5 stars because it's free and I enjoyed my time…read more Pretty chill art museum I liked all the variations of soccer balls and one painting really caught my attention. I appreciate that it is free. They close early so go before 5pm. I was late and only had 30 minutes to end it that was enough time. I ended up sitting outside and just journaled about my day. Such a relaxing evening.

This was actually my second time ever at this museum, I came a couple years back when they had a…read morechalk festival. If you ever get the chance to come show up both days so you can see the artist outlines, and when they start everything, and then day two to see the finished product!! This particular day I went with my dad and Brother to check out what new art pieces they had. We spent about an hour walking through and looking at everything. My brother, major in art and could tell us about different types of oil/paint that was used and how it would last over certain decades or fall off and crack ! Lol so I found the history of how well each artist project with withstand the time of life very interesting as well. I will definitely come back when this gallery changes to another theme! It also has a very nice park. I just wish there was a coffee shop or Matcha shop nearby! Hee

10/10 experience at Ashy Aromas. I booked a team event via their website & the process was…read moreseamless. No down payment required and no holding fee. When we arrived the aura of the place was insane! So cozy and calming. Bryan or Brian (didn't ask the correct spelling) was our facilitator for our event. When I saw he was spectacular, that's an understatement. He was patient, knowledgeable, charismatic and overall the proctor of a memorable experience. We had so much fun blending and creating our candles. Initially I thought this would be a fun one time only experience, but I cannot wait to come back to make something else!

We created our own fragrance sprays in a "love potion" lab during The Tech Interactive's…read more21-and-over Valentine's event this past Thursday. Various scents prepared to be mixed in a small vial, tables set up beautifully with love-themed decor, and simple instructions written out along with friendly staff ready to assist if needed. It was a fun little activity to do together while trying out a variety of scented liquids (i.e. citrus sands, jasmine, amber & plum) using tiny labeled bottles and pipettes. I loved having the freedom to be creative, though mine ended up being kinda simple and was definitely fruity, heavy on the smells of cranberry, apple, and orange. Apparently Ashy Aromas also makes customized scented candles through a similar process, a unique experience that can be booked at their actual place of business in SJ.

I first came to Higher Fire to take a class because I thought it would be fun make something with…read moreclay. It was so much fun, that I took another class. Then I realized I really enjoyed being with the people and the community, so I became a member. Classes are taught by excellent instructors and the studio members and staff are a friendly, super helpful group. If you've ever wanted to play with clay, come check out Higher Fire -- you'll learn a lot, meet some great people, and have a great time!

Sign up for a class today and begin your love affair with clay. My wife and I took a two hour…read moreintroduction class. We learned basic wheel use, shaping, compressing and decorating techniques. After finishing one bowl and one cup, the class ended but not before we picked a glazing color for each piece. The surprise comes when we pick up the final kiln fired and glazed bowl and cup. Our instructor was a gem. She was patient and gave clear instructions. She invited us up to her wheel to watch her complete each step. Well done Isis (our instructor) and Higher Fire! We will be back.

My 4-year-old son has always loved drawing.Back when we lived in San Francisco,he tried a few…read moredifferent art classes, but we recently moved to San Jose and wanted to find something new here. A friend in our community recommended XART,and we thought the free trial class was a great way to test it out. Since my son is still adjusting to a new environment,we tried a few different schools. What really stood out about XART is the teaching style.Unlike other places where the teacher draws a line and the kids just copy it,here the teacher explains first and then lets the children create on their own. This gives them so much more room to be creative. After just one trial class, we decided to enroll. The teacher was wonderful,and my son came out smiling and proud of his work.We're so happy to see him enjoying art again. Honestly,this feels like the best kids art class in San Jose!

My 6-year-old has a hard time sitting still and focusing, so I wasn't sure how he would do in an…read moreart class. But at XART, the projects were broken down step by step, and the teacher knew exactly how to keep the kids engaged. He ended up finishing his lantern project with so much focus! It gave me hope that art might be the key to helping him develop patience.

Feel the Yay! But Joe was the ultimate Yaymaker! He hosted a great painting session for me and my…read morebff to enjoy. So, I've never painted before and felt intimidated by the Elephant we had to paint. I felt intimidated by all the other students that came to paint. I also felt intimidated by my BFF who paints all the time! But Joe showed us how to dab dab dab and brush brush brush and VIOLA', a masterpiece is created! I didn't think I would be able to make such a lovely painting by the end of our session. I survived! My painting was fun to create. I even enjoyed looking at all the other students masterpieces. We were all painting the same thing but there was not one that was alike. I thought everyone did a great job painting too. The event was held at an Italian restaurant that serves drinks and food. My only bit of advise is, I wish Yaymaker sold drink coupons on their site or as addedium fee on Groupon. I would had loved to save some money on wine too. Overall, very fun. I look forward to my next Yaymaker event with my BFF.

