fun, low-commitment class recommendations

December 11, 2023 5:03 PM

I'm on the lookout for interesting classes or workshops to expand my skills and hobbies. I recently enjoyed a four-hour flower arrangement session where I got to bring home my creation, and I'm considering attending a matcha tea 101 class. I'm also interested in trying out lettering on the iPad. My friend suggested another place where you just sip wine and paint. What else is out there?

I'm open to both offline and online options. Location is also not that important — I'll just do a search if something like that is available in my area.

My interests are quite varied, including poetry, jazz, cooking, house plants, playing the ukulele, graphic design, productivity, and reading.

I'm looking for classes that are:

1. Short and sweet: Courses or workshops that aren't overly time-consuming or demanding.

2. Hands-on and/or interactive: I'm interested in activities where I can possibly create something or there's a live demo that I can watch as an audience maybe?

3. Introvert-friendly: Being amongst people is nice although I don't necessarily want to engage in conversation. Maybe something where I can bring along a friend?

4. Physically accessible: I have mobility issues so anything that's too physical (e.g. rock climbing) is a no for me.

5. Diverse in nature: Anything from artistic skills to culinary arts, music, literature, or even something completely out of the box!

If you know of any classes that fit this bill or have any recommendations based on my interests, I'd love to hear about them. I'm excited to explore new hobbies and learn new things in a fun, stress-free environment. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

posted by benimaru to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (25 answers total)

Check out the adult recreation classes in your area for some low-key in-person events. Where I live, they are sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Some are one-time events, others run for 4-8 sessions (usually once a week). Since they are run by the city, basic accessibility should be OK. Our local library also offers an off-beat set of adult classes - not just their regular book club but lots of one-time, learn a new skill, options as well.
posted by metahawk at 5:16 PM on December 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Your local writers/arts/games/etc festivals and the like might also have one-off workshops.
posted by creatrixtiara at 5:17 PM on December 11, 2023

I am answering from a US location. The adult programs/community education programs at our local community colleges are rife with these kind of 2-4 hour workshops on a lot of topics. Gardening, cooking, retirement finance, languages, kickball, whatever.

Folk schools will also have a mix of short and long workshops, generally more oriented towards skill acquisition or handcraft.
posted by janell at 5:18 PM on December 11, 2023 [4 favorites]

My kids went to an evening similar to the wine and paint one, except it was painting ceramics.

In some areas, much of this is still done through community ed. These days, there's also a lot of promotion done through Facebook events.

Also, your library might have listings somewhere. So might any sort of niche store (say yarn, or gaming, or terrariums, etc.)
posted by stormyteal at 5:23 PM on December 11, 2023

Our local grocery coop offer cooking classes. My kids loved the one they did.
posted by bq at 5:35 PM on December 11, 2023

Jewelry making -- there are beginner one-off classes where you can make a silver ring, for instance, and in the process learn the basics of sawing, soldering, filing, etc.
posted by virve at 5:42 PM on December 11, 2023

Almost all my local garden centers do classes for succulent planters, terrariums, and in one case hanging staghorn ferns. I really enjoy these classes and I get to bring home a lovely plant. They go over care in great detail too, I did three classes last year and not only are all my plants still alive but thriving.
posted by lepus at 6:01 PM on December 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Google "Folk school" to see if there are any in your area - they seem to be more common in places with a lot of people with Scandinavian ancestry. Around me, they do classes in textiles, needlework, leatherworking, woodworking, basketweaving, etc.
posted by Jeanne at 6:24 PM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

A quick glance at my local library branch's adult events shows: an opportunity to read to kids; a movie screening; laughter yoga; poetry reading; French conversation; an ongoing series about Yiddish theater; 3 separate book clubs; gentle yoga; a play; a book sale; meditation; adult coloring. And that's just one random branch!
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:35 PM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Not the cheapest option out there, but Smithsonian Associates has a ton of virtual classes, from lectures to classes like Gyotaku (the Japanese art of printing with fish). If you happen to be in the Washington, DC area they also have some in person things as well. Digital program guide is available online.
posted by gudrun at 7:39 PM on December 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

* Beer brewing
* Cheese making
* Cooking
* Fiber crafts
* Fishing
* Mosaic making
* Needlework
* Photography
* Sewing
* Star gazing
* Tasting beer//cheese/chocolate/coffee/spirits/wine

Your local parks & rec department might also offer various classes that you might be interested in. You might not know it until you browse their catalog.
posted by NotLost at 8:22 PM on December 11, 2023

