My higher grade is more for the art center itself rather than the performances. There's always a…read moresmall exhibition at the center of the building and it's nice to see artists can work on their projects late into the night. The facilities look clean and orderly, including the bathrooms and artist studios. I liked seeing all pottery made by the various artists. I also enjoyed the theater itself. While the seating itself isn't all that special, the acoustics are quality. If you expect something significantly higher than community theater here, you may be disappointed. While the performances were fine, they're not really all that polished and feel rather barebones (two actors playing one role in a production was rather strange). If you want a more grander theater experience but without going into Boston, consider Reagle in Waltham. (For all you Yelp police out there, yes, I paid $ here for tickets so I can review)

My first time back to The Umbrella Arts Center since the pandemic happened…read more I saw that they had a dinner and a show option on Thursday nights and the menu looked appealing, so I purchased the meal for $21. Dinner was available for pick up at the concession stand beginning at 6pm, while the show was scheduled for 7:30pm that evening. Traffic delayed me, so I arrived closer to 6:30pm. There was a game going on at the playground the next block over, so there were a lot of cars parked on the street, but parking was still not an issue. Dinner came in a brown paper tote and came nicely packaged and of a good portion size, so I even had some leftover. They had a vegetarian alternative (Nag's Head Roasted Yam, Grilled Zucchini and Squash, Caramelized Onions on Wild Rice (V)), but I opted for the meat - Starter: Hush Puppies with Maple Butter Entree: Pulled Pork Platter with Coleslaw and Collard Greens Dessert: Chocolate Flourless Brownie (GF) Catered by Nosh restaurant and the Concord Market. I was pleased with my meal. Sure the collared greens were a bit plain, but I was just glad to get a decent portion of vegetables with my meat and they were not overcooked. The brownie was individually sealed, and a little messy to eat, but quite good. And I had no trouble finding a seat at a table. In fact I had options. I could have grabbed a small high top for myself, but I decided to sit at an empty spot at the end of one of the 3 long tablecloth covered tables just beyond the concessions and ended up chatting with the pair beside me. I had a great experience at the Umbrella Arts Center! Quotes from the website regarding the show being performed that evening: A heartwarming musical that lifts up the beauty in second chances and the transformative nature of friendship. Percy Talbott is a spirited young woman seeking redemption. But in the small town of Gilead, she finds so much more. Based on the beloved film that took home the Audience Award at The Sundance Film Festival, the musical's rich score is marked by Americana folk rhythms, soaring melodies, and irresistible charm. It reminds us all about the resilience of the human spirit, the magic of new beginnings, and the power of community.

My daughter has been attending Acton Art classes for years and it has been an amazing experience!…read more She's been able to try different mediums and the instructors are top notch. I'm so thankful that she had Acton Art because of a lack of focus on art in the school system. She'll be attending college with a focus on art and the instruction at ActonArt is a huge reason for her skill!

Great drawing school! My daughter has taken several classes there and really enjoys it. This isn't…read morea simplistic "keep them busy with art" type of place. My daughter has been learning quite in-depth techniques that result in great pieces of art (yes, I'm biased, but its not just my daughter's art that is impressive). Instructors clearly know their stuff, and are great with the kids, too. Highly recommend if you child (or you) truly want to learn about art.

The Center seems more like a community art cultural center than a small display of art. We…read moreexpected walls adorned with expressive paintings and found classes, a whole floor of high school artwork, and a display of two notable artists at the entrance: Susan Ahearn + Leslie Lyman. Their work was worth the visit and more would have been appreciated. Much of the student work was dark making me wonder the direction our schools are leading our next generation. Last visit we viewed a gallery of birds, again expecting a member or permanent display of local or collected paintings. When asked about any larger collection, we were told they may have some more art stored elsewhere. The community center probably serves its intended purpose, but it does not display the volume of art that it could. Despite its shortcomings, I appreciate it being open to the public.

Great place for small events, interesting exhibits. But…read morethink twice before paying for a series of classes. It is not inexpensive, and the instructors have NO reviews (puzzling) so you are flying blind. I got a real dud. (understatement) Caveat emptor.

As a Trustee member, I am so happy that this park is included on my membership. I enjoy walking…read morearound and exploring the sculptures and going for a walk. You might want to make sure that they are open for regular hours before heading out there. There was one time we drove there and were informed that they were closing early because of a wedding was taking place. We weren't even allowed to do a quick drive around although they were closing in an hour and there were many visitors around. Lesson learned and I planned ahead by checking their website for future visits.

Im bummed that it too this long for us to visit, but Im so glad we did! A very easy drive from…read moreBoston, we got there early on a fall Saturday morning. You pay your entrance fee, park your car, get your map from the giftshop and your off to explore the grounds and the art it contains. We spent about 2 hours wandering and it was such a fantastic experience. Im glad the items were tagged so we could learn more about each piece and the artist. The pictures just dont do justice to the beauty, serenity and scope of the grounds. The staff was very friendly. There is a small gift shop and café on the grounds. It never felt crowded. Will definitely be back!

Loved Valerie! She came to the child care center where my younger siblings go to and did a very…read moreengaging and fun activity with the children. I could see that they were all having so much fun and I would highly recommend Jumpstart Art Club to anyone looking for a great teacher. Valerie is the best!

