I think that some hobbies that were formerly reserved for older people are now catching on with younger generations, like gardening and knitting.
But what about the hobbies that are falling away by the wayside and getting lost for good?
AskReddit users talked about what formerly popular hobbies they think are going away.
Let’s see what they had to say.
1. On the track.
“Slot cars.
I worked at a slot car track in Bellevue, Washington in 1966 and 1967. There was this 9 year old kid who came in, who signed onto the track using the nickname “Trey”.
It was Bill Gates. And yeah, he was quirky enough to remember from back then. A pain in the a**, but in a likeable way.”
2. Croquet.
“In the UK it is 100% Croquet.
I know what a cliché. When I was younger everyone had a Croquet set and it was a great way to enjoy time with friends on a summer day in the garden, whereas now I don’t know anyone that still owns one.
Maybe a strange one but this question got me thinking.”
3. They’re pretty awesome.
“Model trains.
There is a store in our town square that has been there for like 50 years that specializes in model trains. (It’s called a train and toy store, but there are almost no toys there). The store is interesting to walk around in, if you are not claustrophobic, but he must not sell very much because he can’t pay the rent anymore.
He is closing and moving out of town to some building he owns. Again, the stuff looks cool but I have never seen anyone buy anything.”
4. An adventure.
“Geo caching. Which is weird because I still do it sometimes while biking around.
But caching apps rarely alert me of any finders in the apps now.
I put $20 in, what used to be a SUPER popular cache that people would visit daily like 15 years ago… I later turned, about 6 months later and the same items including the $20 were in there.”
5. Bummer.
“Stamp collecting. It used to be a huge thing, but not anymore.
Probably because of the rise of email and very few people send letters anymore.
They have them at estate sales all the time for really cheap.”
6. A blast!
“Pen pals.
As a teenager, I loved writing letters to new people and receiving letters from all over the country and the world.
Everything is instant now, but nothing beats that feeling of getting a letter in the mail that is specifically for you, that is not a bill, ad circular and comes from someone that genuinely wants to brighten your day.”
7. Used to be huge.
“Historical Re-Enacting.
Folks no longer want to play dress up in itchy wool and educate folks on whatever period was their jam.
It’s heyday was late 1990s when you could find a group that did just about any period you could imagine.”
8. I hope not.
“This might be a bit controversial, but since I do this, I’ll mention it because that’s how I feel.
Playing drums. Real drums. MIDI is making us obsolete.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still applications for live drums. Especially if you want the groove or feel of a live drummer.
But bedroom music production has just skyrocketed even more due to the pandemic. And not everyone has enough space for a full acoustic kit.”
9. Going away.
“Ham radio.
I remember as a kid listening to my dad’s radio and him always having a good time and genuinely enjoying a good rag chew.
I got my license and tuned into some of the local repeaters. Found some nets with the most depressing things I’ve ever heard. People talking about their terminal illnesses or how prescription costs are ki**ing them.”
10. Sounds fun.
“Model Rocketry.
When I was a kid, we all built and glued and fired off model rockets with rocket engines and stuff.”
11. The good old days.
“Post card collecting
I buy a postcard of each place I visit. some places I have visited in the world, very hard to find a postcard. (hardest country, as were only here for a day on a cruise, Dominica).
12. The good stuff.
“I feel like everyone over a certain age has a fancy cabinet full of fancy China and silverware that is never used for anything.
It seemed like it was a thing people would receive as a gift at their wedding. I always wondered what the point was.”
13. Fun hobby.
“Have people just forgotten about geocaching or is there any other reason you can think of that it is going away?
I went with my kids a month ago after years away and sure enough the multi-cache we tried has some of the waypoints missing… and the final cache. Ugh.”
14. Times have changed.
“Collecting all 50 US state minted quarters.
I remember there used to be TV commercials selling you fancy cardboard with holes in them to help you collect them all, LOL
Ohh how times have changed.”
15. My youth!
“Indoor rollerskating rinks.
The number of roller skating rinks seems to be going down. The four within 25 miles of me closed down over the last 15 years.
I don’t know of any new ones and I’m not sure where to go in New England to find an operating rink now-a-days. Meanwhile there’s lots of private outdoor groups.
It must just be too expensive to have the sqare footage to support a roller-skating rink in an urban area.”
16. Way too expensive.
“General aviation/being a private pilot.
A series of lawsuits against plane manufacturers combined with insane certification requirements for airplanes and parts have made it so that buying new planes or replacement parts is ludicrously expensive for pretty much anyone earning less than $500,000 per year.
Old used aircraft from the heyday of the 60s-80s had been filling the void to an extent over the years, but they are starting to get really worn out and people feel less and less comfortable flying them as time goes on. And unfortunately there’s just no replacements as they age out.
As an example, a brand new Cessna 172 in 1969 cost $12,500 (about $90,000 in today’s money). Today, a 2021 model would cost around $400,000.”
17. Good times.
“Flying Radio Controlled Helicopters and Airplanes.
Why would someone want to deal with all the hassle of flying a model helicopter (that is insanely difficult to fly), when they can buy a DJI drone that has a first person video stream, records video in 4K, and can fly around by itself via GPS?”
18. Old-school gaming.
“Bridge.
Super complex game, has layers and layers of rules, and it’s going away.”
19. See you on the strip.
“Drag racing, the vehicle kind.
A major track in Georgia just got sold because of a local battery plant is being built nearby and the houses around it skyrocketed in value.”
20. Don’t hear much about it.
“Paint ball.
It’s too expensive unfortunately and you need a good selection of people to play. The more players typically the more diverse the skill range is.
I think if it was cheaper there would still be a lot of players. On average the routine/competitive player will buy two cases of paint (2,000 rounds per case) for around $40-65 USD each, pay for entry and air ($25-35), and then buy any gear you may need or need to replace.
Back when 2008 financial crisis happened most fields I knew lost 3/4 of their serious players and most never returned. Which really sucks because paintball was growing really fast until then.”
21. Pretty rare these days.
“Ceramics, there used to be 2 or 3 shops in every small town.
Where you could go, pick a piece, clean it. They would fire it for you then go back a week later and paint it. They fire it for you again.
Then you go and pick up your finished master piece. It was so refreshing.”
22. Fraternal organizations.
“The Rotary Club, the Elks, the Masons, the League of Women Voters.
All kinds of fraternal organizations. Beyond that participation in all kinds of civic organizations, churches, labor unions, sports leagues, hobbyist clubs are way down from previous generations.
Americans used to be world renowned for their enthusiastic participation in clubs and civic organizations of all kinds. Now we’re becoming an increasingly atomized society.
The cost is that today the average American has fewer closer friends, is less likely to know their neighbors, and has less of an informal support network than at any point in history.”
23. Interesting.
“Collecting spoons.
I’m a teenager yet I often enjoy finding spoons at cool tourist attractions.
My personal favorite is one I got from Prague during Christmas time, it has a revolving dice in the handle.”
24. Had a revival.
“Swing dancing got really popular for a while in the late 1990s.
Haven’t heard much about that in a long time.”
25. All of them.
“Hobbies in general are going away — here’s (part of) why.
I regularly meet parents who balk at the idea of their child doing something “for fun.”
Unless it can translate to a career or a college application it’s viewed as a waste of time and money. And if it can translate to one of those then there is crushing, constant, pressure to “be the best” at it.
We are raising a generation of children who cannot comprehend of hobbies.”
What are some hobbies that used to be really popular that you think are going by the wayside?
Talk to us in the comments and let us know what you think.
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