* Composting
posted by NotLost at 8:22 PM on December 11, 2023

The Seattle Experimental College is basically a ton of this. If you're in the area, awesome! if not, maybe you'll find inspiration in their catalog.
posted by Sauce Trough at 9:55 PM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

My local area has some one-off needle felting classes off and on that look fun and achievable.
posted by charmedimsure at 10:10 PM on December 11, 2023

Calligraphy! Enthusiasts of historical calligraphy often run classes and you come out of it able to do a passable TTRPG accessory with ink and paper, or wedding invitations if you opt for Copperplate. In my experience classes provide the basic tools and if you end up interested in it, basic ink and a decent dip pen won't run you more than $10 for practice at home.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 10:15 PM on December 11, 2023

If you're in Seattle, the Pratt Fine Arts Center is fantastic for this. Maybe you have a similar art center nearby?

They have several-hour classes, weekend classes, and multi-week classes in a whole range of art and craft disciplines: drawing, jewelry making, woodworking, glassblowing, blacksmithing, sculpture, etc.
posted by Metasyntactic at 2:08 AM on December 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

A butcher near me has classes where they demonstrate how they break down a half a cow or a pig and you get meat to bring home (but no hands-on experience).

There are loads of one-day/half-day cooking workshops near me - dim sum, French apero, vending machine snack pairings with natural wine (serioiusly!), sugar and chocolate art. These are mostly at centers for adult ed, cultural centers, or restaurants. I went to a baijiu (Chinese alcohol) tasting/education session at a local bar, which was great. There are also cake and cookie decorating classes.

Local yarn/fabric stores often have a rotating series of workshops on things like needle felting, simple sewing (e.g. a tote bag or a decoration that you take home at the end of the session), embroidery techniques, etc.

Less hands-on/interactive but you might enjoy attending master classes and/or recitals if you have a local music conservatory - master classes especially are almost like a demo of a lesson. Recitals can be more concert-like or more educational, depends on the person giving the recital.
posted by mskyle at 5:04 AM on December 12, 2023

I’ve found that arts fairs/markets are great for finding these - at a holiday handmade market in my city a couple weekends ago, I found out about one-off classes for black smithing, letterpress, textile work.
posted by punchtothehead at 5:50 AM on December 12, 2023

Nthing checking out your library! I've been hanging around my local library more often these days, and that's how I discovered they have a monthly "craft class" where you can learn a different craft each month, a weekly movie matinee session, a D&D club, and "virtual bowling". And other branches have sessions about Chinese philosophy, one-on-one training sessions with therapy dogs, moviemaking, and photography.

Two bonuses of using the library as a resource: the class will likely be free for you, and you'll be contributing to a headcount that your library can then point to at a time when it's trying to get more funding (and nowadays that is VERY, VERY important).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:03 AM on December 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

There's a business here in my area, the Rochester Brainery, that does standalone classes taught by community members. They have a lot of different kinds of classes (cooking! crafts! brewing kombucha! metalsmithing!) and some of them are online. I've taken a bunch of classes through them and all of them have been high quality and well done. I know there's also a Brooklyn Brainery with a similar setup, but I've never taken a class from them so can't vouch for how good they are!
posted by SeedStitch at 6:09 AM on December 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Check out CourseHorse. Also Creativebug for online videos — your library might provide access. Joann also has some offerings.
You could also try craft kits to DIY at home or at least for inspiration.
I really enjoyed a letterpress printing workshop recently.
posted by eyeball at 6:22 AM on December 12, 2023

Home Depot and Lowes offered DIY classes prior to COVID, but I'm not 100% sure whether they've started back up. If construction interests you though, it might be worth calling your local Home Depot to see if they're running any in-person workshops.
posted by hydra77 at 7:04 AM on December 12, 2023

If there's a tool library, makerspace, bike or natural foods co-op, etc. near you, there's an excellent chance they offer classes of some kind.

Smaller for-profit stores that sell things like homebrewing or art or knitting supplies often do too.

Maybe a charcuterie class, if you or someone you know is into eating that kind of stuff?
posted by box at 1:20 PM on December 12, 2023

If you're at least 50 and in the US, check to see if there's an Osher near you (e.g. this one in Seattle; is Seattle particularly rich in such things, or just rich in MeFites?). Some meet in person, some on-line, and there's a huge range of what's offered depending on the your local organization.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:40 PM on December 12, 2023

The John C Campbell Folk School has online lessons.
posted by eyeball at 2:31 PM on December 14, 2023