My lucky little toddlers have the pleasure of visiting Ms. Valerie in our Child Care Center's Art…read moreStudio twice a week and boy oh boy do they love her! Valerie always has unique, creative, developmentally appropriate activities planned for children of all ages at many day care locations in the Boston area. She definitely has a creative, fun way of teaching all types of art and the children clearly love her as they ask each day if it is an "art studio" day.

Scott is a great teacher, and he creates a wonderful atmosphere for learning at any skill level! My…read morepartner and I had no prior experience with sculpture, and we both had a blast despite being complete newbies. Regardless of whether I continue with stone carving, I left the class with fun memories and a new appreciation for the art form.

I took a weekend workshop with Scott and had a wonderful time. His studio is light and airy and…read moreonce we got into the groove of carving, he put on some classic rock music which was a great touch. Scott let us choose our own stones from his supply and encouraged us to visualize our sculpture and mark the stone with charcoal so we knew where to chisel. He was very attentive and helped us individually with our pieces, giving helpful suggestions along the way. Will definitely be coming back!

My 17 yr old daughter had an exceptional experience with…read moreCreate! Sewing Studio. During the pandemic, they were able to quickly step up to offering remote lessons. They took my daughter every step of the way to guide her with making a wedding dress. She had weekly remote classes with Rebecca and Christina for several months. I cannot say enough about their professionalism, knowledge, reliability, and flexibility. They even jumped on a zoom call at 8:30pm to help my daughter with a step that she had questions about. Towards the end, they prepared a weekly outline to be sure the dress was completed in time. I highly recommend this business and will surely use them again if my daughter needs more lessons!

I am one class from finishing the winter session at Create! Sewing Studio.AND.I.LOVE.IT!…read more Rebecca (the owner and instructor) is so super nice and knowledgeable. Her intern Darlene is a gem. I feel like I am learning in a warm and supportive environment, all fairly close to Marlborough. I would recommend Create! to anyone who wants to learn or brush up on their sewing skills!

This is my favorite store! All the merchandise is beautifully made, colorful and useful. It is…read moremostly contemporary, which is my style. I can't get out of here without buying something! I have purchased jewelry, ceramics, glass, candles and more.

They seem to have forgotten it is the holiday season. They wrapped a Christmas gift in orange…read moretissue paper (what happened to seasonal colors like red, green, white or blue?) and used yellow and orange ribbon on the unwrapped box and declared it is wrapped for Christmas. It looked like it should be presented at Thanksgiving. Defintely out of touch with the season. Also less holiday options. Had been a loyasl customer for years, will not return because of the attitude I received when asked for a Christmas theme wrapping.

This was so much more fun than I anticipated!…read more Sabrina (hostess/art teacher/lovely woman) led us through a fun filled 2 hours of my first ever nude sketching session! She was upbeat, informative, respectful to both the sketchers (us) and the models. Made sure there were no photography during class unless it's through them to make the models comfortable. (takes guts to be nude in front of a bunch of people drinking and looking at you!) She brought out the artistic sides of everyone in the room, guided us through different sketching exercises (1-3-5 minute sketch sessions) so we're busy drawing instead of JUDGING what we were drawing. such helpful tips! I think we were all VERY impressed with our own artworks! I really thought I'd be drawing a little more than stick figures before coming here. I had a blast and this would make any gathering unique, fun and explorative! I had an amazing time!

I would recommend The Artful Bachelorette to anyone looking for a fun activity to do (whether…read morecelebrating or not!). Like our host said, they do it all from engagement celebrations to happy divorce parties! All skill levels are welcome, and your host will walk you through a variety of different exercises at different speeds. Our model was graceful, poised, and cool as a cucumber. I would love to do this again someday with a group of friends for a girls night! (P.S. I would love to see photos from the Boston event if the host has them!)

Saltbox catered our wedding in rural Vermont a few weeks ago, and my husband and I (as well as our…read moreguests) couldn't be happier! My husband and I are both vegetarian and good food obsessed, so when we first started planning our wedding, we knew good food was a top priority. It was important to us to have a vegetarian wedding that was delicious and vegetable-focused (and not just boring pastas or tofu steaks). We also knew that lots of our guests were meat-eaters and we wanted to make sure everyone walked away excited about the food. Well, Saltbox completely pulled it off. They worked patiently with us at every step. We gave them the adjective "Ottolenghi-esque" at the beginning and a few other notes about our taste, and they ran with it from there, delivering a draft menu that was amazing and then revising it according to our feedback. Throughout, they were easy to work with and extremely professional, and they pulled off of the details on the day beautifully, with everyone leaving happily stuffed and thrilled. (They even accommodated our gluten-free and dairy-free guests with delicious alternatives.) The waitstaff was also fantastic and helped ensure that my husband and I got enough to eat amidst all the busy-ness and dancing. Now, just a few weeks later, we are constantly hearing from friends and family about how great the food was (the best they've ever had by some accounts), asking for Saltbox's name, and remarking about how they completely forgot that they were eating vegetarian for the night because every dish was so delicious. I have been to lots of weddings and frankly, most of the food is not memorable. Saltbox's food absolutely was.

My wife and I attended a class last night and it was so much fun! And very impressive how they can…read moremake so many courses with a group of 8 people. It was really well organized and they explained everything to a very basic level. Plus, the food was awesome!