Hobbies are an important part of life no matter how old you are, but they can become especially important during your retirement years. Not only are hobbies enjoyable and diverting in and of themselves, they offer a host of mental and physical health benefits as well.
Most of us are already familiar with the standard list of senior hobby opportunities. Thousands of seniors all over the world find satisfaction during retirement by engaging in pursuits like gardening, volunteering, photography, and bird watching. But while these are wonderful and fulfilling endeavors for many, some retirees have found greater enjoyment going in entirely different directions.
That’s why we’ve researched some of the quirkier retirement hobbies seniors have discovered to engage their mind, body, and spirit. Read on to see what we’ve uncovered and to find an interest that’s both satisfying and uniquely all your own.
Fun, Relaxing & Quirky Retirement Hobbies
It goes without saying that every retiree is different. That’s why it’s important to consider a wide range of alternatives when choosing a hobby to occupy you during retirement. If you’re one of those people who isn’t likely to be satisfied by the standard fare we mentioned above, this list of unexpected and quirky retirement hobbies is sure to inspire you.
1. Learn a Foreign Language
To a large extent, language determines our reality. By learning a foreign language during retirement, you’ll be able to expand your mind and open up new avenues for social interaction simultaneously. Obviously, there are hundreds of choices out there, but the language you choose will depend on just what you want to do with it.
Perhaps you’d like to explore your personal heritage. If so, then learn the language that some of your immediate ancestors spoke. If you’re of largely European descent, perhaps you’d enjoy learning German, French, Spanish, or Dutch, for example. If you’re of Native American descent, you might experience true renewal by studying the language of your original ancestral group.
The possibilities are endless, but whatever language you choose, you’re certain to access new ways of thinking that will enrich and engage you for a lifetime.
2. Practicing Martial Arts
Though world-class expertise can take a lifetime to achieve, more and more people in their sixties, seventies, and eighties are realizing that martial arts is a very rewarding retirement hobby. While it’s always important to seek medical advice to determine your level of fitness before beginning, retirees can reap enormous benefits from disciplines like karate, judo, taekwondo, and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu. Tai Chi is another great form for retirees to study, both because of its lower impact and its meditative qualities.
The benefits of senior martial arts include increased physical fitness, flexibility, and mental discipline. The meditative aspects of many martial arts can help retirees relax and sleep better as well. Martial arts are also a great deal of fun and provide many avenues for meeting new people. All in all, the martial arts can be a vigorous, healthy, and rewarding hobby for many retirees.
3. Geocaching
This is definitely a quirky retirement hobby – but it sure is fun! Geocaching is a fun and relaxing hobby for many people, as well as one that can be pursued deep into your retirement years without great difficulty. A high-tech combination of an orienteering adventure and a scavenger hunt, geocaching uses GPS technology to guide participants to different ‘caches,’ the contents of which vary according to the group playing it.
By using a GPS device, geocachers track down various items that are strategically placed in hard to find spots in parks and other public places. Once you’ve located the cache, the game usually proceeds in one of two ways. First, you might take the hidden item and replace it with a similar one of equal value. Alternatively, you would simply sign a logbook in the cache or take your picture with the found item.
You can find a more detailed description of geocaching by clicking here, but you’ll find that it’s an easy pursuit to start, as well as an entertaining one to continue.
4. Traveling to Unusual Destinations During Retirement
Many people dream of traveling after retirement. Unsurprisingly, traveling is one of the most popular hobbies of retirees. Whether it’s with a spouse, alone, or with a tour group of some sort, a great number of retirees take great pleasure in visiting parts of the world they’ve never visited before. For some, the standard list of popular destinations will suffice, but we’ve compiled a few suggestions for retirees who prefer to travel off the beaten path.
Here are a few suggestions if you’d like to turn traveling into a unique retirement hobby:
- Visit Mount Shasta, California for spiritual renewal and its sheer physical beauty
- Take a trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska
- Stay in an underwater hotel at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, FL
- Witness the colossal geological beauty at Goblin Valley State Park in Utah
- For a bit more adventure, visit Lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona
Of course, you’ll want to expand on this list as you continue to make travel your unusual retirement hobby, but any (or all!) of these destinations would make a great place to start.
Take Your Retirement on the Road with Acts Retirement-Life Communities
With Acts, residents aren’t just embarking on a new chapter in their lives, they’re diving into a world of vibrant activities and enriching hobbies. Take it from some of our current resident’s hobbies:
- Ronnie Mill enjoys carving ducks in the workshop of Spring House Estates in Lower Gwynedd, PA.
- His friend Burt Jones also spends time in the workshop building doll houses for friends and admirers around the world.
- Bruce and Shing Mai Hwang keep bonsais at the Granite Farms Estates garden club in Media, PA.
- Barbara Sowinski uses the second bedroom at Brittany Pointe Estates in Lansdale, PA as an art studio.
- Carlene Starace opened a thrift store in the St. Andrews Estates community in Boca Raton, FL.
Another popular hobby of our residents is travel. Acts residents are never tied down to a single place — they can stay at any of our other communities whenever they’re on vacation or visiting friends! Residents on the East Coast always have a place to stay in Florida or the Carolinas during the winter, as one example of the many benefits.
Acts has a total of 27 wonderful communities in these states:
Imagine the combination of convenience and adventure you’ll experience when you explore the country at one of our retirement communities. Please visit our website frequently or contact us today for more information.
