Is anyone else frustrated when searching for activities?
 

Being a new resident of the Villages I was excited to start finding some clubs and activities to join but I have run into a few frustrations. Can anyone else relate? Seasoned villagers, constructive advice welcome.

- The Villages app and website searches don't always show the activity I am searching for or show what I can clearly see in the Weekly Recreation Activity Schedule that is published on Thursdays at the Rec Centers

- Have gone to several activities to find out it is just for preformed groups (games, cards ets) or it is a performance group (ie dance type groups).

- Some groups their name is so unclear as to what or who the group/activity is even for

- Using the filter for event type is fairly pointless since most activities are listed under social so you will still be stuck scrolling through almost all of the days activities (at least in the printed paper, the simple division of indoor activities and sports activities makes it more user friendly).

- Contact info on the website is nice but 9 times out of 10 I don't even hear back from the activities coordinator

- The list here on Talk of the Villages is so out of date, almost all the activities I looked into either didn't exist anymore or had the wrong date and time. ( I do like the additional information that was provided about the activities though so I knew if it was an activity that was a good fit for me).

Basically I think there is room for improvement in the Villages Calendar on the website and app to explore to activities and provide more information on each activity.

Welcome to TOTV. Your first post and it's a complaint. You'll do quite well on this site.:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

As far as the rest of it goes, I have no answer----perhaps address the question to the Recreation Department.

Why wait?:BigApplause:

Go to Village Community Development Districts select recreation department and then clubs. Full listing available.
Complaints regarding clubs and activities should be directed to the recreation department.
You see, readers of TOTV do not have the capability to review your complaints and make changes to the system.
BTW there is a lot of other useful information on the District web site.

Running in’ to click activities that don’t want no outsiders in. Plenty of that around here. I remember you had few compliments about sub par golfers that didn’t meet your standards.? I think he as asking questions for seasoned villagers seeking help.

If nobody has need ask questions then no need for forum.

I think the best way to find what you want is to go to an activity you like at the time it is advertised in The Weekly Recreational magazine and find out for yourself. You see what they are doing and if you can join or they may have a suggestion for you, if you need to learn the game etc. Some activities, like woodworking have a long waiting list. Sometimes I find I’d like to do something that is not listed and I’ve been tempted to start a group. You might decide to do that yourself. I’m a Snowflake - not always here - so I hesitate to start a group and not be here for them all the time.

Activities are often local or volunteer led so it’s not like a class you pay for and you have a reserved spot. Fortunately most people are friendly and if you stick around, and there is room, they invite you in. It takes work but once you’re in, you’re on a roll. Good luck!

We found the clubs we have joined by asking others for suggestions.

I've had good luck emailing the organizers for activities to find out what they're all about and if they're open to new people joining. Takes 1 min to send an email and I've never had anyone not reply.

OP pick up a copy of the rec schedule at any rec or regional center. One can find email addresses for most clubs and classes if they are closed, what to bring and if there is a fee to attend for supplies.

If one want to improve what has worked well for us since 2007, may look in need of change for newer residents.

To consider change or improvement would suggest applying for a rec center job at TV

Reminds of when we were there last summer there was a trivia contest that I thought would be fun. Except when I called and talked to the guy he didn’t mention the fact that he charges $10 a head. When we got there and it was time to pay I didn’t bring any money and he didn’t accept credit cards. Lesson learned.

But in answer to your question regarding you’re not being there 100% of the time (who is?) get someone or two that will be the leader when you’re not there. Problem solved.

THANK YOU for responding with helpful information. I have been frustrated too.

Jamie....go to Village Community Development Districts and go to the recreation tab. All activities are listed. Also, be aware it is high season. Everything is booked up at least an hour before the activity starts. Should lighten up after April 1

TV does do a decent job of advertising what activities are at which rec center at which day(s). Remember there are some 3500 clubs/activities in TV. It’s very hard for someone to keep things up to date.

When we moved here, I called many groups/clubs and had some very good chats on what the club/group does and if they have room for 1 or 2 people to join their group.
I have some groups myself and it’s hard to include snowbirds because if you want a certain # of people to sustain the group, you know 6 months out of the year, you will be losing 30-40% of your members, so we are starting to look at full time residents only for new members.

