Things to Do in Roseville

Epic voyaging need not be reserved for classical heroes who speak in dactylic hexameter. Just as Odysseus slayed the hurricane from aboard his inflatable raft, you too can conquer vengeful waters with today's Groupon to Gold Rush Whitewater Rafting. For just $50, you'll go on a heart-pumping, rapid-raging tour of the South Fork of the American River (44% off a $90 value).

Upon arrival at Alpha Fired Arts, commence the creative process by selecting a ceramic bisque piece from the studio's extensive collection of ready-to-paint artifacts, including plates, platters, cookie jars, and flower pots perfect for storing secret cookies. Next, dig into the depths of your thinker to come up with a design, sketch it out with pencil, and select your glaze colors. If your creativity gets hit with a ceramic block, draw on Alpha's collection of stamps and stencils for inspiration as you craft your masterpiece. When you've finished applying pigment, leave your work behind for a final firing in the kiln. After applying the first part of this Groupon to Alpha Fired Arts' studio fee ($9/adults, $7/kids), which includes the use of brushes, underglaze colors, stamps, and stencils, you can use the remaining value toward up to two ready-to-paint bisque pieces (many cost $5–$20).

ReCREATE's approach to conservation unleashes the inner outsider artist in all who enter the center's cheery, well-organized studio. The guerrilla-crafting cooperative rescues unwanted office supplies, retail detritus, and industrial byproducts from a destiny of landfill lining, in the process building a vast repository of reusable craft materials. Drop-in sessions ($5 each) allow developing da Vincis to create milk-jug masks and packing-foam puppets to their hearts' content. Conservational crafters purchase bulk supplies from the studio's bins of cast-off designer-fabric samples, cigar boxes, paper, tile chips, cardboard, and more, while reCREATE supplies scissors, glue, and any other necessary equipment. Amateur artists of all ages can spontaneously generate boats, figurines, and dioramas in-studio, or shop for materials to build a man-sized version of Mouse Trap at home.

Art teacher Kimberly Godinho sees her studio as a haven for students who might be otherwise afraid of exploring their artistic sides. Her background includes earning her bachelor degree in fine arts, and her current work as a professional artist underscores her expertise. Heartened by friends and wine, visitors of all experience levels follow Kimberly’s instructions to brush up the chosen project, which may include wine glass tableaus, pastoral landscapes, and the inky insides of a camera’s lens cap. All materials are included with each class, including canvas, paints, and smocks.

After witnessing 3-year-old Kathy Pead’s connection to the ponies at a roadside amusement park, the park's owner recommended that Kathy's father enroll her in riding lessons even before the minimum age of 7. Since owning her first horse at the age of 15, Kathy has worked tirelessly to share her enthusiasm for the animals, teaching hands-on lessons and slowly building up her business. After stints in England and Australia, she's settled in the Sacramento area, where her stables sprawl across 2.5 acres that include two well-maintained arenas. She and her staff—which includes her daughter, Jenny—prioritize safety and fun as they teach students how to read a horse's body language and hear the sentences it mumbles in German between whinnies.

Potter’s wheels whirr inside Lost Arts Ceramics' studio, where artists sit hunched over mounds of damp clay and mold the sticky earth into urns or bowls. The studio, gallery, and school is dedicated to the proliferation of the tactile art—during hands-on pottery classes, couples can create a permanent representation of their all-too-fleeting love, and groups can stop in and craft sculptures or functional art pieces. In the future, Lost Arts plans to expand into a nonprofit art organization, working with children and adults with special needs.