Join the Club
- Jul 1
- 6 min read
By Dakota Parks for Inweekly
Your phone says you’ve spent six hours scrolling today. What if you spent just one hour doing something else?
Whether you’re looking for a summer read, a little group exercise, a creative outlet or simply a reason to leave the house and meet new people, we put this list of local clubs together for you. From drawing and photography to square dancing, tarot, running and bike riding, there’s likely a gathering with your name on it.
Draw Together
@drawtogetherpensacola
For those who have always wanted to make art but never knew where to start, Draw Together offers a welcoming place to pick up a pencil and join in.
Organized by Jarrod Goldman and Noah Simpson, the free weekly drawing club transforms local businesses into temporary community art spaces where people of all ages and skill levels can create side by side. Supplies are provided, and attendees range from seasoned artists to people sketching for the very first time.
“Drawing is for everyone,” Simpson said. “We want to make drawing supplies, space, time and education more accessible, and that means for everyone. Whether it is your first time drawing or you’ve been doing it for 50 years, drawing belongs to you. That is really the spirit of Draw Together. We also take the time to make sure our supplies are diverse enough for any skill level and that there are activities for everyone, including coloring books.”
Goldman describes Draw Together as a third space where people can step away from their routines, meet new friends and create alongside others.
“Being around others that love drawing as much as you do is inspiring and energizing,” Goldman said. “Something special happens when a group like that gets together. We like to think of Draw Together as a safe space to get out there, make a friend and start creating things together. That sort of connection just can’t be made at home.”
The club regularly incorporates collaborative exercises, games and monthly workshops, such as a recent stamp-carving workshop using rubber erasers, encouraging participants to work together rather than draw in isolation.
While Pensacola’s artistic talent was never in question, Goldman said he and Simpson have been moved by how much the gatherings have come to mean to regular attendees.
“We absolutely love getting Pensacola to Draw Together,” Goldman said. “We are immensely grateful to have gotten to know a ton of friends these last few years, and we are so excited to get to know the friends we haven’t even met yet.”
Recess Pensacola
@recesspensacola
For those looking to swap sketchbooks for sunshine, the recently launched Recess Pensacola is creating a different kind of gathering space.
Founded by photographer Nikki O’Hara, this new LGBTQ+ friendly outdoor social group was born from a desire for more connection outside of clubs and nightlife.
“After moving here two years ago, Pensacola felt like home fast, but my girlfriend Delanie and I still hadn’t quite found our people yet,” O’Hara said. “The queer community here is bigger than I expected—which I love—but so much of it lives in bars and nightlife, and I go to bed by 9:30 p.m. On my Instagram, I asked if anything like this already existed, and the answer was basically ‘no,’ but lots of people wanted in on whatever I found. That’s when I realized there was a gap, and maybe I could help fill it.”
Recess Pensacola focuses on low-pressure outdoor activities designed to help people connect naturally. The group’s first meetup—a beach volleyball hangout at Bruce Beach—drew participants of varying skill levels, many of whom had never played before. While the game served as an icebreaker, the real goal was creating space for conversation and new friendships. By the end of the first gathering, attendees had even started a group chat to stay connected.
“For me, it has almost nothing to do with being active and everything to do with who you end up next to,” she said. “When you’re mid-game or passing around snacks, the easy moments just happen, and suddenly you’ve clicked with someone you didn’t know an hour ago. The connections sneak up on you, and that’s really the whole point. Plus, Pensacola is the ultimate playground. We’ve got so many ways to be outside.”
Future plans include beach days, lawn games, paddleboarding and other outdoor activities that encourage people to spend time together.
As O’Hara puts it: “Get outside. Find your people.”
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Pick a Club, Any Club
A round-up of select local clubs
—GET CREATIVE—
Perfect Day Books’ Tarot Club
@perfectdaybookstore
From channeled poetry and learning the Major Arcana to tarot readings, this club meets once a month around significant astrological events.
