Find YourSide Quest
Meet up with other kids who are into board games, LEGO, Minecraft, book clubs, campfires, and other creative adventures.
Get Started HerePick a quest. Find your people.
Build connections through shared activities. Every quest is low-key, no pressure, and welcoming.
Mapmakers’ Guild
Build a world from scratch — map stamps, pens, and imagination. Join the waiting list.
Join the waiting list →
The Dispatch Division
Get matched with a pen pal your age who shares some of your interests. Get to know each other through letters, drawings, and postcards.
Join the waiting list →
Board Game Meetups
Cozy tabletop games with a small group and plenty of snacks. Think Catan, Battleship, Carcassonne, Scrabble, Chess.
LEGO Builders
Build scenes together and show off what you've made — share your builds between meetups via email.
Campfire Nights
Gather around the fire for s'mores, hotdogs, and simple fun.
Minecraft Meetups
Played in person or online over Zoom.
Lawn Games
Cornhole, lawn darts, frisbee and more. No athletic prowess required.
Nature Outings
Tide pools, easy hikes and slow afternoons by the water.
There's more than one way to be social
Side Quest is a social community for kids who are quirky, quiet, creative, curious, neurospicy, or simply more comfortable in smaller, lower-key settings.
Why We Began: The usual social opportunities for kids are built around things like team sports, school dances, big clubs, and other high-energy group activities. But for lots of kids, those aren't always the places where connection comes easiest. So Side Quest is built around the other stuff: board games, Minecraft, books, campfires, easy hikes, building things, hanging out.
Where We're Located: We're launching near Freeport, Brunswick, Yarmouth, and Cumberland, Maine.
How it Works: Side Quest is parent-led, and grown-ups stay with their kids at in-person quests.
What to Expect: Kids can jump in, hang back, watch for a while, stay close to their grown-up, or leave when they've had enough. Before each quest, you'll get a map: what we're doing, where we're meeting, who to expect, and what the plan looks like.
Where We'll Meet: Local libraries, community centers, parks, and backyards. Some quests happen online, and our Pen Pal Quest lets kids connect through good old-fashioned mail.
Side Quest is for kids who…
…would love to find a few more kids they really click with.- …light up when they meet someone who loves the same thing they do.
- …prefer smaller groups and calmer settings, or a little more room to be themselves.
- …connect best through shared activities.
Side Quest is for parents, too
Finding the right social opportunities for your differently-wired child can take a surprising amount of work. It can also feel lonely.
Side Quest makes it easier to get your kids away from the screens, out of the house, and connecting with peers. But it's also a chance to meet other parents. Especially parents who get this unique parenting journey without needing a long explanation.
Grab a coffee. Swap ideas. Make a few new friends. The kids aren’t the only ones who could use more community.
Can’t make a meetup?
Pick something from Anytime Quests — watch, read, build, learn, play, or explore whenever you want.
Tell us about you
First quests are in the works — get on the list to hear about them first.
We'll only use your info to tell you about quests — never shared, sold, or spammed.
Side Quest founder
Who started Side Quest? Durham, Maine mom Ruth Hartt and her junior sidekick.
I’m a mom who wants more places where kids can connect in ways that feel good to them—and where their parents can find community too.
