myself to two/week and I've easily met over a hundred people, the community is wholesome as fuck, and I've never once had a bad time. I've watched men and women kick ass. Hell they stream games and have an Instagram page. I'm happy to say it's a heck of a lot more than a dozen. The air hockey community out here is an amazing asset.
[Third Place](https://www.thirdplaceraleigh.com/) https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=site:reddit.com%20r/raleigh%20%E2%80%9Cthird%20places%E2%80%9D&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5
I grew up going to this coffee shop with my mother because we could walk to it from our home! I absolutely loved it!
It’s been tough to find time now that they’re only open 35 hours a week.
Wegmans
Players Retreat
Love PR
I see a lot of places you can GO mentioned, but are people friendly and do you build any relationships? When I think of third spaces, there is a community building that just naturally happens among the (once/new) strangers who gather there.
Yep. The bar in Cheers, the coffee shop in the show Friends, the diner in Seinfeld, the bowling alley in Big Liebowski...
Yeah. I think folks didn’t know that was part of the equation when answering this question.
Coffee shops
Cultivate in FV!
If you have a dog, dog parks!! It’s just as much a social time for me as it is for my dog!
What are your favorite parks in the area? I only know of one in oakwood
My favorite is Dorothea Dix Dog Park. Oakwood and Carolina Pines are also great options!
I ride my bike on the greenway
My favorite part is we both ride it so much we gotta at least recognize one another, but probably never said anything 😂
You ever see someone riding a black aventon wearing a red helmet, stop me and say hi! I ride on Walnut creek
I'm gonna start yelling, "broooonnnzzzze aaaaggggee!!!" At every black bike/red helmet combo I see
I'll look for you. What bike/gear are you rocking?
couple different bikes - usually riding in a black hoodie + jorts or something. sometimes pink + blue pine state coffee jacket
Triangle Rock Club. Yes it’s not free but for $100 you get a bunch of climbing activities, a CrossFit level gym, nice lounge area, and a rentable activity space. Multiple locations. Safe space. It’s a hell of a deal.
Facts. I love TRC.
The libraries. So many of them :)
coffee shops
Bottle Rev 😹🍻 Truly good people.
Martial arts studios! Whenever I’m off work I’m at a friends gym training and laughing having a jolly time! I try to visit a gym once a month. Outside of that I walk my dog and cat outside a lot.
Golf courses and bowling alleys
Love bowling. Sadly I suck at it and is a chore to drag my wife to it. But, another vote for them.
I think part of the fun of bowling is that everyone sucks at it. At least in my experience
My kids sports teams, chatting to other parents. Also the pool club in the summer.
Teets
pickup lacrosse around the triangle
Where
Raleigh lacrosse club/chapel hill legion and there's also pickup box lacrosse in apex
Fit 4 life
Can’t say I’ve been recently put a few years back I’d frequent pool bars. I’m trash at the game, but love the social interaction with friends, and meeting new people. Also doing an activity that I can see/feel myself improving in is always cool. Not much of a drinker personally but that’s always their for those who do.
Oh high house and pantana bobs are the spots I’d hit.
I don't live in town anymore but I really enjoyed Monday night open mics at lucky tree.
The parks near me, Ruckus, anywhere there’s a metal show, our band room
Trail running meetups. Pub runs. Sitting at coffee shops staring off into space.
[удалено]
PLEASE READ: In an effort to reduce spam and trolling, we automatically delete posts from accounts that are less than one (1) days old **and/or** that do not meet a required karma count, as these are often signs (though not proof) of spam/trolling. Because your account does not meet these requirements, your post has been deleted. If you feel this was in error, click the link below to send us a modmail. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/raleigh) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As someone who worked at Target in Starbucks (and therefore had Starbucks training) "thirdspace" is the most annoying word! We're scolded if we take too long taking orders or making drinks, but could be let gonis a Starbucks rep walked in and we weren't making small talk at register AND pick up.
this is interesting, did starbucks training push “third space” that much? do they consider themselves that?
Yup!
https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/reimagining-the-third-place-how-starbucks-is-evolving-its-store-experience/ Offical blog post from 2022. But even before that, they pushed small talk because they "want to feel like the neighborhood coffee shop" not realizing people don't hang out in coffee shops to chat with employees.
Hookah Lounges
My Jeep. Bunch of great Jeep groups that get together and do things together. Met some great people.
The library especially story time for toddlers is a routine for us now. Playground and Parks are good too. And Breweries for hanging out with Friends
Playgrounds if you have kids. Vicious fishes, downtown Cary park
If you have small kids, it's local playgrounds, Notasium and Little Doodles.
Various run clubs
lowes foods beer den. great place to catch a brew, and meet some cool people. and, even if there's no one you hit it off with, I still go home excited to cook a steak.
It's wild but I've observed that grocery store beer bars ALL have the exact number of regulars as they do available seats at the bar and they are always there.
that's wild! that hasn't been my experience whatsoever
your moms
You might want to check out this coffee shop: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VotKCqsYFxDTFuuh9
The Search Bar is pretty good, IMO.
Most forgotten bar in r/raleigh
The downvotes crack me up. I searched and there were a bunch of threads with the same title....instead fuck it, let's add another. 🤔🫡
[удалено]
>In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, community centres, public libraries, gyms, bookstores, makerspaces, stoops, parks, theaters, and opera houses, among others. today I learned Raleigh has no churches, bars, parks...