Things to Do in Randallstown

With no studio fee and an open-door policy, the Studio at Fulton is always ready for customers to stop in to create whenever the creative juices flood. Select from hundreds of pieces to personalize, including mugs, plates, and a variety of seasonal pottery. Items range from $5 up to $60 for the largest vessels. The Studio at Fulton's selections are all non-toxic and food safe. Deck out your design with more hues than a neon-splattered Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper dipped in a rainbow, or make a statement with a mod motif. Aspiring artists can also try their hands at fusing glass pieces, with no experience required.

Inside the new digs of Glazed to Perfection, visitors get to indulge in a variety of artistic endeavors, no matter their experience level. The paint-your-own-pottery area beckons participants to select from 200 bisque pieces such as vases, platters, and teapots that they can decorate with pictures and texts of their choosing. Students can even make their own pieces using a pottery wheel in a variety of classes. Glass fusing allows artists to meld disparate pieces of glass together to form inimitable designs or crystal balls that don’t work, and Tiny Hands crafts invites youngsters aged 2–6 to delve into creative projects they can share with their families.

Director Ann Wiker leads a creative crew of teachers who curate exhibits, lead accessible art classes, and help local artists to market their work. In the Creative Messes classes, 2- to 4-year-olds, accompanied by parents, dabble in drawing stick figures, painting stick fruit bowls, and forming pottery, as teachers emphasize key shapes and colors. In beginning oil-painting courses ($95), mature beginners prep canvases, mix paints to create unearthly colors, and learn rules of composition as they experiment with brush techniques. Intermediate painters can continue to develop color mixology skills and use of light and shadow in intermediate oil courses or paint without an explicit subject in abstracting courses, using acrylics and oils to create stark images that represent either waves crashing on a beach or the inside of a baboon's heart. Consult the schedule to find other courses, including advanced-level painting ($95), introduction to digital photography ($90), and watercolor painting ($90).

Since 1947, Baltimore Ski Club has loaded up its bus with ski poles, parkas, and club members, setting off for trips to some of the world's oldest mountain ranges. A nonprofit group, the ski club functions thanks to the annual contributions of its members, who in turn get access to ski trips and monthly get-togethers. From December through April, the club sponsors trips across the East Coast, the Western states, and European mountain ranges. Trips include the price of transportation, lodging, and lift tickets, allowing skiers to ride local slopes or legendary Alps without having to stuff their boots with dollar bills.

When the holiday season rolls around each year, the natural beauty of Symphony Woods shines a little brighter with the electric festivities of Symphony of Lights and the donations it provides to Howard County General Hospital. More than 70 animated and stationary light displays set the scene ablaze with images of candy canes, snowflakes, and toys, and twinkling string lights dress the trees in a blaze of white. Visitors can enjoy the scenery in numerous ways throughout the season, as family and pet walks, drive-through routes, and the 1.4-mile walk/run of Dazzle Dash keep eyes engaged and bodies exercising during the holidays. The lights stay twinkling seven days a week, only closing for New Year’s Eve or when the moon comes looking for who’s stealing her audience.

Dance King Studios owner Adam King leads his instructors in tutoring feet to move to the rhythms of salsa, bachata, tango, and swing. But his rug-cutting team doesn’t simply teach students how to dance—the studio also hosts parties that encourage dancers to socialize as they show off their skills in a low-stress setting free of hecklers or trapdoors. The team also helps wedding-bound couples find their footing for first dances. Adam told Leesburg Today that he loves putting nervous pairs at ease. “Most people say they have two left feet, but I’m about overturning those ideas,” he said. “Anybody can learn to dance, it’s a matter of giving yourself a chance.”