There are quite a few places where you meet single men in their 30’s, and most of them do not involve bars (although those can be pretty good places too).
The article below includes common everyday locations that can be easily integrated in your daily habits, interesting group activities that can be found in most towns and cities, and also some special occasions that happen every now and then but are incredibly fun.
- Co-working spaces
- Coffee shops with co-working options
- Marathons, running groups and jogging events
- Networking events & professional conferences
- Charity organizations and volunteer work
- eHarmony
- Coffee shop libraries (or public libraries)
- Meetup.com
- Keep an eye on Facebook Events
- Friends of friends
- Tabletop & Board game clubs
- Improv, standup & acting groups
- Museums & Exhibitions
- Hiking, camping & other outdoor activities
- Church
- Bars & pubs during work lunch breaks, or happy hour
- Discussion clubs for books, films, philosophy etc.
- Bars and pubs (ideally with pool tables or darts)
- Bowling alleys
- Medieval and renaissance fairs
- Speed dating events
- Latin dance lessons or dance clubs
- Dog parks
- Urban exploration groups
- Classes for learning certain skills
- Weddings & other celebrations
- The supermarket
- Join a political party and participate in meetings
- Guys that work for the same company (ideally other departments)
Locations
Co-working spaces
Perhaps the best place to meet men in your 30’s while in your 30’s are co-working spaces.
These are essentially office spaces individuals or companies can rent out for very short periods – think 1-2 days at a time.
Most of the people who go to co-working spaces are office professionals in their late 20’s to early 40’s.
The people who frequent co-working spaces do so for various reasons, such as:
- They normally work from home but want to break-up their routine.
- Are organizing a business meeting.
- Passing through town.
- Regular workers that have rented an office for longer periods.
- Etc.
Perhaps the best part about co-working spaces is that most of the people there aren’t “regulars”.
This means if you go 1-2 times a month you’ll likely find a completely different crowd each time. Prices are pretty reasonable too, with most co-working space charging $20-40 to rent for a day.
If your job allows some remote work days, visiting a co-working space every now and then is a great way to increase the opportunity to meet men in their 30’s.
Coffee shops with co-working options
Very similar to co-working spaces, you may find regular coffee shops that offer co-working spaces.
These coffee shops tend to have a much more casual and relaxed vibe to them, unlike co-working spaces that are more buttoned up.
This makes it easier to talk to people since you don’t really feel like interrupting them, plus the fact that you can do on-the-spot mini-dates by having a coffee or a drink.
Another nice bonus is that coffee shops with co-working options are also open on the weekends!
Finally, even if you don’t like coffee most coffee shops have lots of drinks for people who don’t like coffee.
To find such coffee shops in your city, use search keywords such as:
- “pay per minute coffee shops”
- “co-working coffee shops”
- “anti-cafes“
- “coffee shops with work spaces”
As for price, each such coffee shop has its own policy. Some are completely free, while others require to regularly purchase stuff off the menu, while some have a pay by the hour policy.
Marathons, running groups and jogging events
If you enjoy running, then a great way to meet men is to search for various groups and events in your city where people simply meet up to go for a run.
Running groups, jogging events and marathons tend to be very informal too, and most of the people who go there are the relaxed, socially open type (otherwise they’d just run alone, by themselves).
After the run is over, many runner groups tend to go and have a coffee or a drink afterwards, making it a opportunity perfect to talk with people there.
Marathons especially are known to have pretty interesting afterparties with free alcohol and food included.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of running/jogging groups, is that men who participate tend to be the “disciplined type”, meaning they like to take care of themselves, improve in one way or another and just have the energy to put in the work in for the things they care about.
Best places to find running groups, events or marathon is through Facebook or Meetup app.
Networking events & professional conferences
Most moderately sized and bigger cities often have all sorts of networking events and professional conferences going on, on a semi-frequent basis.
These are excellent places to meet men that have reached a stage in their life that is similar to yours, and have their lives put together.
Best of all, networking events and professional conferences are very social by nature, so it’s easy to enter conversations even if you’re a shy person.
Finding these events isn’t particularly hard either. Usually you just have to decide on a few sites and glance there every 1-2 weeks to find any news.
Good places to start include:
- Keeping an eye on Facebook events.
- LinkedIn.
- Event announcements from popular local business centers.
- Event announcements from co-working spaces.
- Discussions with colleagues.
- Meetup.com
- etc.
Charity organizations and volunteer work
Volunteering could be a potentially interesting way to meet new people, men included.
That being said, volunteering can be very time consuming and is something you should consider doing only if the goals and activities of the charity truly resonates with you.
If you have the time and mental space to devote to charity work, then there are multiple websites that can match you with a charity that matches your preferences such as:
eHarmony
eHarmony is one of the oldest dating sites still in existence, being founded way back in 2000.
