Things to Do in Gloucester

David Calvo first picked up woodcarving as a college student at the University of Massachusetts more than 30 years ago. Since then, he’s consistently showcased his skills at international woodworking trade shows, on nationally televised PBS programs such as The Woodwright’s Shop and American Woodshop, and in woodworking-centric magazines, including Popular Woodworking and Woodshop News. David’s studio splits its time between contemporary and classical styles, and its work—ranging from ornaments and furniture to custom-carved doors—has inhabited an impressive lineup of venues, including the Boston Architectural Center and Harvard University’s renowned Sanders Theatre. Students hoping to learn the woodcarving craft can have David and his staff whittle skills and tips into their brains during a variety of classes, seminars, and multiday workshops offered at the studio.

A former art teach of 30 years, owner Patti Spinelli welcomes students of all ages into her studio to superimpose colorful imagery upon three-dimensional figurines and placards. More than 100 unique pieces beckon to painters, who are encouraged to don aprons, brushes, and paints to festoon pottery pieces with colors they draw from a vivid palette or channel through a past life as a kaleidoscope. The studio's lively instructors roam the workspace doling out encouraging words and helpful techniques. Patti also hosts intimate art classes, opens her studio to group parties, and stocks traditional canvases for those who prefer rendering still lifes or globes from a time when the Earth was flat.

Jody and Bjorn Turnquist opened 3 Bridges Yoga with the philosophy that yoga should warmly embrace practitioners of all skill levels. As a result, they offer Vinyasa-style classes for beginners and advanced yogis. The Turnquists and other certified instructors teach postures and breathing techniques in a room heated to 75-80 degrees with lessons that focus on basic postures and alignments in addition to more intensified bending. With sun streaming through expansive windows and spilling out onto cork floors, their studio lends itself to a practice more peaceful than swimming through a pool of warm chamomile tea.

The Motorsport Lab lets drivers tame and test a fleet of classic American muscle cars and exotic, foreign sportsters. Drivers receive instruction before sampling the speed and handling of vehicles such as the Shelby Cobra, Bentley GT, and Lotus Elise. Instructors can either compress racing experiences into 60-minute agility tests or prolong the rush by guiding drivers on three-day excursions to Vermont, the Berkshires, or the nearest no-contact demolition derby. The Motorsport Lab also offers a Phoenix thrill-ride experience that actualizes adrenaline junkies’ dreams as they pilot an Aston Martin or Ferrari along the 101.

Originally sculpted into the New Hampshire countryside in 1889, Exeter Country Club's nine-hole course stretches across 2,801 yards for a par 35 layout. Wreathed by waterways flowing south from the Great Bay, the course cools off clubbers and hot-tempered carts with seaside breezes that waft across the greens. Though consisting mostly of straight-ahead fairways, the course forces players to adjust at the fifth hole, a 365-yard par 4 where golfers must bend drives around a dramatic 90-degree dogleg left obscured by dense tree lines. Exeter Country Club's on-site restaurant, Grill on the Hill, awaits at the end of the ninth green, serving up a menu of American fare to quench appetites after a day of dedicated pin-hunting and scorecard falsification.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 35 course
• Length of 2,801 yards from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 114 from the farthest tees
• Link to scorecard

For the past several decades, Bowl-O-Rama has been carefully tended to by the Genimatas family. Over its history, the alley has retained much of its original 1950s charm but, as co-owner Dale Genimatas says, "We are always updating and doing new things." Dale operates the alley with her husband and sister-in-law, who she says have been involved with Bowl-O-Rama their entire lives. Dale began working at the facility in 1979 and has since seen it grow to include a total of 28 candlepin lanes, computerized scoring systems, and a food-and-beverage kitchen where chefs bake hand-tossed pizzas and appetizers that include chicken tenders and cheese sticks. Throughout the year, the family hosts open-bowling hours and special events, closing only on Christmas Day to let the pins celebrate with their families. With each weekend comes the return of cosmic glow bowling, and each year brings annual fundraisers such as the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl-A-Thon. "It's a very electric environment," says Dale, reflecting on the scores of players and benefactors that come together each year to support the organization.