Joining a social club is good for your health. Here are 7 quirky ones in L.A. to get you started
- Joining a club or society to meet like-minded friends is a great way to ward off loneliness.
- Los Angeles is filled with groups for all kinds of niche interests. We rounded up seven to get you started.
A few years ago Todd Lerew, 38, began collecting club memberships in Los Angeles. He joined clubs you’ve probably heard of, like the Elks, the L.A. Historical Society and the Auto Club of California (AAA), and clubs you probably haven’t, like the Cookie Cutter Collectors Club, the International Banana Club and the American Fancy Rat & Mouse Assn. He joined so many clubs, in fact, that he needed a second wallet to hold all his membership cards.
Lerew’s rampant club joining was research for an exhibit he curated at the Los Angeles Public Library on L.A.’s rich history of clubs and societies. Titled “Something in Common,” it was billed as an exploration of “the ideas, interests and beliefs that bring us together.” It closed in the fall of 2022, but two years later Lerew remains something of an expert on L.A.’s social offerings and how to get involved with a community.
Planning your weekend?
Stay up to date on the best things to do, see and eat in L.A.
Joining a club or society where you might meet like-minded people has a wide range of health benefits. It wards off loneliness, which is associated with increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, and has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Above all else, it brings meaning to our lives.
“Many of us find that once we join a group we get more responsibility and we feel we are needed, and that gives us a sense of purpose,” said Sam Pressler, a fellow at University of Virginia’s Karsh Insitute of Democracy, where he studies community and social connection. “That’s a critical piece.”
Joining a club can also increase your support networks, which might come in handy the next time you’re looking for a job, experiencing a health crisis or need someone to watch your kid.
The yoga scene in Los Angeles is unparalleled. Whether you’re just starting out, on a budget or seeking something different, these studios have an option for everyone.
“It’s good to be seen and known,” Pressler said.
Fortunately, the club offerings in L.A. are extensive.
“Think of something you’re into, a fan of, enjoy doing, or identify by and there’s almost guaranteed a group already that’s doing that,” Lerew said. Maybe you love making kaleidoscopes, or feminist literature, or the history of the circus — in Los Angeles, there’s a club for that.
If you do decide to join one, Lerew suggests keeping a few things in mind: You may feel uncomfortable at first, or members may be wary of newcomers, but if you’re genuinely interested in it, you should stick with it regardless.
“You just have to not stop,” Lerew said.
And whatever you do, don’t overthink it.
“Get out there, and you’ll find people,” Lerew said. “And if they’re not your people, that’s OK. Your people are somewhere else.”
Below are a few ideas to get you started.
The Garibaldina MB Society
Located in a low-slung brick building in Highland Park, the club hosts a themed dinner dance for members and their friends with a live band each month as well as the raucous Pasta Platter, which is open to the public and might best be described as a wedding where no one is getting married. Other events include bocce nights for members and La Famiglia — a family dance party open to all ages. Attire is usually formal or semiformal, which many members consider a bonus. As the club’s executive director Nicole Infante likes to say: You don’t have to dress up, you get to dress up.
Crowd faves like “YMCA” and “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire consistently get everyone on the dance floor, as do line dances to “New York, New York” and Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.” It’s also got the best bar in Los Angeles. (Wood paneled, carpeted, drinks under $15.) The club started accepting non-Italians in 2017 and everyone is welcome to join, but, be warned: the waitlist is nearly a year long.
Read more about the Garibaldina here
L.A. Breakfast Club
Formed in 1925 as a parody of the Masons and other brotherhood clubs, its members have been dragging themselves out of bed at dawn for nearly a century to attend two hours of camaraderie and silliness each Wednesday before work. The fun begins at 6:45 a.m. when the doors to the Friendship Auditorium in Griffith Park open with greeters on hand to ensure everyone is welcomed. Coffee carafes line the long tables that run down the center of the room and the breakfast is a serve-yourself affair of eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage and oatmeal.
Once everyone has food and time to chat with their neighbors, the program begins with songs, announcements, group exercises and introductions of the new folks in attendance. Speakers say, “Hello, hams!” and breakfasters respond enthusiastically, “Hello, eggs!” There’s a special cryptogram board that is read out loud and initiations that involve a plate of runny eggs and a sawhorse. After all the club business is taken care of there’s typically a presentation of some sort. (Recent topics include the history of See’s Candies, iconic restaurants born in the Golden State and the origins of L.A.’s wild parrots.)
The club’s breakfast meetings are open to everyone, but you’ll need to buy tickets ahead of time. The cost is $28.70 for nonmembers. Parking is free and ample.
“When you look around the room you’ll see people of all generations connecting over the principle of friendship and love of the city — both conserving it and celebrating it,” said club secretary Brianne Richard after a recent meeting. “Everyone is welcome.”