What makes eHarmony worthy of consideration is that the service is free to signup, is generally oriented towards a more mature audience that is reasonably well off and looking to settle down.
One of the biggest advantages of eHarmony though is its personality based matchmaking algorithm.
Basically, every user that signs up on eHarmony must go through a fairly long, 20-30 minute personality test to roughly understand who they are.
eHarmony then uses the results from your personality test to match you up with people who it thinks are a good fit for you.
Either way, eHarmony is worth trying out.
Coffee shop libraries (or public libraries)
Nowadays many privately-owned libraries have integrated a coffee shop alongside their regular book store.
This turns coffee shops into an actually cool place to meet new people. Simply sitting down alone to read a book you’re interested will often be all the invitation some men need to strike up a conversation.
Other benefits of coffee shop libraries is that the men who go there are also the bookish type, so you’re guaranteed to have something in common to talk about.
Meetup.com
Meetup.com is a free social networking website built around local communities, with a focus on certain interests: board games, traveling, movie nights, language exchanges etc.
This makes Meetup a fantastic place to find communities of certain types of people – professionals, singles, men, women, movie lovers, board game players. You name it.
The biggest disadvantage of Meetup.com is that it’s only really functional in bigger towns (think 300,000+ people).
If you’re in a smaller town than that, Meetup.com won’t be of that much use unfortunately. This is because towns smaller than that don’t have enough “weight” to sustain a healthy Meetup community.
Keep an eye on Facebook Events
If you live in a big city, chances are that there are lots of events and fun stuff going on around you that you had no idea off.
Perhaps the best way of staying connected with the pulse of your city is to keep an eye on Facebook events.
Simply going to the Events tab in the Facebook app will populate your screen with upcoming events for the next week or two.
Some examples of events that are great for social interaction:
- Language exchanges.
- Board games.
- Courses to learn various skills.
- Book readings.
- Social movie nights, where people watch a movie and then break it down.
Friends of friends
Meeting romantic partners through friends of friends used to be the most common way people paired up before the Internet.
At the time, it made the most sense since it was both convenient and the friends were expected to “vet” the potential guy/girl of your dreams.
Nowadays, meeting romantic partners through friends of friends has reduced in importance, partly because online dating is more convenient, and partly because people have around 50% fewer friends today than decades past (yes, this is a true phenomenon)
That being said, meeting potential romantic partners through friends of friends is still a popular method. So if you are looking for a special someone, simply ask your friends if they know or have heard of any single quality men.
Tabletop & Board game clubs
If you enjoy table top games like Monopoly, Catan, Chess or Scrabble then an interesting place to meet men are board game clubs where people play these sort of games.
Even smaller towns tend to have at least board game cafe, while bigger cities will often 3-4 you can choose from.
Best of all, these board game clubs tend to be very social and stranger friendly. You’ll often see people from different friend groups mixing together just to play certain games and new acquaintances and relationships being made all the time.
If you don’t have a friend or two, then consider calling the board game club in question and ask them how stranger friendly they are. Most will say that it’s perfectly ok to come alone, and will even introduce you to some of the “regulars” there
Finally, all kinds of men come here. From the hardcore D&D nerds, to the guys who just enjoy spending their time every once in a while playing Catan or Monopoly. In other words, you won’t be stuck finding just one type of guy.
Improv, standup & acting groups
An interesting way to meet new people is by joining any acting, improv or standup amateur groups that might be active in your town.
Some examples include:
- https://minifridgetheatre.com/ -> a small acting company in Saskatoon, Canada that sometimes does open audtions.
- https://tabardtheatre.org/volunteer/ -> an acting company in San Jose, USA that has lots of opportunities for volunteering.
These types of groups are an all round fun experience, but you also get to meet all kinds of people along the way.
Many of these groups often put on their plays in various bars or small theaters, so you might actually end up playing on stage.
If acting itself doesn’t interest you that much, then you might consider various other roles in these groups such as stage or costume designer, choreographer etc. There’s lots of ways one can fit in and contribute.
As part of an amateur acting group you’ll meet all kinds of men, many in their 30’s and with an artistic bent. They can be either colleagues, people from other acting / improv groups, etc.
If you don’t have time, or can’t find an amateur acting group in your area, then the next best option is to search for open-mic standup comedy shows.
Open mic standup are amateur friendly standup shows, where nearly every participant is a complete newbie to standup comedy and just wants to do this for fun.
When you sign up to participate in an open mic standup comedy show you’ll usually be called up to meet with a semi-professional standup comedian as well as the other participants.
Together, you will all go through some feedback sessions and rehearsals, which gives you the chance to interact with the other men and women there.
It’s a very interesting experience overall, and gives you the chance to meet and interact with guys in an unusual setting where all of you work together.
