How do you get your sims out of the house?

SomebodySomeplace

Lately, when I want my sims to socialize I make them go out to eat at a restaurant. This is getting pretty repetitive and expensive.

What are some other things I can have my sims do with others? How do you usually get your sims off their home lot - alone or with others?

MaggieMarley

I like sending them to the night clubs

phantasmkiss

I have City Living, so I send them to the festivals that pop up. If you haggle with the vendors you can get food for cheap sometimes, and the Spice Festival has free food, so it doesn't cost anything at all. There's music and weirdly-dressed Sims, and I almost always go, despite my usual avoidance of loading screens.

I usually invite as many Sims as it'll let me, to keep up relationships.

DaWaterRat

I send my kids to the parks. Sometimes the teens too, though of late I've used my teens to explore the non-lot areas looking for collectables. YA and Adults go to the clubs and bars (I don't have dine out or city living yet) Elders... Elders do any of the above.

Stutum

I mostly have my sims go to a bar. When I get tired of that, I have them cook a group meal, make sure it's not horrible, and go visit a random household.

annaliese39

Where (and how often) my sims go out depends on their personality and lifestyle. My main sim is a busy stay-at-home parent/freelance writer who lives with his partner and their clingy toddler, so admittedly finding time to go out doesn't happen too often! They also live in Brindleton Bay and since it's spring at the moment they end up having a lot of rainy days in. He has a close friend/neighbour who is also a stay-at-home parent and they sometimes arrange toddler play dates at the park or go to the spa together for some quality 'wellness' time. I find watching my sim relax at the spa really relaxes me as well. My sim is also into fitness and likes jogging around the neighbourhood with his earbuds in. He also goes on family days out at the toddler park when his partner is off work, and I like to make sure they still spend time together as a couple and go on dates at restaurant, lounge, bar, museum and romantic garden/park venues. They sometimes go on family holidays to Granite Falls and at some point I plan for them to visit Selvadorada. Now I have Island Living I will have to take them on family beach trips too and maybe holidays in Sulani using a generic 'hotel' venue. My sim is also on his way to becoming the leader of the Avant Gardes book club and goes to regular gatherings at their café hangout. I plan for him to buy a book shop once his toddler ages up and go there to write and sell his books.

ShadyLady89

Restaurants are bugged for me atm. Sims stealing one another's food and what-not. And you're right OP, it is expensive. That's why I like parks and nightclubs. I also built a community lot that has a lot of the skill building items that I can't put on every residential lot: like the cupcake machine and observatory. I like spas as well because like @annaliese39 said I find it relaxing to watch my sims relax. Now that pools are a little more worthwhile I've found a public pool on the gallery and my sims actually spend time at the pool now! With Island Living I also enjoy just going to the beach.

elanorbreton

I quite like visiting libraries and retail stores. Also the gym and pool. And the beach too, now that we have them.

ShadowyIce

I typically just have my sims invite friends over to fill their social need. If I'm feeling up to it I'll take them to the park/library/gym and let them hang out there. I also like having them go to the festivals.

Oldeseadogge

Taking advantage of any community lot in any of the 'wolds'. Prowling the non-lot but accessable areas is often good for meeting folks and stuff to collect. Sometimes free food as well. Going for walks anywhere you can get your sim to go works as well

Nindigo

Normally, I find my Sim a mate and then they won't socialize with people outside their household anymore. I would rather do other things with my Sims than have them socialize. But sometimes, I'm in the mood to have them throw a little party for a handful of people - they can be family or just a few Sims I like.

For single Sims, I might use customized bars. Nightclubs usually have old people as DJ's which I find annoying. I actually feel most community lots don't function properly anymore. NPC's are just a nuissance to me. They don't behave, and so I don't want my Sims to be near them. They steal food and drink and invite themselves to my Sims' conversations and into their homes.

purplexbutterfly

I always find the gym in Willow Creek a good place to socialise. I have my sim work out first then socialise. There is always loads of sims there. Also any of the nightclubs in Windenburg are great. Always plenty of sims to socialise with. Libraries are great too. Then once I have made lots of friends and aquantainces I throw parties at home.

SiliClone

If you want to socialize go to the park... No one will leave you alone. Not even it you play an evil vampire with the worst reputation and the uncontrollable hissing.

