Things to Do in Manchester

Third Coast Clay Ceramic Studio pairs aspiring aesthetes with an unfinished clay form, allowing them to add pigment and pizzazz. Once a piece-to-be-masterpieced has been selected—be it a plate, vase, coffee mug, or bust of Elvis—decorators can begin applying base coats to their evolving ceramic canvas. Those who suffer from painter's block can consult Third Coast's bountiful idea books, stencils, and stamps or resolve it the old-fashioned way by pacing the studio floor with a corncob pipe. All the finished pieces are then set aside to be glazed and fired later by the studio staff. Your objet d'art will be ready for pickup in a week. Each brushwielder will be assessed a $6 studio fee along with the price of whichever starting piece he or she selects ($6–$40 depending on size).

While bringing your own paint to one of Art by the Glass's classes is as pointless and unnecessary as male nipples, bringing your own wine or beer to an Art by the Glass class is as liberating as it is legal. Pair your storebought chardonnay with an evening of brush-stroking contemporary paisley trees on Friday, May 14, or get painted away again in margaritaville during the beach-inspired class on Thursday, June 10.

Night has chased the light out of the sky, forcing the lone figure weaving in and out of the towering corn stalks to slice through the darkness with a flashlight. The evening’s silence is broken by an eerie noise that causes the figure to break into a frantic run, but his escape is thwarted as his friends leap out of the corn into his path, giggling and hooting, “You weren’t scared, were you?!” This is not a scene from a horror movie, but instead from Shuckle's Corn Maze’s Maze by Flashlight event, which dares visitors to navigate the almost 7-acre maze with only a flashlight to illuminate their path. Dedicated to delighting visitors with family-friendly activities, Shuckle’s staff welcomes guests of all ages to spend the day celebrating autumn’s arrival.

On any given fall day, the staffers usher intrepid explorers into the maze to maneuver the numerous twists, turns, and vengeful mutant corncobs therein. The Kiddie Safari mini maze grants youngsters a chance to tackle an age-appropriate labyrinth, and events such as hayrides, face painting, and bouncy pony-hop races unleash the inner children of all those who participate. The pumpkin patch's rotund inhabitants eagerly await the moment they’ll be scooped up and taken home to a new family, while audiences nestled in the Ho-Hum theater shimmy along with an ever-changing roster of musicians belting out bluegrass, country, and gospel tunes.

When Nashville Demo Studio speaks of its team of hit songwriters and industry professionals, it is no idle boast. Company president and showbiz veteran Jimi Whitelaw oversees a staff that includes Will Rambeaux—who has worked for Faith Hill, Trick Pony, and American Idol—and Billy Montana, whose recent collaborators include Lee Greenwood, Kenny Chesney, and Martina McBride. The studio also supplies instrumentation, vocals, and recording opportunities while leaving copyright ownership and distribution rights firmly in their clients’ hands. Though the stable of musicians skews to Southern-fried genres, they can also ably handle pop, R & B, and countrified interpretations of whale calls. All services are available both in person and online via Skype.

Jose Santisteban’s artistic path has been paved with glass. He began working with it as an artistic medium in 1999 and, after earning his master of fine arts in glass sculpture in New York, chased his passion to locales around the country and globe.

Today, Jose shares his love of this ancient art at Franklin Glassblowing Studio. During lessons that focus on the basic skills of glass blowing, he demonstrates how the material can be used for more than just windows and temporary houses. Students then put theory into practice, flexing their creative muscles to create personalized keepsakes from scratch. When not hosting classes, Jose and others at the studio design their own glassy pieces, including lighting and home decor.

Live goats scamper across a verdant vista dotted with farmhouses and open prairies at Lady-K Farm, a working dairy farm. Its owner, Karen, spends much of her days shepherding the farm's goats. She supplies bottles of their milk for local families and also uses it to create fresh-smelling bars of natural soap. In addition to wrapping bars in pristine packaging for wholesale, Karen has taught soap-making classes for 15 years to help others harness the milk's skin-softening benefits. Karen also sponsors an annual Goat Husbandry Conference to teach prospective goat owners how to care for the animals, especially when they dress in sheep’s fur in blundered searches for their own identities.