You bring up good points that we all have felt in our orientation to this place. Learning the Villages is a process, find one group to connect with then network through them to expand your activities. It does take time to get engrained into the lifestyle here. The absolute key it to keep reaching out and try new things. Many or maybe most are not going to be your interest but it only take a few to start.

Oh BTW ALL Villages IT based functions absolutly suck. Their code was written a generation ago and has not been updated. If you want a real treat, try getting a tee time through their "automated" system.

I found out early descriptions are misleading. They do not get changed because they would be at bottom of “list” and lose their room & time. Having said that, only rn into a few that way. Most were very welcoming! I prefer the rec paper version. Good luck!

If you have an iPhone, download the "UnofficialGuideToTheVillages". All entertainment is located in the app.

As for clubs.... I've found that joining your neighborhood Facebook group for Village clubs and looking at the Club schedule in the weekly Daily Sun (Thursdays?) or pick it up at the Rec centers (for free) for Village wide clubs works the best.

I have seen topics posted here that give a much better understanding of group activities. Strategy Board Games and Science/Technology are ones that I have seen here. It would be great if more groups would make the effort to create a thread for their specific group activities.

wow, 202 pages of clubs

classification of clubs
 

I partly addressed this problem with a website:
Dropbox - Clubs.pdf - Simplify your life
couple years old may miss recently formed groups.
Consult the villages website for details of the clubs referenced just by name.

I agree! There’s no explanation of what the club is about.

There is a list of clubs there, but there’s no description of what it’s about. I believe that’s what she is referring to.

You are correct with all your points, and I agree, clever names do not help anyone looking for a specific activity.
Just take a chance and go to a few activities. Eventually you will find what you want. I think we have all attended a few things that were not exactly as described. Keeping the calendar up to date probably not going to happen. It is very disappointing to plan for something only to arrive and find out it has been cancelled or moved to another facility. Hope you find what you are looking for. Best of luck.

As a renter I found the games and cards disappointing as its difficult to find a group to play with. Sometimes new/ temporary people show up and sometimes no new/ temporary people show up. Regarding pickleball, advanced and intermediate players show up for beginners times. That was frustrating. For them and for beginners.

What?
 

Click or Clique??

I think when a group is full, or they don’t want “outsiders” there should be a way of indicting it. For example, in my neighborhood some socials indicate the area that the members are supposed to be from. If you live outside of that area then you are not invited. Some groups/clubs require a membership fee to be a member. That should be mentioned up front.

It is difficult for Snowbirds/renters because when they arrive, they assume that they will be able to join whatever is going on. That is not the case, one needs to check which social groups/clubs have room/games etc or are available at the newcomers’ level. And when Snowbirds arrive, suddenly they also find there is much competition from other Snowbirds. In general though, I have found only a few clubs are “exclusive” nearly all welcome new people.

You are right. It IS very difficult to figure out the purpose of many groups because of ambiguous titles. For instance I belong to a group (Thursday mornings at Laurel Manor) that is called "I can do it Crafts". It doesn't say whether you "do it" all together as a group and just what kinds of things folks are doing and whether someone is guiding you and if you need to bring the materials and if there is a fee if you don't etc. etc.. You don't know if there is room. (There is) I think that something needs to be done that lets people know if you can get right in or you have to be first in line or there is a waiting list. I also think a good description of what is taking place is VERY important. Now if there isn't a group that is doing what you'd like to do, then start one. (If you can find an empty room at a decent time and have enough people interested to book the room)....Good luck to you. It really made sense to me your valid complaint and I have lived here 17 years. Hope my support helps.

Forget pickleball and learn to play tennis. Lots of beginner places to play.

This is the way it used to be and what we miss: The club's representative would deliver that week's announcement to The Daily Sun for insertion in Thursday's paper explaining what was happening. Here is an example from 2019:

"Iris Folding-The group meets 9-11:10 am, the second and fourth Fridays of each month at Colony Cottage Recreation Center. All are welcome. Come and create unique paper art in a relaxed, fun atmosphere while completing two projects. For a supply list and information, email ____ _________at ______________.com"

So the club listings were quite informative. However, as the year went on, someone, district.gov? complained about the considerable expense of publishing the Bulletin. Although they started severely limiting the number of words in the listings, the listings still could contain a description of the club's purpose and workings. Then the pandemic pretty much halted club activities and the need for a big bulletin. When it was restored, the information was limited to what it is now.

