By Erin McNelis, updated by Michelle Reese

January is National Hobby Month, and it's the perfect time of year to pick up a new interest or devote a little extra time to a current hobby. Hobbies can help you relieve stress, keep your brain active by learning something new, and offer opportunities to make new friends. That is why celebrating National Hobby Month might be just what you need. Get more involved in a hobby you already have or find a new hobby to enjoy from the list below. Tons of area businesses and groups offer classes and meetups to help you get started.

Fiber Arts

Twist Knitting & Spinning

5743 Lower York Rd., Lahaska
twistknittingandspinning.com

Across from Peddler’s Village, Twist offers classes in knitting, weaving, and spinning. You can also bring a project, sit, and chat in the shop’s comfortable living room and enjoy the creative and welcoming atmosphere.

Echo Valley Fiber

2310 Second Street Pike, Newtown
www.echovalleyfiber.com

Echo Valley Fiber offers regular knitting classes on Wednesday and Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. For beginners, they offer beginning crochet instruction on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and beginning knitting classes are Friday from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Classes are limited to 5-6 students to ensure personalized attention.

Dance

Libra Dance Studio

150 W. Street Rd., Warminster
www.libradancestudio.com

Do you have experience dancing and you want to get back into it, or have you always wanted to try, but never had the opportunity? Libra Dance Studio has beginner and intermediate adult classes in hip hop jazz, ballet, and tap. The studio takes pride in being a judgement-free space, so you can put on your dancing shoes, relax, and have fun.

Freestyle Dance Academy

341 Lower State Rd., Chalfont
www.freestyledancepa.com

The academy offers classes for adults in hip hop, tap, and breaking. They offer drop-in style classes to accommodate adults’ busy schedules.

La Luna Dance Studio

4010 New Falls Rd., Bristol
www.lalunadancestudio.com

La Luna offers both private and group lessons, depending on if you want a more intense experience where you learn more in a shorter amount of time or a more relaxed, social environment. Choose from Zumba, Salsa & Street Latin, Argentine Tango, Ballroom and Swing.

Book clubs

Bucks County Community College Book Discussion

275 Swamp Road, Newtown

The Bucks County Community College Book Club meets on the second Thursday of the month during the academic year. Meetings are free, informal, and open to the public. For more information, and to see the book choices for the rest of this year, click here.

Newtown Bookshop

2835 S. Eagle Rd., Newtown

The bookshop hosts several book clubs, including a Monthly Cookbook Club, a Daytime Book Discussion and an Evening Book Discussion. Click here for more.

Doylestown Bookshop

16 S. Main St., Doylestown and 162A Peddler’s Village

The Doylestown Bookshop and its Peddler’s Village location host nine book clubs that meet monthly. Clubs have themes like nature lovers, sci/fi fantasy horror, philosophy, and personal growth. Find the right book club for you on their Web site at www.doylestownbookshop.com/bookclub.

Cooking

The Cook and His Books

20 Donaldson Street, Doylestown

Learn to cook (or cook better) from the best. Chef Michael Kanter worked at the famous Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia and now offers pot luck classes on Monday and Wednesday nights as well as themed classes. His classes focus on real ingredients sourced locally as well as culinary traditions. And there is wine.

Conquering Cuisine

378 North Main Street, Doylestown

Conquering Cuisine offers a variety of classes including demonstration, hands-on, wine tasting & pairing, kids cooking, and private classes. All classes include instruction, food, recipes, equipment, red and white wine, and bottled water. Classes sell out quickly, so you'll want to look at the calendar of events to pick your favorite!

Sports and Games

Bucks County Curling Club

1185 York Rd., Warminster

You’ve marveled at it during the Olympics. Now you can learn how to play the ancient Scottish sport of curling. The Bucks County Curling Club offers a basics class as well as novice practice times at the ice rink. For more information, visit www.buckscountycurlingclub.org.

Bucks County Card and Board Meetup

Board games aren’t just for kids, and they are making a huge comeback! The board game industry is booming, offering many choices beyond Monopoly and Risk. This group welcomes beginners and meets at locations around the county like Proper Brewing, Yardley Library, and the Southampton Free Library. Find them at www.meetup.com/Bucks-County-Card-and-Board/.

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