Most Baby Boomers look forward to retiring—and pursuing lifetime hobbies or passions. Others wonder how they’ll fill the time. The truth is that after your time at work is over, your hobbies take its place—and can fill your days with purpose and enjoyment.
Related: Passions That Pay: Turning Hobbies Into Money-Making Machines
Here’s a List of Ten of The Most Popular Hobbies Out There for Baby Boomers.
Boating
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast and a bit of an adventure-seeker, you’ll love boating. There are many different ways to get involved depending on your area, interest, region, and ability. Canoeing, for instance, can be a low-impact form of exercise and a great way to get out on a lake or calm river. Sailing is also a wonderful way to enjoy the water and the sunshine—and taking sailing classes is a great way to get started. If you’re up for more strenuous exercise, try kayaking.
Golf
Golf is another great way to enjoy the outdoors—and it’s highly popular with seniors. While it’s not as physically demanding as many other sports, it provides a great opportunity for low-impact cardio exercise—and also helps you improve your coordination. It’s flexible, in that it can be enjoyed solo or in a group.
When you think of golf, you likely think about Florida, Arizona, or California but there are beautiful golf courses all across the US. Check out this list of the best states for golf.
Fishing
Something about the slow, relaxing pace of fishing, the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful natural setting by a lake, stream, or river, and the excitement of catching a fish make it an ideal hobby for anyone looking to relax. Fishing can provide plenty of opportunities for exercise as well as relaxation—and it’s a great hobby for seniors, either on their own or with friends and family. It’s especially fun with a grandchild or two in tow.
Antiquing
Antiquing can give seniors an opportunity to use their historical interests and knowledge in order to spot valuable antiques, collect them, and even make some money. Antiquing is a great hobby to share with friends or to do on your own—to beautify your house or build into a side business.
Digital Photography
Photography is a great way to explore your creative side—and share images of vacations, family, and more. You can pursue nature photography, landscapes, cars, family, portraits, or anything else you’re interested in—and digital cameras and software make it easier than ever to take and edit photos.
Building Models
If you love building on a small scale, there’s always a timeless classic many of us get introduced to in childhood—building models. You can build model cars, boats, trains—pretty much anything that you have an interest in. It’s a great hobby for keeping hand-eye coordination sharp.
Gardening
Yes, gardening can be hard on the joints and knees. But there are many tools these days that make it easier for seniors to garden without having to kneel down often or lift heavy loads. And there’s something about nurturing a garden and watching your handiwork come to life in the form of beautiful flowers or delicious vegetables that makes gardening a bit addictive.
Volunteering
Giving back to your community, making new friends, and making people smile—what’s not to love about volunteering? Many seniors get involved in volunteering when they retire after a lifetime of work. There are always plenty of opportunities to volunteer, whether it’s with your local church or religious group, with a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, an animal shelter, or even a literacy nonprofit or your local library.
Genealogy
Genealogy is an increasingly popular hobby. And it’s perfect for seniors, who often have first-hand experience, insight, and memories with older generations that younger family members might not have. Genealogy allows you to find out more about your own family history—the people related to you, stories surrounding them, and where they lived. Becoming involved in genealogy can make your own family history richer—and maybe even lead to meetings with family members you didn’t know you had.
Knitting
Keep your fingers nimble—and make beautiful scarves, hats, sweaters, and other knitted goods for your family. Knitting is a relaxing and fun hobby that’s ideal for seniors. It’s affordable, portable, and easy to do both in groups and on your own.
Seniors keep busy in all kinds of ways—from volunteering in their local communities to pursuing personal artistic, craft-related, and intellectual passions. Find a hobby—or more than one—that you enjoy, and your retirement will definitely get a lot more interesting.