I would think that an on-line edition with comprehensive descriptions of clubs that want to advertise would fill the void and lessen the frustration of having to run all over TV to check them out..

Clack:Screen_of_Death:

Maybe some beginning play more advanced than some? Beginner’s has wide breath of skill level. Good example someone that’s played racket sports vs someone who never never played any racket or paddle sport.

rec listings
 

I know there used to be a listing for all the bridge games by time, date, place, type of bridge and contact number but they stopped it. They should bring that back.

We went to a weekly dance class advertised in the paper at one of the Rec. centers. When we got there the guy at the desk looked confused and said, "They haven't done that in a long time". We went to a weekly dominoes game advertised in the paper and when we walked in the room they were all playing "Queens". We told them we were there for dominoes and were told, "We haven't done that in a long time".

The best thing is go Early. If activity is listed 10 go 930. Or earlier for some. I lead 2 groups and play 7. Have always been answered from my questions I sent to listed leaders of other groups, so dont gice up. The free print out on Thursdays in rec centers from paper is easy old school way that has it all.

I play dominoes - maybe when I move there, on April 1st, we can play!

Sometimes it pays to be flexible. I went to attend a Mystery book lovers event, which was cancelled but the next room had belly dancing. That’s good too, and I learned cardio drumming by trying to attend a beginners’ class in Mah Jongg.

I just did that. I've had the same frustration as the OP, I just never complained about it. So I filtered my search for what I wanted:

In Progress/Future, Dance, La Hacienda Recreation, Spanish Springs Town Square, Lake Sumter Landing Market Square, Paradise Rec Center.

I just tabbed back over to see if I could widen the search and find some options. I reset and removed all filter criteria. Added back in "dance" with no location or time preference.

I found - five listings, four of which are full, and the Country Dance Partner Improver has 2 spots left.

No belly dancing, no hula dancing - no listings for either. Now, I know there are groups for both. There are official clubs for both. And yet - they don't show up in a search. They might be in there somewhere but the search engine isn't working correctly.


Results:
None.
There are no dance-related activities/clubs at any of those places happening currently or in the future. OBVIOUSLY that isn't true. But also OBVIOUSLY, this search engine doesn't work as some people think it should. If it worked as we assumed it would, no one would have trouble finding what they wanted.

UPDATE:

You won't find anything if you don't log in, you'll only find activities available for the public. If you log in, you get to see activities available for Villagers with IDs in addition to activities for the public.

HOWEVER

You won't find clubs. You'll only find activities that are offered BY The Villages Recreation department. If you're looking to join a Bellydancing club, you won't find it using the search engine.

Just for the heck of it, try an Internet search for the activity in The Villages FL.

belly dancing the villages fl

returns a couple of articles from the Daily Sun about events that included belly dancing groups, but no information about where the group meets or when. One, The Villages Belly Dancers has a contact name, but no contact information to get in touch with her. And it's dated 2021 so no idea if it's current.

There's information about The Villages Gypsies belly dancing fusion group in a google search, but their facebook page says they've stopped rehearsing and performing as of 2017. And the rec center publication that you have to go to the Daily Sun to find shows they're still a club, and has a name and number but no mention of where they meet. If they meet in Fenney, I wouldn't waste the contact person's time asking for information.

And - that's pretty much it. You can take private lessons from various people near the Villages.

Thing is though - I know there are more belly dancing clubs in The Villages. I've seen them perform. But no idea what their names are or whether they're open for new members, where they practice...and the activities/clubs section of The Villages official information doesn't mention their existence.

In a more modern community, with webmasters who know what they're doing, you'd find a robust search engine with cross-referencing and redundancy. And yes - we're all 55+, many of us are in our 80's. But the WWW first became available to the public in 1989, over 30 years ago. You'd think by now, The Villages Holding Company would have evolved enough to employ web dev technology that hasn't been obsolete for 15 years (that's around how old the tech they're using is).

I wish I could tell you more, I just came across them by accident and didn’t ask any questions. Only once. Maybe it was a closed group that I joined? It’s not really an activity I would do… but I was already there…. We have gypsies in my native country and they don’t belly dance. European Gypsies dance more in the Spanish Flamenco style. Belly dancing is Middle Eastern in origin - completely different music (and continent). It’s sort of like when you go to the library to take out a book and rent a kayak instead.