30+ Memphis Adult Education Classes to Enrich Your Life!
From gardening and baking to dancing and crafting, these Memphis adult education classes are offering up a variety of ways to broaden your horizons this year. Image: Facebook / Memphis Botanic Garden
Whether you want to sharpen your baking skills, find a fun new workout, plant a flower garden, or master meditation, the start of a new year is the perfect time to dive in. Here are more than 30 adult education options in Memphis to stimulate your mind, stretch your creativity, and challenge your body.
(Listed in alphabetical order.)
FOR ARTISTIC EXPLORATION
Belltower Coffeehouse and Studio
More Info: belltowerpottery.com
Hone your pottery skills further at Belltower Coffeehouse and Studio in the University of Memphis district, which offers pottery intro and mug-making classes for $65, along with an eight-week wheel-throwing class for $325.
Five in One Social Club
More Info: fiveinonesocialclub.com
If you were one of those kids who lived for arts and crafts time in school, don’t miss the Kindergarten for Grown Folks classes at Five in One Social Club. Even if you don’t think of yourself as creative, these engaging and fun classes may change your mind.
Learn to marble fabric, make a stained-glass flower frame, turn empty wine bottles into upcycled glassware, or needlefelt your favorite animal. Classes are typically three to four hours, with supplies provided, and students are welcome to bring their own drinks or snacks.
Hampline Brewing Company
More Info: eventbrite.com
If you love getting crafty in a laid-back, social setting, swing by Hampline Brewing Company on February 1 for a Sip n’ Craft night hosted by Easy Tiger Craft Club. This Valentine-themed collage night invites you to bring a friend, grab a brew, and create a one-of-a-kind collage for someone special.
All supplies are provided, along with a helping hand to guide your creative process. It’s a fun, low-pressure way to unwind, explore your artsy side, and leave with a handmade piece that’s full of heart.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
More Info: brooksmuseum.org
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is officially bringing back its popular figure drawing classes, with drawing boards, pencils, pens, and models supplied. Its schedule also features eclectic workshops led by local artists, ranging from card-making and silk watercolor painting to flower arranging. Plus, Super Saturday art workshops invite participants of all ages and skill levels to explore themes from geometric and metal art to crafting DIY bookmarks.
Adults ages 55 and older can sign up for free Inspired Aging courses that teach skills such as fabric collage, stitching, and photography. Adding to the mix, the museum will host a weekend Mahjong workshop on January 24 and 25 for anyone eager to learn the classic game.
Memphis Music Academy
More Info: memphismusicacademy.com
Want to learn an instrument beyond piano? Memphis Music Academy offers 30-minute trial lessons in piano, guitar, drums, violin, ukulele, voice, and more for $40.
Memphis Photo Space
More Info: memphisphotospace.com
Take your photography skills to the next level at Memphis Photo Space, a professional studio with equipment, space rentals, and classes for beginner and aspiring photographers. Master the basics of lighting, flash, and posing; discover how to use editing software to make your photos picture-perfect; or learn the secrets behind taking great headshots, product photography, and family portraits.
Memphis Piano Studio
More Info: memphispianostudio.com
Memphis Piano Studio in Germantown offers 30-minute private, introductory piano lessons for just $10. Lessons cover basic note and rhythm reading as well as proper posture at the piano. If you love it, you can come back for more lessons tailored to all ages and levels, from beginner to advanced.
Metal Museum
More Info: metalmuseum.org
One of the few institutions in the world devoted to advancing the art and craft of metalwork, the Metal Museum offers studio classes in blacksmithing, casting, welding, enameling, and other metalsmithing techniques. No experience necessary! Classes range from beginner to advanced, and all tools and materials are provided.
Learn how to forge everything from knives, jewelry, and picture frames to garden markers, bird feeders, and ornamental art, or take a shorter Make Your Own class to experiment with coppersmithing and other introductory concepts.
Classes sell out quickly, so register before they fill up or email [email protected] for more information. Prefer to learn from home? Check out the museum’s online instructional videos to see metalsmithing processes in action and follow along with step-by-step tutorials.
