Education & Classes in Coconut Creek

Some of Donn F. Flipse's earliest memories are of him wielding a broom, sweeping up the fallen petals and snipped-off stamen that have gathered around the feet of the floral designers at his family's flower shop. Eight-year-old Donn eventually moved up in rank, escorting arrangements to their destinations in the delivery truck as soon as he got his license. When he graduated college, he almost turned his back on the flower business his father and his grandfather built, but after mentoring under one of the shop's floral designers, he realized, “It was in [his] blood.” In 1990, he opened Field of Flowers in Davie.

The rose, he says, continues to be the most popular flower, although different breeds take the crown every so often—the current favorite is the garden rose, a throwback blossom like what might flourish in a well-tended backyard. Donn's favorites are the rose-like lisanthius and the Canterbury bells, which look delicate but are sturdy and long lasting, much like a quarterback who takes ballet classes.

Field of Flower's team of designers compose striking arrangements using popular flowers as well as rare blooms such as orchids or birds of paradise. The team also crafts design pieces for celebrations, with past creations including a french poodle sculpted from flowers and a Spongebob Squarepants–themed arrangements in which blue gel simulated the ocean, submerging plants in an under-the-sea wonderland.

Technicolor liqueurs stream from bottles and shakers as 786-Bartend infuses the brains of students with 80-proof knowledge. Workshops for intro and advanced mixology—developed by founder Isaac Ergas—begin with international history lessons on the origin and evolution of the modern cocktail. Then barkeeps expound on the spirited synergies of high-quality liquors and common drink ingredients and share veteran bar-backing tips, such as how to open drink umbrellas in a windstorm. Prospective bartenders can opt to complete the 40-hour bartending course, which provides in-depth instruction on drink preparation and presentation, job-interview etiquette, and resumé construction. Taught onsite in an actual nightclub, 786-Bartend’s courses let students serve drinks to real customers who, like regular bar patrons, ignore last call and try to open tabs with library cards.

ATA Flight School’s trusty fleet of Cessna aircrafts provides students with a way to get hands-on experience to earn their private-pilot certification or instrument ratings. Based out of North Perry General Aviation Airport, the FAA-approved professional flight school employs a staff of certified flight instructors who coach aspiring aviators along the way and give pep talks to airplanes prior to liftoff. ATA Flight School also operates Miami Flightseeing, which whisks passengers aloft for tours including The Grand Miami Tour, which flies high over 80 miles of beaches and Downtown Miami, and The Miami Sunset Tour, which reveals beautiful views of the sun as it sets over the Everglades.

In Great Balls of Yarn's four boutiques, knitters and crocheters of all experience levels browse more than 20,000 balls of yarn, including luxurious fibers from Trendsetter and Noro as well as hand-dyes from Prism and Malabrigo. Talented fiber artists guide knitters and crocheters as they transform vibrant fibers into wearable works of art during beginner through advanced classes. Project-specific sessions focus on creating table runners, borders for blankets, and baby booties to keep wee ones' feet warm and steps soundless during midnight refrigerator raids. Amid the shops' soft lighting, tapestries intermix with shelves of color-coded worsted and washable yarns alongside cashmeres and silks. Great Balls of Yarn also arms textile technicians with needles, notions, and books full of inspiration and yarn-charming incantations.

Talin Lyman's delicate brushstrokes cover the walls of a former U.S. vice president's winter home, frescoes within InterContinental hotels in Tuscany and Rome, and furniture that adorns Martha Stewart's own abode. From canvases to murals to throws of pillows designed for people and pets, the virtuosic painter daubs blank spaces with flora and fauna inspired by her childhood spent traveling to far-flung countries with her missionary father. Lyman also throws open the doors of her studio for an array of classes geared toward adults—such as Painting to the Oldies—and children, where she intersperses hands-on activities with lessons about great moments in art history, such as the day Georges Seurat invented the polka dot.

Under the leadership of Andy Raffa, the expert staff at Players Edge Academy teach the American pastime in a 20,000-square-foot indoor baseball mecca that shields players from heat, rain, and UFO abductions. Lessons and camps dispense expert advice from an all-star team of instructors, including former Yankees pitcher Jay Tessmer, who was with the team for the 1999 and 2000 World Series victories.

Taking to the indoor infield, students learn to hit, field, and pitch during lessons, clinics, and camps. Six batting cages sling fastballs, curveballs, and sliders to hitters, and in four of the cages, ProBatter PX2 pitching machines project a digital, life-size image of a pitcher onto a screen. The DVD-quality pitcher, synchronized with the incoming pitch, can be adjusted to the batter's height, skill level, and speed.