Workshops in Waco–Adult Style

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While you are busy filling your child’s summer with camps and ways to improve their time off from school, consider yourself, too. There are many workshops in Waco, for adults. There are a few in town that might leave you inspired, at the very least entertained.

As adults, we need to focus our brains on things other than the latest Disney movie, soccer games and work. It is important to open your brain and fill it with adult things, fun things, and while you have your brain open, you just might learn something new. The workshops in Waco can help you fill that brain with knowledge and skill.  And fun!

Continued education can be both educational and inspiring, plus it can add excitement and fun to your life. It is also a great way to meet new people. Attending workshops in Waco, with your friends, or even your spouse, is a great way to also explore and get to know Waco.

 

“O! this learning, what a thing it is.” – William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

 

Workshops in Waco are still few in number, but the options are growing. I did a little research and found several places to expand your mind.

The workshops in Waco are hands-on experiences, taught by local creatives, to help you learn. Workshops are a great way to learn about small shops in Waco, as well as introduce you to some of the talented creatives in our town.

Gather

Gather, located on Washington Avenue, is owned and operated by Jonathon Martin of Black Oak Art and Sara Martin of Kindred Event Studio.  When you put the party planning skills of Sara, together with the beautiful hand-made pottery of Jonathon, you get a great place to shop for all your gatherings.

They also have a backroom perfect for holding workshops, and well, fun-while-you-learn experiences.

The small, intimate, workshops Gather holds are meant to help you sharpen your entertaining and hosting skills. Sara is all about her guests enjoying themselves while eating, drinking, mingling and perhaps a bit of learning something new.

The upcoming workshops at Gather include a watermelon workshop, a beer tasting workshop and a summer soif (wine!) tasting.

See, learning can be fun!

On Thursday, July 19, David Mayfield, owner of the Wine Shoppe, will lead you through an exploration of thirst-quenching summer wines and teach you about the regions where the wines are made. And how to enjoy them. (by drinking them, right?) Included in the price is one piece of stemware, selected by Mayfield, as well as four to five glasses of wine, a lot of information, and some entertainment, too. The workshop is held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., for more information and to purchase tickets, go to Gather’s website.

workshops in Waco

Luna Juice Bar and owner, Summer Shine, will hold a workshop, at Gather, demonstrating tips on utilizing watermelons, on July 28, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. You will learn how to make watermelon cake, watermelon gazpacho, watermelon fresco and a Luna Juice Bar specialty watermelon drink. (Does this sound like summer?) Eating and drinking, all-things watermelon, will be included in the workshop. And with Shine leading the class, fun will be had.

And there’s a bonus—Shop while you are at Gather and you receive 10% off your purchase, the day of the workshop you attend. Make reservations online at Gather.

Black Oak Art

Just like Gather, Black Oak Art also holds workshops, but of the more “get your hands dirty” type. One of the potters will help you throw your own piece of pottery. They hold two-hour workshops, either hand-building or throwing on the wheel. You will create a piece of pottery and Black Oak Art will finish it by firing the piece in the kiln. When it is ready a week later, they ship it to you, or you can come back and pick it up.

They offer intro, intermediate and advanced classes to learn pottery. Sign up on their website. Workshops are by by appointment only. For more information or to sign up, go to Black Oak Art.

Gourmet Gallery

 The Gourmet Gallery, on Austin Avenue, offers a variety of cooking classes for all levels of home cooks and the aspiring chef wanna-be. They offer adult cooking classes and the menu of the workshop is open from homemade fresh pasta to sushi, to classic desserts.

Each two-hour class includes a chef instruction, hands-on learning, all ingredients and cooking utensils needed, and of course, tasting of the meal or dish prepared while in the workshop.

They also offer private cooking class parties. All cooking workshops lasses are conducted at Young Chefs Academy, located at 7728 Central Park Drive, in Woodway.

Cultivate7Twelve

Cultivate7Twelve, located on Austin Avenue, is an incredible space, filled with more creativity in one shop than any other in Waco. You will find art, of course art, because it is an art studio, an art gallery, and they also offer art classes, but oh-so much more.

They offer many workshops and classes, everything from oil painting, water color, collage, figure painting, ballet and yoga. You will even find an occasional piano recital and farm-to-table dinner. 

If you haven’t visited this art gallery, in Waco, you are missing out. It is Instagram-ready and appeasing to the eye, even the non-artistic eye

Check out Cultivate7Twelve’s website for types of art classes, times and more information.

Maker’s Edge Makerspace

This space is the perfect place for hands-on fun. They provide Waco with space to create. From beginners and hobbyists, to creatives and professionals, Maker’s Edge provides a creative and functional space to use your skills, or learn new ones.

Maker’s Edge, on Austin Avenue, has all the space, all the resources–tools and equipment, all in one building. They have a metal shop, wood shop, kitchen, art studio, pottery studio, and a computer lab. This space even has a digital fabrications lab. We’re talking 3-D stuff!

Visit the Maker’s Edge website to learn more and to find out about upcoming workshops. They also provide continuing tool training classes, free of charge, to members. 

Art Center of Waco

The Art Center of Waco isn’t just for kids. they also offer art classes for adults, as well as other informative and fun events throughout the year, although they don’t have any scheduled, as of now.

This summer, you, as an adult, can educate yourself. You can learn something new, have fun, and meet new people. Consider taking one of the many workshops in Waco, adult-style!

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Hi, I'm Dedra!! I am a late-in-life writer trying to fulfill a lifelong dream and emerge into the kidlit world. I am writing, editing, and querying while learning patience and failing forward. I hope to be a published children's book author with my picture books and YA novel. I graduated with a degree in Journalism from the UTA in 1988, but because of raising three beautiful children and life in general, I started writing professionally in 2014. My husband of 34 years and I raised our children in China Spring, right outside of Waco. Even though my children are all in their late twenties, all out of college, and all have careers (yay!!!), I am still a mother in their daily life—mothering, loving, worrying, and praying never stop—no matter how old they are. I am proud to be a late-in-life writer--journalist, freelancer, blogger, and magazine contributor. My work includes online and print magazines, including Modern Texas Living, Unread Magazine, Culture Trip, Everything Home Magazine, The Groove, The Outfitter, Victoria Lee Magazine, Holl and Lane Magazine, and Taylor Magazine. My (other) absolute favorite thing to write about is our ever-growing and evolving, small-urban town, Waco. I am thrilled to be part of Waco Moms and write about motherhood and Waco! I also write about life around me to enlighten, entertain, and make people think. If I make them smile, that's a bonus! You can read my blog at http://www.dedradaviswrites.com

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for mentioning Gourmet Gallery’s Adult Cooking Classes! Just a quick mention that we are no longer on Austin Avenue. Our classes take place at Young Chefs Academy Corporate Kitchen in Woodway. We’d love for your readers to join us for a class!

  2. I think I mentioned the classes were in Woodway, but I didn’t know you were no longer on Austin Avenue. Sorry. Do you still have the store? Do you still sell kitchen items?

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