In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, libraries, gyms, bookstores, hackerspaces, stoops, parks, and theaters, among others. In his book The Great Good Place (1989), Ray Oldenburg argues that third places are important for democracy, civic engagement, and a sense of place. Oldenburg's coauthor Karen Christensen argues in the 2025 sequel that third places are the answer to loneliness, political polarization, and climate resilience. She also clarifies the difference between third places and public spaces.

American sociologist Ray Oldenburg called one's "first place" the home and the people the person lives with. The "second place" is the workplace—where people may actually spend most of their waking time. Third places, then, are "anchors" of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. In other words, "your third place is where you relax in public, where you encounter familiar faces and make new acquaintances."

In The Great Good Place, Oldenburg and co-author Karen Christensen discuss the seven characteristics of third places. A third place is:

The term "third place" itself was first established in the book The Great Good Place (1989), written by the sociologist Ray Oldenburg. Locales of this type have been identified throughout human history.

Ancient Greeks and their agora, or public squares, are among some of the first well-documented communal spaces that could be considered a "third place". They served as marketplaces to exchange goods and currency, or engage in political debate. These gatherings would host people from all walks of life: political figures, poets, philosophers, and common folk, subsets of people that wouldn't have otherwise interacted as part of their daily routine. Modern evolutions and derivations of the agora have remained prevalent in many subsequent civilizations. The term agoraphobia, or fear of open public spaces, originates from this grecian meeting spot.

Being defined as a separate physical sphere from one's home or place of work, teahouses were prevalent third places in society. Tea evolved into a functionally social drink in the ancient Jin Dynasty from the period 265–316AD. These shops allowed businessmen to conduct meetings in a discreet manner. Time spent in these locations was used as a tool to show off of one's status and ability to spend money on simple luxuries. Teahouses would come to function as central meeting places and "instrumental fixture in the nucleus of provincial towns".

Food and drink often have been closely associated with the idea of third places; they offer inciting motivation to attend, but wouldn't get in the way of conversation. Not dissimilar to tea houses, the increasing popularity of coffeehouses during England's 17th Century became societal staples for community building. According to a UNESCO article co-written by Ray Oldenburg himself, "As places of free speech allowing a certain level of equality, coffeehouses can be seen as the precursors of democracy". Coffee was a stimulant, in contrast to the depressor that was the rampant alcohol consumption before this point in English history. Thus, these coffee houses became "a real political arena". They were referred to as "Penny Universities" in the way that they enabled attendees to expose themselves to intellectual fervor with no financial barrier of entry.

Following into the 21st century, coffeeshops are still one of the most ubiquitous third places. These conversation hotspots have been reflected in media as hubs of human connection and belonging, like the Central Perk coffeeshop (Friends), or similarly the Cheers bar (Cheers).