Education & Classes in Charleston

The crash of the waves. The smell of salt spray. Sudden gusts of wind whipping in from off the water. For most people, a trip to the beach is a once-in-a-while vacation, but for the aquatic athletes at Air & Earth, it's just another day at the office. Armed with an armada of surfboards, kiteboards, and stand-up paddleboards, their instructors share their own water-walking know-how during lessons held on the gentle surf that laps the shores of Mt. Pleasant and the surrounding barrier islands. After learning the ropes atop their board of choice, customers can decamps to the board shop, where new equipment and accessories from brands including Palm Head Boards, Hyperflex, and Reef await new owners.

While beach-bound activities are the team's primary focus, instructors also share tips for surfing asphalt expanses during the shop's skateboard lessons. Paired with a new shortboard and ramp from the shop's inventory, lessons help new skates learn how to balance on their board, execute basic tricks, and tell whether or not a distant traffic cone is actually a shark.

Charlestowne Pub Stroll's knowledgeable guides cover nearly 300 years of history during their three-hour walking tours, shedding light on the city's libation-steeped past. Guide dressed in full pirate or colonial regalia lead guests along Meeting Street as they point out the area’s most historically significant pubs. They regale guests with tales of Prohibition-era criminals, early drinking habits, and other historical oddities, including that time when drinking a full gallon of milk was temporarily outlawed in Charleston in the 1900s. Throughout the tour, groups will stop into select watering holes to sample the storied brews for themselves at an extra cost.

Fostering creativity within her school, Satin Ribbons, Ms. Shay urges all her students, no matter their age or artistic inclinations, to explore their expressive potential through a variety of performance and coaching programs. Pupils hone their musical-theatre chops and stage presence in performing-arts classes, where they produce Shakespearean works as well as plays written by more contemporary ghosts. Ms. Shay also teaches dance in both classical and modern styles and coaches youth on etiquette and modeling techniques that highlight their individual strengths. To celebrate others’ beauty and help them regain self-esteem shattered by bullies carving unflattering marble busts, Ms. Shay coordinates events such as pageants and fashion shows.

The studio at pARTy & Paint Charleston resembles not so much a classroom as a lounge. Sunlight pours through picture windows and glints off leather barstools and repurposed tables made from upturned doors. These breezy environs reinforce the studio’s mission to serve as a welcoming hub for creative expression. The casual vibe extends to the classes, many of which are BYOB and encourage students to mingle and munch appetizers or still-life subjects between brushstrokes. The instructors tout diverse backgrounds that reflect the studio’s inclusive approach to art: some are self-taught and some are formally trained, while others approach classes through the lens of art therapy. To encourage artistic expression in kids aged 5 and older, they also assemble birthday packages that include materials and instruction by a local artist.