It's the question almost nobody asks before they move and almost everybody asks six months after. You picked the town, you love the water, the weather is everything you hoped for. So why is it so hard to meet people?
Why it's harder in a beach town
- The town changes with the season. Many coastal towns are packed from January through April and half empty in August. The crowd you meet in March may not be around in July.
- Visitors and locals share the same spots. At a beach bar, a lot of the room is in town for the weekend. Fun night, hard place to make a standing friend.
- You spend more time in the car than you expect. Outside a handful of walkable downtowns, you don't bump into people. You have to go where they are.
What works: a standing weekly date
The simplest fix is a standing date. Pick one thing that happens at the same time every week and keep showing up. A run club, a market, a sailing club, a volunteer shift.
It works because you are doing something side by side, not sitting across a table making conversation. And by the third week, somebody knows your name.
Where the weekly dates are
These are real standing events in towns that score a 4 or 5 on our Meet people measure.
St. Petersburg
The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club runs a Friday night shuffle from 7 to 10pm, and guests pay $10. The Second Saturday ArtWalk opens galleries in five arts districts from 5 to 9pm. The Saturday Morning Market runs 9am to 2pm, and there are several run clubs to choose from.
Sarasota
The 99 Bottles Run Club heads out from the taproom every Wednesday at 6pm, with 150 to 250 runners of all paces. The Saturday farmers market at Lemon Avenue and Main Street has run since 1979, and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron on City Island has open membership and adult lessons.
West Palm Beach
Celis Run Club leaves the Meyer Amphitheater on Wednesdays at 6pm for a free 3 mile run. Clematis by Night is a free concert downtown every Thursday, and the GreenMarket fills the waterfront on Saturday mornings from October through May.
Key West
On an island this small you run into people constantly. Southernmost Runners meet three times a week, the Community Sailing Center teaches adults and races, and sooner or later everyone ends up at the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration.
Dunedin
The Dunedin Boat Club, founded in 1929, holds sailing races, paddling outings and monthly meetings and is open to new members. The Downtown Market runs Saturdays all year, and Dunedin Brewery hosts an open jam on Wednesday nights.
Delray Beach
Run club meets Wednesdays at 6pm and Saturdays at 8am. The Tennis Center on Atlantic Avenue has leagues and clinics, and galleries stay open late for the First Friday Art Walk.
How to use this
- Pick one and go three times. The first visit is always a little awkward. The third is where it starts to feel like yours.
- Volunteer. Gardens, theaters, trail groups and festivals all need people, and it's the quickest way to feel useful somewhere new.
- Check the schedule first. Times and seasons change, so look at the group's own page before you go.
- Look before you move. Every town page on Florida Coastal has a Social scene section with the clubs and weekly events we found there.
If meeting people is high on your list, say so in Find Your Mile and we'll weigh it in your matches.