I had been wanting to go to a paint-and-sip event for a long time; it was one of the activities I…read morepictured adults frequently doing when I was a teenager. I finally got to try this out last summer, and first I'll just say, it was a little pricier than I expected it to be. There's usually a Groupon for this event, and even with that you're paying around $30/person, so I suggest checking that out before buying your ticket. It doesn't come with any drinks, so you'll have to pay additional prices for those. Paint Nite works by you selecting the night you want to attend the event on their website. They have multiple Bay Area cities, with an almost endless list of locations in each where the events will take place. They have multiple events per week, and each night is a different location and example painting. If you bought a Groupon, you'll enter it during the payment stage. All pretty self-explanatory. Along with being more expensive than I imagined, it's also much less glamorous. When I was younger, I thought these nights would be held at a studio or someone's home, with the wine being supplied (and not being super cheap). I really wasn't a fan of the Grill 'Em Restaurant we went to, because it's the quality of Chili's or Applebee's. I knew there wouldn't be decent wine at a decent price, so I ordered two cocktails instead. Unfortunately those were so sweet, they made me feel ill afterward. The food wasn't too good either...but that's a review for their business, not this one. I brought an old friend with me when I went, and he decided to do his own thing and painted something from Twin Peaks. The instructor was funny and knew how to explain painting to first-time painters who were pretty tipsy. Our class was mostly a large group of women who were celebrating one of their birthdays, and they were mostly all drunk and very loud. I probably wouldn't pay this much to paint again, but I certainly wouldn't choose the location we had again. It's fun to do once, though.

I had a rare weekday off with one of my daughters. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said…read morethat she wanted to go somewhere with me and make art together. I was stumped. Aside from Petroglyph and Tutugether--neither of which was the least bit appealing--I couldn't come up with anything. I looked online for a while, and then suggested that we just go and wander around Valley Fair for a while before picking her sister up. I happened to park at Monroe St, and we took the elevator up, the escalator down, and TADA! We were magically standing right in front of this place! We had the most delightfully incredible time making little lands together. She's sweetly said that she wanted to make Mal from The Descendants, and the staff helped her with this. See the final products! We did this in about 1.5 hours.

Had so much fun at TuTu Together! I made my own custom bear and loved every minute of it. Super…read morecreative, relaxing, and perfect for a fun day out. Highly recommend!

We brought our nonprofit team of 7 to enjoy candle-making at MiGi Cera - accidentally on a World…read moreCup night when Mexico was playing. :) Despite the fun chaos of the evening in San Pedro Square, all of our team enjoyed Marcelina, her cute shop, the wonderful supplies, the process, and the finished product. We would recommend MiGi Cera to anyone or any group looking for a fun experience in downtown San Jose. - Julie and Recovery Cafe San Jose

My wife bought me a coconut wax candle as a gift, and I was excited to try it. Shortly after…read morelighting it, the candle started emitting thick black smoke -- enough to set off my smoke detector. I immediately blew it out. Black smoke is a sign of poor combustion and soot production, which isn't healthy to breathe indoors. Regardless of the wax type, this candle clearly burned unsafely. I personally wouldn't recommend it based on this experience.

I took the intro to stained glass here. I've been burned by other maker classes where you kind of…read morewatch the instructor do everything, but we got to be very hands on. The only shared equipment was the grinders, and there were 6 for our class of 10. There are competitor classes in the area that are cheaper, but I was very happy with my experience here. Parking is easy because there's a dedicated lot. It's a huge makerspace, so there was an open mic night, a photography session, and welding all happening in other places around the warehouse. What a cool environment! Khaled was a very energetic, kind, and supportive instructor. I'm honestly not that pleased with the quality of my work and would love to try again now that I have more experience. I'd come back for an intermediate class, but their website doesn't show any.

I took a blacksmithing class on a Saturday morning. The location for the class is in their hot shop…read morein the back. Entrance is off of Julian vs the Alameda for the rest of the studios. Area was clean and spacious and we had 4-5 hrs of safety talk, demos, and making our own knife from a piece of steel. The instructor was great and if we needed help he'll provide it and overall had a good time. They did provide water but if you want to you can bring your own beverages and a snack since it's from 10am to 2pm. Had a great time and hope to come back for more classes!