Love Cirque du Soleil? Head to a serene 200-acre farm in Brattleboro, VT, to try your hand at aerial acrobatics and the flying trapeze. Elsie and Serenity Smith are identical twins who appeared as the acclaimed duo trapeze act on Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco. They offer a five-day workshop where you can learn how to create your own program, learn new skills, work out new choreography, or create an entire act. You will work in groups, but also get two hours of private or semi-private classes each day. Choose solo and duo trapeze, swinging trapeze, fabric, rope, web, lyra, and flying trapeze. You can also learn acrobatics, hand balancing, partner acrobatics, injury prevention, and stretch and strengthen. Cost for the five-day workshop is $495. www.trapezetwins.com How about dabbling in the fine arts? There are dozens of companies that offer tours where you learn and perfect your artistic abilities amid lush surroundings. Artists Workshop Tours go around the globe but also offer locations closer to home. You can take a 10-day painting cruise in the Eastern Caribbean, embarking in Fort Lauderdale and traveling to six islands. The cruise is for beginners to the experienced and costs from $1,900 up to $2,620, depending on accommodations. www.artistsworkshoptours.com For a shorter course, check out Woody Hansen Watercolor Workshops in numerous locations in California. His workshops run two to four days and offer you a chance for on-location, outdoor watercolor demonstrations, discussion, and practical guidance in some of the state's most beautiful locations. Workshops run $150 for two days. If you love landscapes but would rather catch them on film instead of canvas, try one of these two photography workshops. Great American Photography Workshops combines classroom lectures with hands-on experience in four-day workshops held across the U.S. For example, you can grab your camera and head to Mount Rainier, WA, to photograph its majestic peaks and glaciers. You also learn the fundamentals of technique and composition while receiving important critiques for developing your skills. Workshops run $695 per person. www.gapweb.com Englander Photography Workshops and Tours takes you across the globe to scenic locations in Myanmar, Norway, Japan, or Ludakh (Little Tibet). Whether you are a beginner or an experienced photographer, you can hone your skills in the world's most picturesque settings. Prices depend on location and dates. www.englander-workshops.com Here are a few more ideas that may interest you: Bertil Roos Racing School in Pennsylvania offers courses for Grand Prix Road Racing and IndyStyle Oval racing for all-level drivers. The courses are offered at different raceways in the area. Half-day, full-day, and three-day workshops ($495, $1095, and $2,995, respectively) are available for beginners and a two-day class is offered for advanced drivers ($2,095). www.racenow.com Want to learn how to dance? Augusta Heritage Workshops offers classes in Elkins, WV, in Cajun, Zydeco, wing, blues, square, contra and Irish dance. They hold week-long classes and also sponsor special Wild & Wonderful Weekends where you can dance, play music, and just have fun. Tuition for the weekend is just $60 per person, and week-long workshops run approximately $400. www.augustaheritage.com Learn to build the finest sandcastles on your beach. Can You Dig It Sand Sculpting Workshops are available for free if you can make it to Staten Island, NY. Sand sculptor Matt Long offers one-day free workshops for anyone who is interested. And his creations are real masterpieces. Check out his website for pictures of his sculptures and useful sand-sculpting tips. www.sandtools.com Traditional arts and crafts lessons are available at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Classes include woodcarving, soapmaking, weaving, papermaking, gardening, cooking, and even kaleidoscopes. And these workshops are only the beginning. You can learn how to make candles or build your own rowing skiff. Tuition runs $388 for week-long classes, $354 for Sunday-through-Friday sessions, and $220 for weekends. www.folkschool.org These ideas are just the beginning. There are hundreds of learning activities you can incorporate into your vacation. Maybe you would like to learn a new language or try your hand at a surfing clinic. You could even learn how to write that great American novel you have been dreaming about for so long. The world is yours to explore.

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