Read more about the L.A. Breakfast Club here
The Palisades Bocce Club
The Palisades Bocce Club was born in 2021 after longtime Pacific Palisades resident Jimmy Dunne helped open three bocce courts near the sprawling Palisades Recreation Center. It was an instant success with more than 900 people signing up to play over the last three years.
Games take place several times a week, and while winning is nice, it has never been the point. The league prizes community over competition, bringing together neighbors of all generations in the outdoors. It costs between $80 and $100 per season depending on how many weeks of game play there is. Participants can sign up with friends or be placed on a team to make new friends. Dunne, who usually offers a folksy “tip of the day” to the league’s devoted members, said bocce has always been beside the point.
“It’s about celebrating the wonder in our backyard and the simple pleasure of having friends in town,” he said.
Note: If the Palisades is too far to travel, there are similar leagues scattered across the city. A few to get you started include the Los Angeles Pétanque Club, which meets in Rancho Park or the Pasadena Lawn Bowling Club in Pasadena.
Read more about the Palisades Bocce Club here
L.A. Guild of Puppetry
Some guild members have never operated a puppet, others are SAG-AFTRA-represented professionals who’ve worked on such films as “Alien: Resurrection” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Regardless of where they fall on the puppetry continuum, members tend to be super friendly and happy to talk about anything puppet-related.
The group gathers monthly for Puppets, Donuts and Coffee, a meetup that alternates between local parks and the Magic Castle. It also hosts occasional Puppetzilla Puppet Slams where local puppeteers present new work to an 18-and-over crowd. Members also receive an email detailing puppet workshops, performances and job opportunities across Southern California (as a subscriber myself I can tell you there are many more than you might think).
After years of modest membership, the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry has ballooned over the last few years especially among people in their 20s and 30s. Today, it’s the largest puppet guild in America with roughly 200 members who support its mission to “share, promote and advance the art of puppetry in the Greater Los Angeles area.”
Read more about theguild here
Atheists United
“First and foremost we are providing a home for atheists, agnostics and other nonreligious people,” said Evan Clark, the group’s exuberant executive director. “We want to make sure that regardless of what you believe, you have a community.”
Founded in 1982, the group offers a variety of opportunities for nonreligious folks to gather including all-ages guided tours of scientifically significant places like the La Brea Tar Pits or Mt. Wilson Observatory, a speaker series and even a choir called Voices of Reason. There’s a beach bash each summer, an annual Halloween blowout on the rooftop of the LGBT Center in Hollywood and an Atheist Adventure camping trip in the fall to experience awe and wonder in the natural world. Atheists United members also volunteer monthly to distribute food to those in need and offer support to people who have been rejected by their families because of their atheism or agnosticism. Most events are open to the public, and membership is just $2 a month.
Read more about Atheists United here
Philosophical Research Society
While not exactly a club in the conventional sense, repeat offerings like poetry readings, death cafes, sound baths, a weekly class on Buddhism, astrology workshops and two book groups allow regular attendees to build connections.
“It’s one of those spaces that breeds multiple communities that often converge,” said Elizabeth Vazquez, the society’s graphic designer and marketing director. This summer the Philosophical Research Society introduced a membership program with different tiers from $7 a month to $1,000 a year. The benefits vary depending on how much you pay, but everyone who joins is invited to member-only events where PRS staff hopes even more connections will be made.
“It’s a lot of people who were coming to multiple events and meeting people through that who became members,” Vazquez said. “In the new year we’ll have more educational and community oriented programs specifically for our members — and more parties.”
Read more about the Philosophical Research Society here
The Elks (Lodge No. 672, Pasadena)
For $90 a year members have access to a recently renovated mansion originally built in 1911. On the first level you’ll find the elegant Fireside Room reminiscent of a hotel lobby with a giant elk head over a large fireplace and a bar where drinks run $3 for a beer to $8 for a cocktail. Downstairs, a carpeted restaurant with old school diner chairs serves dinner four nights a week with live entertainment on Friday nights. (Anyone can eat there but only members can buy drinks).
The impressive Billiards Room has pool tables, foosball tables and a pinball machine. Big events are held in the ballroom and weekly meetings are held in the grand Lodge Room, which has remained mostly unchanged for more than 100 years. The Elks lodge also offers many opportunities to get involved with social and charitable endeavors. New members recently started a mah-jongg group that is rapidly expanding, another group started a singles karaoke night. The club also offers scholarships to local kids, organizes coat drives and puts together welcome home kits for returning military — and there’s a competitive pool team.
“There’s a whole range of ways to get involved and you can be as active as you want,” said Chris Fontes, club secretary.
Word is definitely getting out. Lodge No. 672 had 887 members in April and has grown to about 1,200 with 150 additional applications in process. The average age of members is 60, but anyone is eligible for membership as long as they are a citizen of the United States and over the age of 21. One note: The application does ask if you believe in God and if you are willing to attest to that belief.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