To find some of those acting groups, search your city either in Facebook or Google with keywords such as:
- Community theater
- On Facebook: “[your city] actors”
- Acting training programs
- Ask around at cultural centers
Museums & Exhibitions
Museums are a great place to visit, both to see some of the interesting stuff on display and also stumble upon new people.
The biggest problem with museums though is that if you’ve seen it once, you’ve usually seen it all.
However, many museums have temporary exhibitions. These are usually various paintings, sculptures and other interesting pieces that are loaned from other museums for a short time.
Other times these exhibitions simply showcase local artists and their work, and even give you the opportunity to meet these artists in person.
One benefit of temporary exhibitions is that they usually attract a wider audience, since they’re better marketed and many people want to come and see the new exciting stuff.
These temporary exhibitions make it possible to form a habit of periodically visiting museums and seeing something new every time – be it fascinating museum pieces and people alike.
Hiking, camping & other outdoor activities
Hiking, camping and outdoor activities in general are excellent places to meet people.
They’re pretty quiet affairs, and give you the chance to talk with someone more in-depth while enjoying a nice trip through the woods or mountains.
Participating and meeting guys in such outdoor activities is easier than ever nowadays, since most cities have dedicated communities around hiking and other such outdoor activities.
Here’s an example of a Facebook hiking group from New York:
To find hiking or outdoors groups in your city, simply search Facebook for such groups in your city.
If Facebook doesn’t seem to have one, or you want to cast a wider net, then consider Meetup.com, since it’s bound to have an outdoors activity group in your town.
Church
Another good place to meet men in their 30’s are your local church. This can include both the regular Sunday mass, as well as various other events the local church might host such as charities.
Bars & pubs during work lunch breaks, or happy hour
If your workplace has bars or pubs nearby, then check out how the atmosphere is like there during lunch hours on working days.
If there are lots of other workplaces huddled together, then these bars and pubs will probably fill up pretty quickly at around the 12-2 PM interval.
This makes them a great place to meet professional, working men in their 30’s who want a quick break before getting back to work.
One of the best things about going to bars at lunch hours is that all of the guys go there primarily to destress, so they aren’t seriously expecting to meet a potential romantic partner.
This means interactions will be much more natural and laid back, with a far lower chance of meeting a player looking only for hookups.
A similar dynamic exists in the 5-8 PM interval when most people leave work, as long as the bar has a happy hour.
If you decide to try this out, then some useful tips include:
- Sit at the bar instead of a table.
- Keep an open seat next to you in case a guy wants to join or offer a drink.
- Try not to look at your phone too much since it will make you look busy and unnaproachable.
- Try to stay in a chatty mood and talk a bit with the bartender, regardless of gender.
- Aim to be a regular at a certain location, so you can be more comfortable with surroundings and the people there.
Discussion clubs for books, films, philosophy etc.
If you’re passionate about philosophy, books, arts and so on, then a great place to meet quality men with interests similar to yours is by searching for discussion clubs around topics that interest you.
These types of clubs usually meet 1-2 times per month, and there’s always a new set of people coming for the first time (and some appearing for the last time).
If you’re semiregular participant, you’ll likely come across quite a few interesting men over the course of 2-3 months.
Besides that though, these discussion clubs can be pretty fun all on their own. There are people from all walks of life, some with fascinating stories. This makes discussion clubs an interesting experience all on their own.
Best places to find these discussion clubs
- Meetup
- Facebook Events (search for discussion or keywords such as “philosophy/art/book club”
Bars and pubs (ideally with pool tables or darts)
If you don’t have bars and pubs around you for happy hour, then the next best thing is to just grab a friend or two and go to bars and pubs in the evening hours instead.
The best bars for social interaction are usually those that have an actual bar you can sit at.
Many guys prefer not to approach women sitting at a table, since they view it as more “closed off”. If you’re at a bar they’ll feel much more inclined to approach.
If that isn’t your thing, consider bars with pool tables or darts games.
Besides being good fun, these types of games encourage people to break the ice by asking each other for advice, whether they want to play together, or just throw a dart or two.
Other events at bars and pubs that could potentially be interesting are trivia nights, karaoke or small concerts by live music bands.
Bowling alleys
A bowling alley is a great place both to have fun, and meet guys there who are out to have fun.
Bowling alleys have a very active attitude, with lots of people coming and going, walking around and throwing balls left and right. This creates lots of opportunities where people can chat with one another and start up conversations.
Medieval and renaissance fairs
Medieval and renaissance fairs are essentially festivals where people dress up and act as medieval or renaissance peasants, lords, kings etc.
During these festivals there often lots of other attractions, such as medieval markets, jousting tourneys and lots of other games.
These festivals usually lasts a few days, and happen only once or twice a year in most localities so these are more of a special occasion, rather than some place you can go on a frequent basis.
Speed dating events
This is pretty much the closest possible mix between online dating, while still having the chance to meet a guy face to face, at least for a little while and in a controlled environment.
