Things to Do in West Springfield

Rivers are difficult to navigate without a watercraft or a fish tail, which is why the owners of Rivershore Charters launched their 50-foot pontoon boat, the Miss Rivershore, to provide customers an enjoyable way of experiencing the scenic Occoquan River. Accommodating up to 46 passengers, the Miss Rivershore floats down the Occoquan, a river banked by lush, flourishing greenery and stately homes, for private charters, fishing excursions, and bird-watching tours.

During relaxed jaunts downriver, as eagles, ospreys, and herons patrol the skies or trick raccoons into selling their valuables for a song, the ship's captain relates historical anecdotes and intriguing tidbits about landmarks. As fans of the local food scene, crew members also happily ferry passengers to and from riverside eateries and can serve beer and wine onboard.

The teachers of UnWined Art ply creative works from their students with step-by-step instruction, tasty desserts, and complimentary glasses of juice or wine. Welcoming any student 18 or older, teachers select a new painting for each class they hold and carefully guide attendees through the re-creation of the images, from simple still lifes to masterpieces such as The Scream and Starry Night. In addition to snacks and drinks, instructors provide all necessary supplies because they believe the creation of a painting is more valuable than the cost of paint and canvas that go into it, despite protests from roving economists.

The Metropolitan Fine Arts Center, a multidisciplinary performing-arts organization for children and adults, fosters choreographed skills and creates performance opportunities in dance, music, and theater. Its students have gone to perform on Broadway, at The Juilliard School, and in highly esteemed companies, such as the Mark Morris Dance Company, The Washington Ballet, and Microsoft. Youth programs include musical-theater and fine-arts workshops, as well as ballet and other half-day dance camps for children as young as 3. Adult classes range from basic to advanced, including ballet, jazz, and tap lessons, plus yoga and ballet-barre fitness workouts.

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.

Forty varieties of bourbon and 60 beer draughts flow freely from taps into souvenir glasses, slaking thirsty throats with unlimited sips as guests tear through smoky meat concoctions at the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival's tasting stations. Once stuffed with ribs, brisket, and sausage, attendees can retire to the tasting theater to take in a seminar from pit masters and gourmet chefs on preparing fine barbecue or brewing stellar bourbon. Live rock, blues, and bluegrass bands set the airwaves quivering from the main stage with wailing tunes or announcements drawn in barbecue sauce. A cigar tent provides a smoky haven for puffing on fine tobacco products, and big-screen TVs beam the latest sports action directly into eyeballs.

The instructors at Guns-n-Gear LLC dedicate their classes to developing handgun knowledge, range-shooting skills, and firearm safety in pupils pursuing proficiency in handgun sports and self-protection. The three- to four-hour NRA FIRST Steps Pistol Course, led by NRA-certified instructors, commences with classroom slideshows, discussions, and shooting exercises with dummy ammunition before students apply their newfound abilities to an NRA range session. The Learn to Shoot Pistol Class, meanwhile, condenses similar lessons and hands-on instruction into a 75-minute course, including a 15-minute open-book range-safety quiz that requires trainees to fire their answers into a scantron sheet with a no. 2 handgun.