I really enjoyed the painting event at the Meridian yesterday with Nikki teaching. She was such a…read moregreat instructor and guided us gently through the steps to create a water / lilypad piece. Nikki was very kind and encouraging (and very helpful when I needed a little bit more support). I look forward to attending and even maybe hosting future events!

Paint the Town completely dropped the ball. I spent weeks confirming headcount, party details,…read morepayments, and logistics with them. Then, on the morning of my daughter's party (scheduled for 11:30 AM), the instructor sent a vague text at 6:45 AM saying they wouldn't be able to make it and then never responded to any of my follow-ups. To make matters worse, I couldn't reach anyone at the company. I called, texted, and emailed multiple times trying to see if they could send a backup instructor or at least switch to a virtual format. Nothing. No support, no communication...just silence. Finally, I heard back from someone on Monday, asking if I wanted to reschedule. Because apparently, that's how birthday parties work? This company clearly doesn't understand the basics of customer service or event planning. I regret ever trusting them with something so important. I would not recommend Paint the Town -- look for a more reliable company that actually puts their customers first.

My friend & I had a really good time. Workshop was well organized. I would go here again.read more

We had the best girls night here! This is the first time we've tried this type of crafting and it…read morewas a very fun and pleasant experience. As a person that is not gifted in the crafting area, the staff (Dante, Nick, Kendra and Miss Opal) did a fantastic job walking us through everything. They were patient, kind, fun and super friendly. They did NOT rush us and checked in with us every step of the way. They serve beer and/or wine and provide little snacks. Even though you will be busy with your board there is plenty of time in between steps to chat with your friends. Since we were beginners, our boards didn't turn out perfect. The staff spent an extra 20 minutes or so fixing all of our imperfections. They were literally sitting there fixing the smeared paint and bad lettering. Overall a really fun experience and we will definitely be back to make some other items.

I scheduled & took my kids ages: 10-19 to a paining class at Cloud 9 Studios (Paint & Float) we had…read morean amazing time!!! From the youngest to the oldest!! The atmosphere was perfect & the owner Amy was very kind & patient. Her instructions were perfect, never thought I'd be able to draw & paint anything, but with her assistant my painting was good enough to hang for the holidays!! We were also served food, which was an additional added PLUS! I will definitely be going back, next time for a ladies night event!! Thank you Cloud 9 for the amazing experience.

From the owner: “For the artist in you.”read more

I love Paint Nite. I have done several of these types of activities over the years and prefer Paint…read moreNite to their competition. Their instructors are usually awesome, have great senses of humor and really engage their classes. You repeat an oath at the beginning of each class and I feel like this really sets the tone of how the class is going to go. They show you what to do, all you have to do at that point is relax and have fun. My favorite instructors so far have been: Jason Good (seriously take a class with him-you will love it-and he will probably sing to you) and Cricket Manjarrez (our class had the giggles most of the night). Some venues they use are better than others; in my experience, I have found the service in bars to be far superior to that in restaurants, but that's kind of out of their control. They have paintings for all levels of detail desired and the schedule changes enough that you can attend a class every several months and not have to paint the same thing. They offer discounts via email for repeat customers and after each class the artist will give you a code to come back at a discounted rate. They are also often on Groupon- so you can watch for that too. I also have to applaud their customer service. A few months ago, I had an issue with my pre-purchased voucher and was able to submit a help ticket quickly and had an answer within 30 minutes. A+ all around.

I Purchased 2 Yaymaker Groupon tickets in May of this year. It has been a disaster since. Here's…read morethe list of no shows, cancellations and appointments kept thus far for me: 1. 5/22 at Paradiso. NO SHOW (never cancelled. Full class and instructor never showed. We had to reschedule on OUR OWN for 6/19  - Yaymaker did not reach out to us until we complained (was finally given 2 extra coupon codes, but read on as they've done me no good!) 2. 6/19 at Paradiso. KEPT but it was advertised as glass hanging planters and there were no glass hanging planters to do. Just regular ones. Not what was advertised. 3. 7/30 at Pallette 22. CANXD 4. 8/27 at Pallette 22. CANXD 5. 9/11 at Hula Girl. CANXD 6. 10/6 at Whole Foods Fair Lakes. CANXD 7. 10/29 at Palette 22. KEPT and was a great class! 8. 11/11 at Board Room CANXD 9. 12/13 at Detour Coffee. CANXD Every reuse of my codes gets cancelled. I want something done. I cannot be the only one who is experiencing this from the Arlington Yaymaker?!?! I currently have a few codes that I still need to use because every time I reschedule something it gets canceled and they send me a code. But at this point I'm wondering if it's even worth it * UPDATE: Yaymaker refunded my lab fees and Groupon refunded my original purchase. Thank you.

