Things to Do in Vienna

The Writer's Center offers up to 300 workshops in a variety of genres each year, including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, songwriting (or "rap-smithing"), and literary translation. Workshop topics run the gamut from structuring your sci-fi/fantasy world to setting up your blog. Take a two-session class to master on-the-job report writing ($80 for center members, $125 for non-members) or learn techniques and strategies for crafting short stories in an eight-session exploration of the genre ($315 member, $360 non-member). Get started on your poetry portfolio before you apply for a MFA with an eight-session class on writing free-verse poetry ($315 member, $360 non-member) or take a one-day intensive workshop on the screenwriting process ($85 member, $125 non-member).

Learn the fundamentals of fine art while quickly becoming the sharpest, most dangerous crayon in the box. A skilled and accomplished artist leads each class, introducing prospective Leonardos to new and exciting techniques that will inspire first-timers and advanced colorfully decorated veterans. The classes focus on painting and drawing in a cozy, laid-back environment. The student-to-teacher ratio is about 7:1, ensuring personal attention and strict adherence to the golden ratio. All the necessary materials are provided, including canvases, brushes, paints, and berets. Currently, two morning and two night classes are offered, but more will be added to accommodate additional students. Check out the schedule for adult workshop dates and times.

Cardio Tennis fulfills the shameless dream inside all tennis pros and amateurs: furiously smashing hundreds of balls in a row while cranking powerful, grunt-inspiring music. Over the course of an hour, you and your cardio-mates will undergo the rigors of various fast-paced drills. While some technical tennis instruction may occur, the primary focus is placed on the aerobic movement and discovering the uninhibited side of tennis. The friendly instructors at Georgetown Prep will keep class-goers motivated throughout the hour, helping to burn calories, increase endurance, and improve ability to smash things.

Washington Walks offers a diverse list of walking tours, each lasting approximately two to three hours and led by passionate, knowledgeable guides. The Embassy Row tour, offered on Saturdays at 10 a.m., explores the highfalutin housing of the city's once-upper crust, and the nightly The Most Haunted Houses tour takes off Lafayette Park's shirt to expose its violent underbelly and stops at the highly haunted Octagon. Scholarly Sundays can be devoted to the Georgetown tour, which elegantly strolls through the Georgetown neighborhood to examine 200-year-old mansions and talks about the olden days when horse-drawn carriages were pulled by eagles. There's also a series of Saturday and Sunday tours dedicated to individual neighborhoods, providing locals with the opportunity to master their living zone.

Capital Yacht Charters' fleet of luxury yachts crisscrosses DC's waterways for corporate parties, sightseeing tours, and special events. Tours such as Monuments by Moonlight leisurely motor along the Washington Channel, affording guests the chance to ogle the capital's most famous sights. Each of their luxury yachts also comes equipped with a full bar with snacks for munching or feeding to the landmarks.