Pensacola Art Hub
@pensacolaarthub
Designed for artists of all mediums, this quarterly meetup provides a welcoming space to exchange ideas and discover what’s happening in the local arts community.
Recreation Art Supply
@recreationartsupply
While not a traditional art club, Recreation Art Supply brings creatives together through upcycling workshops, creating a space for donating and redistributing gently used art supplies and fostering a more sustainable way to access secondhand materials.
Pensacola Film Photo Walk
@pensacolafilmphotographywalk
From exchanging film photography tips to capturing the city one frame at a time, this quarterly photo walk allows local photographers to connect, learn and shoot.
Pensacola Moms Social Club
@pcolamomssocialclub
With a full calendar of weekly activities ranging from mommy-and-me Pilates and paint nights to craft workshops, game nights and cookie decorating, this social club helps moms and expecting mothers find community.
Creatives Coming Together
@filmsbycalliope
This quarterly meetup, hosted by Calliope Films, is the perfect place for anyone working or hoping to work in a creative field. The events typically offer live music, a featured artist and occasionally a fundraising element.
—READ UP—
Pensacola Sapphic Book Club
@sapphic_bookclub_pensacola
Centered on queer and sapphic books, this monthly book club welcomes women and sapphic readers of all identities.
Read Pensacola
@readpensacola
With four genre-focused groups dedicated to literary fiction, romance, fantasy and horror, this 18+ book club network helps readers find their next great read while befriending fellow book lovers.
WUWF Book Club
Hosted by local public radio station WUWF 88.1, this club is made up of book lovers and public radio listeners who read and discuss a new book every two months.
—MOVE YOUR BODY—
Emerald Waves Squares
@emeraldwavessdc
Meeting every Tuesday, this LGBTQ+ inclusive square dance club welcomes dancers of all experience levels to learn new moves, have fun and meet their neighbors on the dance floor.
Running Wild
werunwild.com, @werunwild1
Longtime local runners know Running Wild is the best place in town to find the right shoes and right group to run with. They host multiple weekly running clubs and training programs for races from 5Ks to marathons.
Run Proud Pensacola
@runproudpensacola
This LGBTQ+ inclusive running club hosts biweekly Saturday runs at 8 a.m., drawing people of all experience levels for a 5K run or mile walk.
Rec Plex North Run
A free, weekly 5K community event at the University of West Florida’s Rec Plex North Field, this Saturday morning meetup invites participants to walk, jog run or spectate in a welcoming environment.
200 South Run Club
@ekrumrunners, @200_south
Downtown’s largest run club, Espirit de Krewe Rum Runners, meets rain or shine 6 p.m. every Wednesday at 200 South Tap House for a weekly 5K where runners, walkers, kids and dogs are welcome on the streets.
Fleet Feet Pensacola Run Club
@fleetfeetpensacola
This all-levels running club meets 6:15 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at Fleet Feet Pensacola for a consistent 3-mile group run.
Mile Makers Run Club
@milemakersrunclub
A Saturday morning run club hosted by and starting at Maker’s Café & Espresso Bar. They kick things off with a 6:25 a.m. warm-up, followed by a 6:30 a.m. sharp start for a 3.4-mile group run.
Pensacola Rowing Club
@pensacolarowing
Open to all ages and experience levels, this rowing club offers the chance to train on Bayou Texar, build camaraderie with fellow rowers and experience one of the Gulf Coast’s favorite team sports.
West Florida Wheelmen
@westfloridawheelmen
With weekly rides across Northwest Florida and Southwest Alabama, this cycling club is for everyone from casual cruisers and weekend riders to triathletes and dedicated road cyclists.
Pensacola Off-Road Cyclists & Bike Pensacola
@pensacolaoffroadcyclists, @bikepensacola
Dedicated to making Pensacola more bike-friendly on and off the pavement, these two nonprofits support safer streets, maintain mountain biking trails and regularly bring cyclists together through community rides.
