12 New Hobbies People Picked Up After 65, From Bowling to Scuba Diving

10/21/2026

My mom signed up for a pottery class the first month of her retirement and came home with a bowl that wobbled on every table. She still keeps her keys in it, and she still tells everyone she made it herself. Nobody is too old for a first lesson. These 12 people picked up a new hobby after 65, and more than one of them left the grandkids speechless.

The oldest student in music theory class.

“My retirement hack: take a class at a community college.”

Here the first 3 credit hours are FREE!

I am getting private music lessons at zero cost — other than paying taxes for decades.

I am studying classical guitar but there are also singing lessons and all kinds of interesting classes to keep learning and keep the brain firing on all cylinders!

Prof: We have class members of all ages. Class: all turn and look at me. Me: why is everyone looking at me. Laughter all around. I had a study buddy who was a talented jazz singer, we crammed for theory exams and practiced sight-singing together. Forgot my age for a moment lol. What a time!

For one semester I actually declared a major, the registrar expedited my registration—and I took a full course load lol. I loved my classmates and learned a lot. I actually miss those talented young people! What a great bunch of hard-working 20-ish yr olds! Very talented too.

I’m working on beautiful classical guitar pieces and enjoy practicing each day ...and I’m learning them! My teacher challenged me to memorize the last piece and I loved the music so much that I learned it by heart! Went to the next lesson and turned over the music and surprised him!

A rocking chair, in a fit of irony.

“I retired recently and in a fit of irony, built my own rocking chair.”

This was my first and I couldn’t have done it without good plans. At my skill level, it wasn’t easy, even WITH good plans, but I think most people with time and determination and a reasonably outfitted shop can get it done.

I chose Cherry because I like working with it and was able to score a pretty good deal on two slabs. I’m building a second chair out of Walnut now, and there isn’t much left over but sawdust once the parts are cut out. I’m praying I don’t make an error and have to replace a part!

It took about 40 bf of Cherry and 3 months to build.

Shoulda built in a place to hold the garden hose.

A workaholic retires and picks up a brush again.

“My dad retired 2 years ago at age 70. He was a workaholic so we were all worried about how he’d handle it. He said he wanted to get back into art, which he had done as a young man. Today he gave me this. I’m so proud of him!”

He was a pediatrician! And a really good one, if I may say so myself. :)

Ah, I didn’t notice that he hadn’t signed it. I’ll have to make sure he does! :)

From our editor:

My mom kept every ugly piece from her first pottery class: a mug that leans, a vase with her thumbprint baked into the side, a plate that rocks. When I asked why, she said they were proof she had started. “Nobody believes you made the good ones,” she told me, “unless they have seen the bad ones first.”

Jazz piano with no prior experience.

“Show him some love in the comments”

An older man in a checked shirt sits at an upright piano with a yellow songbook open on the stand. The words on the screen explain that the creator’s grandpa started learning jazz piano a few years ago, with no prior piano experience, and that, like all of us, he can get frustrated.

Halfway through the tune he hits a wrong note, mutters “Fudge” and keeps going. A moment later, as the screen puts it, he “saves it with a crazy substitute chord.”

Her first time bowling, at 75.

“My 75-year-old mum went bowling for the first time today, turns out she is a bit of a wizard at it. You cannot buy memories like this.”

She pretty much laughed her way through two games. 3 kids, 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Life is for living as she always says don’t waste a moment.

Her grandchildren bought her the bowling for her birthday today, the dance was a freebie.

She also got a spare.

Have you seen her throw the ball, I thought they were going to charge us for the floor damage. We were calling her “kingpin” but she didn’t get it. She actually loved it and I wish we had taken her years ago. We told her we were going ice skating so she was pretty relieved.

She has just never been, she has never been to crazy golf either but we will fix that pretty soon. I think we will give ice skating a miss.

A little retirement business, booked through 2024.

“So the idea was to have a little woodworking business to supplement my retirement income and keep me out of mischief. 4 months later? 1200 SF shop already maxed out! What have I done?”

I’ve always been amazed at how RVs are sold so cheaply. The margin must be razor thin and they make it up with volume. But to compare value? 50 years from now people will still be using the trailers I’m building now. The average 2023 RV will be rotting in a field somewhere.