Seize the Clay
More Info: seizetheclay.net
For $150, you and a friend can take a 90-minute private class at Seize the Clay, a pottery painting studio in Chickasaw Oaks Plaza. In this introductory lesson, you’ll learn how to center the clay on the wheel and throw your own bowls that you can paint and glaze later.
FOR ASPIRING BAKERS AND MIXOLOGISTS
Enchanted Tea Lounge
More Info: eventbrite.com
Warm up frigid winter nights each Thursday with a cozy, flavor-filled escape for tea lovers at Enchanted Evenings. Sip and savor unique teas during a guided tasting, then craft your own signature blends to enjoy at home. Perfect for beginners and seasoned sippers alike, this in-person experience combines the comfort of hot tea with the creativity of blending, making chilly evenings something to look forward to.
Feast & Graze
More Info: eventbrite.com
Ever dreamed of stepping behind the bar and mixing drinks like a pro? Register for Cocktails & Charcuterie, a hands-on mixology class hosted by JB Bartending Services at Feast & Graze on February 28. Learn the fundamentals of crafting delicious cocktails while enjoying perfectly paired charcuterie boards.
Designed for beginners and curious cocktail enthusiasts, this in-person class offers the chance to shake, stir, and experiment with flavors in a fun, approachable setting — plus pick up skills that make entertaining at home even better.
Muddy’s Bake Shop
More Info: muddysbakeshop.com
This iconic small-batch Memphis bakery offers several weekend baking classes at its Broad Street location. Students get their own apron and baking station stocked with kitchen supplies and ingredients, where they can experiment with making cookies, scones, biscuits, and other treats. The beginner-friendly classes are small, interactive, and fun, with instructor support and time for questions.
Winter classes range from baking French pastries to heart-shaped Pop-Tarts for Valentine’s Day. Plus, on February 28, the bakery hosts a Cookbook Club Community Pot Luck, featuring the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. Participants can share their thoughts about the cookbook and a dish they made from it.
DANCE (OR WORK) IT OUT
Ballet Memphis
More Info: balletmemphis.org
Ballet Memphis offers several classes at its Midtown and East Memphis studios to get you active in new ways. Improve your flexibility, posture, and coordination with Pilates classes taught on the mat and with equipment. Or explore new forms of movement and creative expression with adult ballet and modern dance classes led by professional dancers. Adult ballet classes are small and open to beginners; admission is $20 for drop-ins.
SB Tip: You can sign up for any of these classes virtually through the Ballet Memphis app, which you can download HERE.
Blue Suede Ballroom
More Info: bluesuedeballroom.com
Located in the Forest Hill Shopping Center, Blue Suede Ballroom teaches private and group classes to students of all levels of experience and ability. And you don’t even need to bring a partner! Lessons cover different styles of ballroom dance, as well as salsa, swing, tango, waltz, rumba, and cha-cha.
Group beginner classes are held on Friday evenings at 7 p.m., and the cost is $12 per person or $24 per couple. Take advantage of its introductory offer for $225, which includes three private 45-minute lessons. You can even get your friends in on the fun by booking a private group class for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or special event.
Pickleball 901
More Info: pickleball901.com
Whether you are new to pickleball or want to take your game to the next level, Pickleball 901, located at Carriage Crossings in Collierville, has instructors who are eager to help. Sign up for private lessons or one of the facility’s three-week pickleball clinics to learn about everything from scoring high percentage shots to game strategies. Clinics are designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players.
Theatreworks
More Info: theatreworksmemphis.org
Theatreworks, a nonprofit that provides rehearsal and performance space for local artists and performing arts groups, also hosts dance classes at its Monroe and Poplar Avenue locations. Get fit with tango or belly dancing, take a tap or Irish dance class, or lean into your dramatic side with improv dance. You can even sign up for yoga and hula hoop classes!
