Lifelong Learning

Learn for the love of it! Discover something new, plan your next trip, or an amazing meal. A variety of interesting classes are offered throughout the year for adults who enjoy the fun and excitement of learning new things. We offer classes in diverse areas such as history, science, nature, music, current events and places of interest in the Big Bend region. Our affordable programs are open to anyone 18 years and older. 

We offer some classes on Zoom. If you would like to learn how to use Zoom, please call 850-891-4000 and Senior Center staff will set you up with a volunteer who can help you over the phone or computer. Or click here for our Zoom guide.

For more information, email Maureen.Haberfeld@talgov.com

Be sure to read our weekly emails for upcoming classes. Click here to sign up for our email list.

Conservation Pathways
Thursday, April 10, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Conservation Pathways is a brand new, local non-profit dedicated to providing scientific research, career exploration, and professional development opportunities to FSU, FAMU, and TSC students. Come hear the Executive Director, Rebecca Means (formerly Director of Coastal Plains Institute), talk about why this organization formed and how you can get involved. Several Conservation Pathways interns will also share their experiences with research projects like indigo snake reintroduction, wetland quality assessment, Apalachicola River slough restoration, and more! Fee $5
Register Here

Behind the Barrel: A Bourbon Discovery Class
Friday, April 11, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Join us for an immersive bourbon class that will take you on a journey through the rich history behind one of America’s favorite spirits. In this class, you will explore the origins of bourbon, how it’s made, the rules of bourbon, and the different types. The class will conclude with a curated bourbon tasting, giving the opportunity to put your new knowledge into practice. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or new to the world of bourbon, this class promises to deepen your appreciation for this beloved American tradition. TSC Auditorium. Fee $15 includes bourbon tasting and appetizers
Register Here

Wide World of Sport: Anthropology’s Perspective
Tuesday, April 15, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Sport is a cultural phenomenon that unites and divides people simultaneously. Why should you care about sport in today’s world? It is a part of our daily lives more so than you realize. It plays a large role in our economy and politics, family and upbringing, gender roles, health, and community. Instructor FSU Anthropologist Amy Kowal, Ph.D. will discuss how through primary experiences and ethnographic studies one can see how anthropology contributes to the study of sport in cultures today. TSC dining room. Fee $5
Register Here

Longleaf Pine Wonderland Hike
Thursday, April 17, 8:45 am – 2:00 pm
Spend a delightful spring half-day with Coastal Plains Institute president Ryan Means exploring by foot some of the finest and visually stunning longleaf pine ecosystem in existence. Exercise your brain and body on this light to moderate 4-mile eco hike. Some of the hike will be off trail so that we can immerse ourselves in the ecosystem and lay eyes on wild ground that few people ever see. We will talk all things longleaf pine and experience firsthand the magnificent biodiversity of our region. Fee $42 includes transportation from TSC and a picnic lunch. Limited space available.
Register Here

April Spring House Tour
Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
While attending the 1950 World Federalist Conference at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL, George and Clifton Lewis of Tallahassee asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for them, saying they “have a lot of children and not much money.” Wright agreed and the couple located a beautiful five-acre parcel on the outskirts of Tallahassee. Mr. Wright completed the plans in 1952 of an unconventional pod-shaped home, described as a passive solar “hemicycle” It took just nine months to build the house in 1954. Take a guided tour of this unique structure which is the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed private home in Florida. Most of the fee from this one-of-a kind tour goes to the restoration of this local treasure. Fee $37
Register Here

Holocaust Remembrance Day: The Life of Gerda Weissmann Klein
Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Gerda Weissmann Klein was a Polish-born American writer and human rights activist. Her autobiographical account of the Holocaust, All But My Life, was adapted for the 1995 short film, One Survivor Remembers, which received an Academy Award and an Emmy Award, and was selected for the National Film Registry. Lauren Crampton, HERC Education Coordinator, will give a presentation about Gerda’s life. Donations accepted at the door for Tallahassee Senior Center Lifelong Learning Program.
Register Here

The Exciting Life of a High-Flying Russian Circus Trainer
Thur., May 1, 10:00 am
Mikhail “Misha” Souponitski has had an interesting and eventful life. He will share the story of how he went from being born in a Russian gulag during WWII to becoming a circus performer in Circus of the Soviet Union. Later, he defected from the USSR during a tour with the circus in Sweden, became a Swedish circus performer, and traveled across Europe with the Swedish circus. Later he attended chiropractic school, practiced massage therapy, eventually married an American and ended up in Tallahassee coaching performers with the FSU Flying High Circus. Listen to him relate tales from his adventurous life. Fee $5.

Register Here

Experiences of a German Girl Growing up during the Nazi Era, End of World War II, and Mandatory Teaching of the Nazi Genocide in German Schools
(6-week series) Wednesdays: May, 14, 21, 28, June 4, 11, 18, 1:30 – 3 pm
In this six-week long interactive course Dr. Toni Fuss Kirkwood-Tucker’s relates her firsthand experiences as a young girl growing up during the Nazi regime, end of World War II, and post-war Germany. She will discuss bombed-out cities, hunger, homelessness, orphans, and longing for soldiers to return home; boy soldiers serving at the Eastern and Western fronts; suppression of local traditions; position of church and state; life at school; presence of Nazis in her village; the flight of women, children, and the elderly from destroyed cities; refugees from Eastern Europe; sabotage activities of her dissident father; and surrender of their village to US General Patton’s Third Army 10th Tank Division. The final class on 6/18 will address the mandatory teaching of the Nazi genocide in German schools; German guilt/shame/lack of knowing about the mass murder of innocent victims; and reparations to Israel and Holocaust survivors. Fee $55 for 6-week series or $10 per class pay as you go.

Register Here