Best professional Paint Artist and Sip & Paint host in the DMV area. Josephine Hosted a girls night…read moreout paint party for me and my girls. What a great way to relax and spend time away from computer screens. The last bit of her event was the highlight, you need to book her for this exclusive reveal. Not your ordinary sip and paint. Her work is on my walls too. Good job.

From the owner: Joséphine Ching’s Artistry appeals to different generations on several levels: bringing forth moods…read moreand sentiments of the present day, among other themes. Her portraits are a means to relive an era, experience or memory. She creates and provides over the top fine art for luxury hospitality establishments, residences and individuals, catering to discriminating clientele who demand a certain level of attention and adds exponentially to their fine art and luxury quotient. From kiddy parties, adult get togethers, girls night hangout, guys get-together, and corporate events, Xing Studios has everything you need for a day of relaxation with a fun fine art project. Paint Parties, Paint Night, Painting Classes, Paint Bar, Paint & Sip, Girls Night out, Guys Hangout, and any fun gatherings! Upon your invitation, Josephine Ching will bring her expertise, good cheer, and all the art supplies to you. Get ready to have fun, reconnect with your inner child and artist, and go home with a master piece signed with your name. This is not your ordinary sip and paint. As the high point of your event, there will be an unveiling of one of the Artist's high end pieces, along with its back story and creation process, an informal art and life conversation, where all banter and questions are welcomed.

Well, I booked 3 events over 3 months. All events were cancelled. Don't waste your money booking…read morefor an event that does not occur. They'll keep your money and ask you to re-book......indefinitely. Scam!

This was our second time experiencing zip lining with Go Ape at their Springfield, VA location. My…read morenephews LOVE zip lining and they have been begging me to take them. It was finally warm enough to do an outdoors activity so I booked us tickets to go over the Easter weekend. I reccomend booking in advance as they do get booked up quickly. Also make sure to sign the waivers beforehand; so you don't have to do it at check in. I must say the staff this time around was truly commendable. They were great at instructing us the how tos and safety measures. They were considerate and patient dealing with my young nephews which I noticed and appreciated a lot. We did the tree top journey course as my nephews are still young and aren't quite tall enough for the other/ more advanced loop. This one was perfect for them. Some parts were challenging and scary but we managed to brave through it and were having the time of our lives! Tips: wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Bring a attachable cord for your phone so you don't run the risk of dropping it LOL. An hour gives you around 2-3 rounds on the loop depending on how fast you go through the courses. So much fun! I am considering purchasing buying the packages to take my nephews throughout the Summer.

I walk around Lake Mercer starting at South Run Park all the time, so I've known there were…read moreziplines here for years, but didn't realize the full extent of the obstacle courses. I took advantage of Black Friday offers and went on one of the last days they were open for the year. Freezing temperatures, but with good layering, hat, and gloves that wasn't an issue (I had pre-purchased their gloves, but wasn't thinking about temperature and got fingerless ... luckily I had brought a thick pair of my own gloves as a backup). I was by myself for the adventure (my wife stayed on the ground and took pictures - it's okay to bring spectators), but there were some other groups on different courses. The staff was friendly and helpful and made sure to tighten up the harness between each course. I did about half of the total courses - two full courses and one halfway, which had an option to return to the start before some obstacles I wasn't quite ready for mentally. The first two courses I did included a handful of obstacles and ended in a zipline. The obstacles get progressively more challenging as you go along, partially in terms of balance, but mostly in terms of fear factor. For me the toughest to psych up for was a set of free hanging ropes that you walk on. The Tarzan swing also took a minute to mentally prepare. The remaining courses I decided to save for another day after looking at them from the ground - I'd been challenged enough for the day, but definitely plan to go back and build up to those, hopefully with some friends along for support.