{"id":21564,"date":"2011-05-04T13:30:27","date_gmt":"2011-05-04T17:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=21564"},"modified":"2025-09-01T21:15:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T01:15:06","slug":"educational-travel-getaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/21564\/educational-travel-getaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Class-y Travel: 7 Educational Adventures Near NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vacations can be a perfect time to learn something that you have always dreamed of doing. These are not return-to-school suggestions, so a laid-back atmosphere will dominate. These educational getaways are perfect for couples as well as the solo traveler looking to meet like-minded independent vacationers.<\/p>\n

Whether your secret desire is wooden boat making, surfing, baking, rock climbing or glassblowing, there is a skill-building vacation with your name on it. Here are seven trips, including one day getaway, that will help you gain new talents without skimping on the fun factor. (And if you can’t fit in a class-y getaway any time soon, CourseHorse.com is a great new resource for finding all kinds of classes throughout NYC.)<\/p>\n

What: <\/strong>Indoor and Outdoor Skills
\nWhere:<\/strong> Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York
\n When:<\/strong> Year round
\nWhy: <\/strong>A Victorian castle resort with charming accommodations and stunning grounds, this family-run property offers a wide range of educational activities year round. When you’re not learning new skills\u2014like rock climbing<\/a>, locavorism, ballroom dancing, the art of chocolate, or couple massage lessons\u2014enjoy hiking, lake swimming, cross-country skiing, boating, tennis and three delicious meals (plus a scrumptious afternoon tea) per day, included in the rate, which starts at $188 per person, per night based on double occupancy.
\n How to get there: <\/strong>Take Adirondack Trailways<\/a> from Port Authority to the New Paltz Bus Station, in about 90 minutes. Call the hotel\u2019s Transportation Department 845.256.2016 at least 24 hours in advance to arrange for a pick up.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Surfing

What:<\/strong> Learn a Craft
\nWhere:<\/strong> Snow Farm<\/a>, The New England Craft Program, Williamsburg, MA.
\nWhen:<\/strong> The season runs year round, offering weekend intensives and weeklong courses.
\nWhy: <\/strong>The bucolic grounds here are ideal for learning or perfecting a craft from master artisans. Try your hand at welding, glassblowing or recycled metal tinsmithing, to name a few options. You will share a no-frills, rustic but pleasant accommodation with a roomie and feast on three meals per day, featuring home baked breads. The price ranges from $330 for a weekend session to $840 for the most expensive weeklong session, meals and lodging included.
\n How to get there: <\/strong>Peter Pan bus from Port Authority to Northampton in just over 3 hours. Call Valley Transporter to arrange a shuttle that will have you at Snow Farm in about fifteen minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Cooking

\"Sail

What: <\/strong> Learn the Art of Historically Sensitive Restoration
\n Where: <\/strong>Bartow-Pell Mansion, Pelham Bay, Bronx, NY
\n When:<\/strong>\u00a0 July 29 \u2013 August 2, 2013
\n Why:<\/strong> You don\u2019t have to leave NYC to participate in an educational expedition. Adventures in Preservation is offering Shutter Shop on Shore Road: Restoration Work at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum<\/em>. This program emphasizes environmentally considerate techniques and is a hands-on opportunity to learn priming, painting and carpentry as you and your fellow participants preserve the interior shutters of this historic 19th Century mansion. You will be doing worthwhile work, as the mansion is open to the public and hosts many valuable educational opportunities for kids and adults. The cost is $295 and includes daily morning coffee, snacks, picnic lunch and the opportunity to gain behind-the-scenes knowledge of this National Historic Landmark.
\nHow to get there:<\/strong> 6 train to the Pelham Bay Park station, followed by the Westchester Bee-Line<\/a> #45 bus direct to the mansion gate.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

For more class ideas, be it dancing, history, cooking or fitness, or language, visit CourseHorse.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photos: Courtesy of<\/em> Michael Rutkowski<\/a>,\u00a0Jim Smith Photography, <\/em>Skuddin Surf Camp, The Essex, Wooden Boat School, and<\/em> The Homestead<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vacations can be a perfect time to learn something that you have always dreamed of doing. These are not return-to-school suggestions, so a laid-back atmosphere will dominate. These educational getaways are perfect for couples as well as the solo traveler looking to meet like-minded independent vacationers. Whether your secret desire is wooden boat making, surfing, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":54653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1508,747,1869,364,325,907,748,316],"tags":[116,21,273,310,483,402,133,106,217],"class_list":{"0":"post-21564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-amtrak-getaways","8":"category-bus-2","9":"category-editors-picks","10":"category-maine","11":"category-new-york","12":"category-pennsylvania-2","13":"category-train-2","14":"category-weekend-getaways","15":"tag-amtrak","16":"tag-beach","17":"tag-classes","18":"tag-culinary-getaway","19":"tag-family-friendly","20":"tag-gardening","21":"tag-outdoors","22":"tag-photography","23":"tag-surfing"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":54653,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/6333933908_8e1b9d3386_o-e1476059213150-350x197.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}