10 Places to Learn Something New in Charleston

Undiscovered Charleston allows you to explore the culinary tradition of the city with classes and food and wine pairings hosted by a local celebrity chef. This tour hosted by Chef Forrest Parker, the only certified and licensed chef tour guide in the city, lets you experience an entirely new perspective on the city's cultural soul.

You'll learn about 400 years of history over your 3-hour tour that ends with a 3-course lunch and a cooking demonstration that pairs iconic low-country South Carolina flavors with wine pairing selections. The tour begins right in the heart of downtown.

In the Kitchen with Bob Waggoner offers a dinner party cooking class experience where you'll enjoy a gourmet seasonal meal that you help to prepare. Chef Bob offers a step-by-step course with tips and techniques to improve cooking skills and kitchen confidence, and you'll even learn how to prepare delicious meals without recipes.

Perhaps the best part about this experience is you don't have to do dishes at the end of the night. Just help cook and enjoy your dinner party with details and methods proven and cultivated by Chef Bob. The class is located right in central downtown Charleston.

Wine Blending Classes by Kessler offers you a new insight into the romance, art, and craft of blending wines from many regions to offer unique flavors and backstories. As you become more educated on the complex chemistry and flavor profiles of different grapes and different techniques in aging, you'll be able to cultivate individualized wines that match your palate.

Educational wine blending classes are rare and unique offerings, and they can take your entire appreciation of wines and even food pairings to a whole new level. It's located in the Grand Bohemian Hotel right in the center of downtown.

For the Love of Art offers paint parties that allow you to experience the relaxation of creativity and build your confidence in your own crafty side. The classes are held in conjunction with a local brewery to offer a relaxing beer tasting alongside your step-by-step painting class. You'll use acrylic paints to create your own canvas that you get to take home at the end of the night.

For those who aren't into the live experience, virtual paint parties are also held via Zoom, so there's something for everyone in this soul therapy art experience. The studio is just a 17-minute drive to the west of downtown Charleston.

Wine and Design offers guided, step-by-step painting parties combined with craft cocktails so you can enjoy a relaxing and creative time with art and entertainment together. You'll get to work with local artists in relaxing surroundings while you create your own masterpiece and above all just have a good time.

There's no mess to clean up, either: at the end of the night, you take your canvas with you to hang and enjoy at home. Your local artist guide will walk you step by step through the process and give you tips, tricks, and advice along the way, so there's no art experience necessary. It's just 11 minutes west of downtown.

At Ballroom Dance Charleston, you can learn the art of dancing from a traditional waltz to swing dancing, Latin, and even shag in a fun and laid-back setting. In addition to a wide variety of dance lessons and weekly classes, the organization holds parties, dance showcases, public dance events, and private rentals all year long.

The facility includes 2,600 square feet of floating dance floor made of elegant and well-maintained hardwood, so you'll always have an ideal surface to move across. It's just a 19-minute drive to the northwest of downtown Charleston.

The Gibbes Museum of Art has showcased collections of medieval to modern art since 1858 and hosts unique and exciting works from famed artists, including the first American miniatures collection. This miniatures collection is one of the primary attractions at the museum, offering over 600 watercolor-on-ivory portraits ranging from the 19th and early 20th centuries, most able to fit in the palm of your hand.

Other attractions include decorative arts, sculptures, traditional paintings, and multimedia offerings created by American artists and focused on the American South. It's located right in the heart of downtown Charleston.

Cellar Experience offers a unique wine tasting experience in a relaxed environment with experts dedicated to helping you expand your senses and appreciation of wine. Where most wine tasting experiences are built to sell wine, this one is designed to educate you on the skills you need to truly enjoy wine and enhance your appreciation of the complexities of different styles and vintages.

The organization offers classes to teach you something new whether you're an amateur or a connoisseur, as well as specialized wine mystery events where you can solve a mystery related to a specific style and vintage of wine. It's only 14 minutes west of downtown Charleston.

The Old Slave Mart Museum allows you to come face-to-face with an uncomfortable part of American history held in an antebellum slave auction gallery dating to 1859. The building represents one of the last slave auction facilities in South Carolina. This museum is the first of its kind in the country and is staffed by individuals who trace their history to slaves in South Carolina.

It's full of artifacts, posters, exhibits, and interviews with former slaves that educate you on the horrors of this black period in the United States and the impact it still has in the modern day. It's located right in the heart of downtown.

Colin Hocking Photography is a photo gallery that's owned by, curated by, and featuring the works of noted wildlife photographer Colin Hocking offering photography classes and workshops. When you take one of Colin's workshops, you'll head into the low country to photograph iconic locales such as Magnolia Plantation, Beidler Forest Audubon Sanctuary, Ravenel Bridge, and other locales across the Charleston region known to be iconic for photography.

As you explore and look for opportunities to capture that perfect moment, Colin will guide you every step of the way with tips, tricks, and a wealth of natural history knowledge.