9 Obscure Hobbies to Satisfy Your Sense Of Discovery

Sometimes the idea of a hobby can seem boring. Some of us like to be different, even when it comes to hobbies. If stamp collecting sounds too vanilla for you, we have 9 obscure hobbies that might catch your interest.

Everyone has something they enjoy doing in their free time. Some hobbies are more common, like crafts, playing games, or yoga. Others, not many people have heard of. Below is a list of hobbies found from all over the world that aren’t typically hobbies people start with.

1. Tree Shaping – This hobby requires people to make odd shapes out of trees. You can train live trees and other plants of a wood makeup to grow into artistic shapes and useful sculptures. To do this requires a lot of patience and creativity.
2. Beetle Fighting – For this hobby people choose different beetles to fight each other. Sometimes, people who are really into this hobby will specifically breed beetles just for fighting.
3. Rock Skipping – Did you know that a very dedicated person with this hobby set a record at 51 rock skips? For this hobby, all you have to do is throw a flat rock onto the surface of water and try to make it bounce as many times as you can. It’s a very simple, yet relaxing hobby that people enjoy.
4. Geocaching – This hobby consists of you finding treasures in plastic containers called geocaches which hold special items inside. To find the containers you use either your phone or GPS. People find enjoyment out of this hobby because it gives them the opportunity to explore the world around them.
5. Element Collecting – This hobby entails people collecting elements off the periodic table. People typically do this in their own way and of different purities. It’s highly recommended that you do not collect any of the elements that are poisonous, radioactive or a heavy element.
6. Taxidermy – It is said that the “art” of taxidermy is having a comeback from the 1800s when it was most popular. People who take part in this hobby are trying to persuade people that it is not cruel to animals. They see it as though they are saving these animals from being road kill. These people do this type of work out of respect for the animals, not out of cruelty.
7. Soap Carving – This hobby is viewed very highly in Thailand. People with this hobby carve unique shapes into soaps and then sell the soaps to people as souvenirs.
8. Competitive Dog Grooming – In China, competitions are held for the people with this hobby. People will groom the dog’s fur into different shapes, making the dogs appear as different animals. Some of the animals have had fur shaped as dinosaurs, turtles, and dragons. If you’re successful, you can win as much as $30,000 from a single event.
9. Collecting Antique Milk Bottles – People who take part in this hobby often collect the milk bottles because it brings back memories from when they were younger and milk was delivered to their home. They do this hobby for enjoyment and for the memories.

People find enjoyment out of doing different things. Some hobbies just aren’t heard of as much as others might be. Whatever your hobby is, though, the only thing that matters is that you get enjoyment out of the things you do in your free time.