Speed dating events are usually organized by matchmaking companies that specialize in this sort of thing. As such, if you decide to go on a speed dating event read up on some reviews of that particular company.
Latin dance lessons or dance clubs
A fun way to meet men is by going to Latin dance lessons. Most men (and women) who go to Latin dance lessons do so by themselves, without a partner.
Besides that, dance lessons are often pretty social with everyone there interacting with one another and helping each other out so they master the moves.
In most cases, after 10-15 lessons the dance instructors will ask the class to go out as a group to an actual Latin dance club and practice what they’ve learned in a real dance environment.
If you find out you enjoy Latin dances, then you might consider frequenting these Latin dance clubs. The men you’ll meet there will vary in skill, some being professionals while many others are just beginners or intermediaries.
Overall though, they’re fun experiences for all skill levels and lots of people have met life partners this way.
Dog parks
Whether you have a dog or not, the local dog park (or any regular park that is dog friendly), is a good choice to meet new people.
Guys that take their dogs to dog parks usually socialize their pets very well. This means the doggos are usually the curious ones that go all around the place and sniff out everyone around them – making them an excellent conversation ice breaker.
If the idea sounds appealing, grab a blanket, a book, a few snacks (also include some smelly ones dogs might like to eat) and hang around at your local park.
It’ll be only a matter of time until some curious four legged critter comes sniffing out for some treats.
Urban exploration groups
Many larger cities have urban exploration groups where people get together and explore various parts of the city they haven’t seen before, and take photos along the way documenting their adventures.
If this sounds like a neat idea, then search for such groups on Facebook or Meetup.
Word of caution though: many of these urban exploration groups like to go visit absolutely derelict locations, such as abandoned factories, stadiums, malls.
If you decide to try this out, try to find a group where at least 3-4 people go exploring at a time.
Classes for learning certain skills
If you’re looking to learn certain skills, such as painting, sculpting or any other kind of do-it-yourself stuff, then taking some classes could be a viable place both to meet new people, and learn something useful from the experience.
Weddings & other celebrations
There are multiple reasons why weddings are so great to meet others. The overall atmosphere is one of celebration and hope for the future, which usually rubs off on everyone involved.
Next, weddings are often where two (very often separate) social circles meet. You’ll get the chance to meet completely new people, but still have something in common with them.
Perhaps the only big disadvantage of weddings is that they tend to happen pretty rarely, depending on how big your social circle is.
The supermarket
Grocery stores aren’t the most glamorous places to meet guys, but they do have some pretty distinct advantages:
If a guy is at that grocery store, chances are he lives relatively nearby which hugely simplifies the logistics of dating.
You go at the grocery store a lot, so there are lots of opportunities to meet a guy.
You can tell a lot about how a guy maintains himself in a casual environment where he doesn’t expect to meet anyone.
Now, the chances of actually having a guy approach you in a supermarket are pretty small.
However, you might be able to bend destiny a bit by asking the interesting guy you just saw about this-and-this product.
If not that, then maybe the famous movie and TV trope where a guy and girl meet each other while waiting at the cashier line.
Will it always work? Definitely not. But it’s as low effort as you can possibly get.
Join a political party and participate in meetings
If you feel connected to politics, especially local ones, then one idea could be to join the local chapter of your preferred political party
Most local party organizations have periodic meetings – from once a month to once a week depending on the organization.
Many of the people who go there aren’t interested in making a career of it, but instead they just want to participate in civic actions at a grassroot level.
The advantage of joining a party is that you get to make connections (and not just romantic ones!) and mingle with people who have similar beliefs to yours.
A nice, final benefit is that these meetings happen at predictable, regular intervals which allows you to include them in your life in a way that feels comfortable to you.
Guys that work for the same company (ideally other departments)
Dating somebody at work is controversial to say the least. Most coworkers who end up dating usually keep the whole thing a secret, which inevitably leads to a lot of office gossip.
This can turn even the best and most healthy work environments awkward. This is especially true if one person is the direct manager of the other, which can lead to intense discussions of favoritism and whatnot.
Then there’s also the awkward situation where the relationship doesn’t work out at all, but you end up having to work and see the guy every day.
With all that being said, around 34% of American workers were (or still are) involved in a romantic relationship that started at the workplace.
While there are some pretty good arguments against not dating someone at work, there is one major argument in favor of starting a workplace relationship.
The argument is that most people stay at a particular workplace for how long? 4-5 years on average? A good relationship however can last a lifetime and can offer a sense of fulfillment no job can rival.
Because of this, sometimes it’s worth taking the risk to kindle a workplace romance – especially if you don’t see yourself working there for a long time.
Things are much easier if you happen to work a big company, with lots of employees spread out across multiple departments that are somewhat isolated from one another.