QueenofMyshuno

I always try to give my sims some hobby they really like in order to give them more personality, so I’ll have them do that hobby with their friends who I think would participate.

Like I had one sim who loved karaoke, some who were really into working out, one who was a bookworm, so she joined a book club, one whose hobby was seducing women, LOL, so he went to lounges and bars a lot.

I’ll also come up with fun ideas for a house party, like housewarming for when I move a sim, backyard bbq, etc. I had one teenage sim who was in a band, so he and his band mates would play instruments while their non-musician friends listened (I think I temporarily moved the band mates in for that one so I could get them all to play at the same time).

I had one family in a group of sims who had the “fun” house, with foosball, darts, and a massage table, so people gathered there a lot, and another who was a party girl, so she had a bar and dance floor in her apartment, and her parties were fun even though they were mostly parties where everyone brought their kids (so cute to see dad and daughter dancing).

I also make lots specifically for groups of sims, like after-school teen centers or arcades. I had an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting room in sims 2, haha.

And if you have a photographer or painter, you can have them take walks around the neighborhood or different scenic spots and meet people that way. Even if nobody comes around you still get some good pictures.

So_Money

SomebodySomeplace wrote: »

Lately, when I want my sims to socialize I make them go out to eat at a restaurant. This is getting pretty repetitive and expensive.

Not to mention time-consuming. Going to a restaurant eats up a whole day.

Smellincoffee

My sims go to the night club or gym in Willow Creek, or the bar in Strangerville. They usually go there to meet people, practice social skills, or hunt for mates. For some reason I don't make them go anywhere else.

simfriend1968

It depends on the Sim and what they are doing. Adult Sims on dates go to restaurants, museums, nightclubs, karaoke clubs, cafes and bars. I have a homemade comedy club (run by a GT club of my best comedians) that serves as another great date venue for adults who watch the performers after completing the requirements of the date. I also have a homemade movie theatre (really a cafe) which teens and adults like to use for dates. Finally I have a park with a chapel and reception area that I use for all weddings and anniversaries.

My teens also go on dates or hangout at cafes, parks, pools, museums, at the local (homemade) bowling alley, at the skating arena or arcade (both also homemade) and at a local diner.

Everyone uses the City living festivals for outings (mostly groups of friends, except the Romance festival, where I only take couples). In Sulani, couples and groups go
to local festivals or the 1 bar. My kids go to parks for the playgrounds, to libraries (if they are teachers’ pets), to the beaches and restaurants (with parents) for family outings, as well as to the arena, arcade and bowling alley together. Elders prefer the spa, parks, libraries and museums. I love how many social things there are to do in this game; this usually motivates me to ignore the loading screens.

nerdfashion

I like going to the Romance Festival a lot

SomebodySomeplace

phantasmkiss wrote: »

I have City Living, so I send them to the festivals that pop up. If you haggle with the vendors you can get food for cheap sometimes, and the Spice Festival has free food, so it doesn't cost anything at all. There's music and weirdly-dressed Sims, and I almost always go, despite my usual avoidance of loading screens.

I usually invite as many Sims as it'll let me, to keep up relationships.

I forget about the festivals! I think I kept getting GeekCon on rainy days so I stopped giving them a try; I'll have to try my luck with them again

I also, have never haggled at the food stands; I'll have to give that interaction a try

SomebodySomeplace

QueenofMyshuno wrote: »

And if you have a photographer or painter, you can have them take walks around the neighborhood or different scenic spots and meet people that way. Even if nobody comes around you still get some good pictures.

Not exactly what my post was about, but I forgot painting was a portable activity; thanks for the reminder!

I do like your idea of making your sim's friends homes a kind of hangout spot, though. I always make sure my sims' friends have a home to visit, but I never really customize them to fit their personality/interests since I don't play as them; maybe it's worth it to do so.

Bobisbae

I mostly use the club system and set the hangout as a place with a lot of different fun activities for multiple sims to do. I recently started having my sims go to the park more and redid the park in willow creek to include yoga, horseshoe throwing, and more playground equipment for kids. Sometimes I fill Newcrest up with many different types of venues and allow my sim to hangout indoors if it's cold or rainy.

BMSO

I usually send mine everywhere usually. Festivals, karaoke bars, libraries, gyms plus to the secret lab since they all pretty much befriended Mother. xD