Boardgame bar ? Usually more fitted for discussion than usual bars

Walking and hiking are great healthy ways to have group chats. I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours I've spent having good conversations while out and about. Rain and heavy wind is about the only thing that gets in the way of it. Works really great at night on a full moon too. Bonus if your friends really want to drink: walk and drink. Take a camera, coffee, a dog, a skateboard, binoculars, a radio scanner, a pwnagotchi, a flipper zero, Pokémon Go, an rc car, a drone, a map of little free libraries, a map of geocaches, etc., and you can always find little activities to do while you walk and talk. I've found soooo many cool hidden spots this way.

But yeah, only going to a bar sounds like a lot of potential fun is missing.

I keep memberships to the zoo and the nature & science museum active because I like going to both with friends. Good way to get some exercise and do something different. That said, I didn't start doing that until I was about 30 and was a few years removed from the bar scene, so I guess it depends on your age and your friend group.

TopGolf? Food + drinks + grown up putt-putt. Concerts, if you have the same music tastes? Pick-up sports? Take up instruments. Jam. Get Really Good. Form a band. Go on tour. DND? LAN party? I don't really have friends, but I imagine we'd do all of these things.

I think aquariums tips, outdoor movies night, etc. sound like fun ideas. But one thing to keep in mind is how much of an "event" a hangout might be, and whether that might turn some people off.

It's like the difference between planning for a beach trip with friends versus just taking a spontaneous dip in the pool with your friends on a hot day: one feels more effortful than the other. And the beach trip, or planned events, might be the more fun choice. But after a long week, etc. a lot of people just want to do something social but more chill and effortless. Just being able to enjoy the moment with their friends. Which might be part of the reason why bars are really attractive for that kind of thing. You just go out, grab a drink, chill with your buds, and go home to relax. No real structure, more just down time.

Again, not dismissing those ideas. Definitely good in moderation. But just chatting with a friend over lunch/dinner, at a cafe. Hang out at the park at the end of the day. Things of that nature and effort should also be important. Even if it feels small, it can be the nicest part of friendships.

What’s your age? Me and my friends used to have that mindset when we were around 20. Things naturally changed from there.

When it's not cold or otherwise gross out, hanging out in the park is nice. Tell people to bring a snack and hang out.

You can also go get food as a group. There are cheap places.

We don't have enough "third places" in the US , maybe other parts of the world. Too much anti social rugged individualism I guess.

If you live somewhere with a "food hall" place, that might capture the vibe of a bar in the sense that it's communal and built around eating and drinking, but is more flexible than a coffee shop and more open ended than a restaurant. Those who still partake can do so, so you might see people drinking, but it won't have that mild absurdity some folks can feel hanging out in a bar while not drinking.

Axe throwing

Depending on where you are located, many activities have "with" alcohol options available. Sometimes starting at a place with drinks may allow you to ease into a second activity that does not. Like dinner before a movie. One option I like is bowling. Most bowling places serve drinks but you are kind of forced to be tentative to whose turn it is and some places will bring your food and drinks to you. Find a balance with people that drink cause unless everyone else goes sober you'll always have to deal with it.

Escape rooms and VR experiences