FOR NATURE LOVERS
Bartlett City Beautiful
More Info: cityofbartlett.org
Want to become a better gardener? Bartlett City Beautiful is bringing back its annual Gardening University for beginner and experienced gardeners who wish to develop their green thumb. Taught by master gardeners, topics include beekeeping, preparing your garden for spring, growing fall vegetables, top native plant performers, terrariums, and water gardens. The free series is held Saturday afternoons through February 28 at the Bartlett Public Library.
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
More Info: dixon.org
Master seed sowing in the winter, practice figure drawing and fiber arts, or learn beading and polymer clay techniques to make your own jewelry at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. You can also hear discussions on diverse topics from art history to growing spring blooms at weekly ‘Munch and Learns,’ led each Wednesday by local artists, scholars, and Dixon staff.
Dixon also sponsors tons of free programs, including art classes for seniors and rotating exhibitions. Looking for some zen? Venture to the garden for free yoga classes on Thursday evenings or tai chi classes on Saturday mornings.
Everbloom Design
More Info: everbloomdesign.com
Always wanted to try your hand at flower arranging? Brighten up gloomy winter days by working with fresh, seasonal blooms in hands-on workshops at Everbloom Design. Learn essential techniques — from cutting and conditioning flowers to creating stunning arrangements with expert guidance — while discovering tips on color, composition, and care to keep your blooms fresh longer.
Upcoming workshops include Floral Design 101 and Galentine’s Floral Design Workshop. All materials are provided, and you get to bring home your own beautiful creation.
Memphis Botanic Gardens
More Info: membg.org
Got the winter blues? Memphis Botanic Gardens offers a full schedule of events and workshops to ignite your creativity and get you dreaming of spring. Classes range in cost, with discounts for members. Whether you’re an avid gardener or just an admirer of nature, the garden sponsors programs year-round to broaden your knowledge of horticulture and the environment.
Sign up for 90-minute garden workshops for insights on terrariums and container gardening, or 45-minute garden talks to learn how to care for different types of plants and attract pollinators. Explore the garden’s rich history and 30 specialty gardens in depth with a private docent-led tour.
Museum of Science and History (MoSH)
More Info: moshmemphis.com
If you’re into birdwatching or gardening, you won’t want to miss The Birds & Seeds winter workshop on January 31 at the Memphis Museum of Science and History (MoSH)’s Lichterman Nature Center. The free event, held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes workshops on beginner birdwatching and backyard bird feeding, as well as free seed swaps and plant sales.
Urban Earth Memphis
More Info: urbanearthmemphis.com
Explore the joy of houseplants through two workshops hosted by Urban Earth Memphis, a Midtown garden center, nursery, and market. During Propagation & Prop Box, master gardener Sheryl Virgilio teaches how to grow new plants from existing houseplants. Participants leave with a personal propagation box, mini pruners, and at least 10 different plant cuttings, including both common and rare varieties.
In Air Plant Mounting, learn how to care for and design your own mounted air plant arrangements using moss, driftwood, shells, dried flowers, and more. Both workshops are beginner-friendly, include all materials, and offer a 10% off coupon for in-store purchases on the day of the event.
FOR LIFELONG LEARNERS
Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce
More Info: eventbrite.com
Curious about 3D printing? Dive into the fundamentals at a 3D Printing Essentials workshop sponsored by TechEd2Go. The six-hour course, split into two three-hour sessions on February 10 and February 12 at the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce, walks you through everything from finding and creating 3D models to printer setup, calibration, and troubleshooting common issues. Perfect for beginners and enthusiasts alike, you can learn the essential tools and techniques to bring your ideas to life — and take home your very own creation.
Creative Aging
More Info: creativeagingmidsouth.org
Retired and want to stay busy? You can find a plethora of lifelong learning classes through Creative Aging’s Senior Studio. Dedicated to using the arts to enhance the lives of seniors over 65, the nonprofit offers an ongoing list of in-person and virtual classes taught by local artists.
Courses cover a range of media, including writing, painting, wire sculpture, mixed media, fabric collage, and beginner tap and ballet (to name a few). Classes are free and typically taught over four to eight weeks.