Scuba diving at 87, with the local paper.

“My 87-year-old Grandpa learned how to scuba dive in the past year so he could visit the shipwrecks in Palau and posed with his local newspaper. I’m so proud of him!”

They laminated the front page. Their local paper encourages people to travel with a copy when people go to cool places and take a picture with it and then they publish it (this is a pretty small town haha) as far as we know, this is the first time someone’s done it underwater.

Each year on his birthday he swims the number of lengths he is years old.

Dentist, and still teaching!

I certainly hope I can follow in his footsteps. He’s taught me just how important it is to stay physically active and keep exploring and learning.

Bigfoot, in chalk.

“My Dad made a Bigfoot so you better be nice about it.”

This is my Dad. He likes Bigfoot. So he made a Bigfoot cutout and has been drawing on it with chalk for a few years. He’s a really creative dude and I’m so proud of him for doing whatever he wants with his retirement.

He’s the best Dad and Grandad and I’m so honored to present his talent! (He got really excited that I’m posting this so send him some love!)

From our editor:

Her pottery teacher is younger than I am. The first time I picked mom up from the studio, the teacher waved and called me “the kid,” and mom didn’t correct her. On the drive home she explained that the teacher calls everyone by their first project. Mom is still “Wobbly Bowl.” She answers to it proudly.

A woodshop in the basement of a retirement home.

“Full Woodshop in Retirement Home”

I was recently visiting a grandparent in their retirement facility and wanted to visit the woodshop that I knew they had in the basement.

I was able to get a wonderful little tour of the shop from Jim (picture included with his permission) and was blown away by just how incredible the woodshop is. A while ago I remember being told there were 10-12 guys using the shop, but now there seems to be only 6-7, and most of them are in their 80s.

The guys in the shop will regularly get requests from residents to fix or refinish old wooden furniture. Retirement homes need all the community they can get, and if this woodshop went away, the community that it brings would also disappear.

A number of the tools and machines have been added to the shop by residents. There’s nothing quite like a well loved tool being passed down to younger generations, and I would like to see that continue as well.

She started painting at 75.

“My aunt’s (75 yo) paintings”

My aunt always loved painting but she was born in a poor family. Had to take care of my dad when they were little and didn’t have the opportunity to start.

She took it up now, 75 years old, cause I gifted her a painting set from [an online store]. These are some of her paintings after a few months of practice. Please tell me your thoughts, I will show your comments to her!

I assure you she had never painted before a year ago. These were all drawn after months of non stop practice cause she was so happy to be learning and trying.

My auntie thanks you. She’s really happy with the love you are all showing here in the comments. If she gains some money from this, she said it will go towards her painting journey. Thanks again for making my aunt smile.

Seventy, 345 open tabs and watercolors.

“My mom doesn’t think her watercolors are good. I disagree.”

My mom is 70 and has no idea what [this site] is. She has 345 tabs open on her phone, which now doubles as a hand warmer. But she paints with ZERO experience and I love how creative she is.

I asked her and I think she is just expecting perfection, like a photograph. I think she is well on her way!

She was so excited to see 100 upvotes, you guys made her day!

From our editor:

Last Christmas, mom set the table with plates she had made herself. None of them matched, and one was more of a shallow bowl. Somebody asked which one was the good one. All of them, she said, because she knew exactly what had gone wrong with each. Nobody asked for the store-bought plates back.

Ninety, and the whole family paints now.

“Forgive me for bragging, but this is my 90-yr old mother’s latest painting.”

She took up acrylics seriously about five or six years ago. I know I’m biased, but I think she’s awesome!

She does acrylics and I do watercolors, mostly not at her level. One of my sisters is really good at acrylics and my other sister just started acrylics. I have a nephew taking Graphic Design, so I guess it’s a family thing!

I will share some of her other work soon. Not right now, because I’ve been [online] waaaay too long this morning.

I’ll show her this; she’ll be so pleased!

None of these people waited to be good at something before they started it. Picking up a hobby at 65 isn’t late. It’s right on time for whatever you’ve been putting off.

What hobby would you start tomorrow if age didn’t matter? Tell us in the comments.