Good News Memphis Church
More Info: eventbrite.com
Have you ever wanted to learn how to speak Korean? Now is your chance! Good News Memphis Church, located on Orchi Road, offers free weekly Korean language classes on the last two Saturdays of January.
Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning
More Info: rhodes.edu
Wish you could go back to college to take a course or two without giving up your day job? You can do exactly that through Rhodes College’s Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning, which just opened its spring semester for registration.
Taught by college faculty, courses delve into various themes from the lore of literature and religious figures in history to modern media and the AI revolution. Classes, which are mainly in the evening, run from mid-January through the end of April and include in-person and Zoom options.
Memphis Public Library
More Info: memphis.librarycalendar.com
Libraries are known for offering help with tax prep and tech literacy, but the Memphis Public Library goes a step beyond those basic offerings with a variety of classes focused on health and wellness, finance, arts and crafts, and civic engagement.
Experiment with new crafts like crocheting, painting, and jewelry making; take classes in aerobics, yoga, Zumba, and line dancing; learn beginner Spanish, chess, Mahjong, or how to cook healthy meals on a budget; brush up on your writing, computer, photography, or money management skills, or gain new gardening and genealogy insights. The library also hosts writing and book clubs for literary lovers.
YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South
More Info: eventbrite.com
Want to try Mahjong in a fun setting? This beginner-friendly event on January 24 lets you learn the game, meet new people, and enjoy a lively night out. Hosted by P.E.O. Chapter K, it’s also a fundraiser supporting women’s education. Tickets are $35, with payment accepted at the door via cash, check, or Venmo, making it easy to play, connect, and give back.
FOR HISTORY BUFFS
Elmwood Cemetery
More Info: elmwoodcemetery.org
If you are a fan of Victorian-era fashion, don’t miss Memphis-based mourning jewelry expert Virginia Shelton’s talk on Victorian Mourning Customs & Jewelry on February 15. Held at Elmwood’s chapel, she shares her personal archive of rings, brooches, lockets, and necklaces from the era and decodes the meaning behind her favorite pieces.
You can also explore how Victorians communicated through flowers at a March 29 talk by Elmwood Executive Director Kim Bearden on the era’s secret language of blooms. Learn how the practice of floriography turned bouquets into coded messages of love, betrayal, or warning, with a live arrangement by designer Julie Spear and a special performance by historian Andrew Pouncey.
WELLNESS
The Broom Closet
More Info: thebroomclosetmemphis.com
Looking to begin the new year with deep healing and renewal? On January 26, The Broom Closet, a metaphysical shop in downtown Memphis, hosts a prosperity practice focused on expanding your capacity to receive and hold abundance. The guided session blends Kundalini Yoga, meditation, mantra, and restorative deep rest, reframing prosperity as alignment and clearing space in the body and mind for abundance to flow with ease. Space is limited, so reserve your spot in advance!
Crosstown Concourse
More Info: crosstownconcourse.com
If you’re craving a nervous system reset, join Sean Murphy’s “Sound Meditation Journey,” a 90-minute immersive experience at The Green Room at Crosstown Arts on February 8. Guided by Sean — also known as “1Breath” — you are enveloped in a vibrational soundscape of gongs, flutes, drums, bowls, and other instruments from around the world.
Often described as “sound acupuncture,” this ancient wellness practice invites you to breathe, relax, and listen deeply, helping you access profound states of clarity and calm.
Memphis Drum Shop
More Info: memphisdrumshop.com
Soak up more mind-body relaxation through the deep tones and vibrations emanating from Memphis Drum Shop‘s Gong Chamber, which features an extensive collection of Paiste gongs, along with Meinl singing bowls and bronze bowls. The shop hosts Community Sound Journeys on Saturdays for $45 a person.
Contact [email protected] or (901) 276-2328 to snag a spot or to schedule a private session with Reiki Master Nancy Pettit.
Stay curious, Memphis!
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Emily McMackin
Emily McMackin Dye is an Alabama native and Tennessee transplant, who recently moved to Memphis from Nashville. A freelance writer, she enjoys exploring history, culture, and the lifestyle scene surrounding her new home in The Bluff City.