People Come From Far and Wide to Learn Woodworking South of Indy

I love sharing ideas for fun things to do just south of Indy. And I recently had the opportunity to do something fun and educational – sitting in on a woodworking class at the world-renowned Marc Adams School of Woodworking, located just south of Indianapolis in Franklin.

I also got a tour of the operations, which include various classrooms (with workbenches instead of desks), a cafeteria, and glass cases filled with museum-worthy creations. Literally. The creations of the school’s instructors appear in museums and places like The White House.

What I learned from my time at the school is that people come from all across the world to study not only woodworking, but also glass blowing, concrete casting, stone carving, blacksmithing and jewelry making.

The instructors are the best craftsmen of our time, and many have written books about their area of expertise and have had their work displayed in a major museum. Many teach exclusively at Marc Adams School of Woodworking.

The school operates from the last week in March to the first week of November each year, then uses the down time to work on the equipment and handle the class registration, which kicks off Dec. 1 and continues throughout the winter. If you’d like to try an educational vacation this year, book a class before they fill up.

In honor of the school’s 25th anniversary, the founder himself, Marc Adams, is rolling back the prices for all five-day courses taught by him in 2018 to what they were 25 years ago ($500). Registration for the Marc Adams Special, like other classes, opens on Dec. 1.

In 25 years, the school has had 325 instructors teach 2,611 workshops to 32,900 attendees. They’ve also raised $500,000 for charity and made friendships that have lasted years and decades.

The school gets couples who travel here together and while one of them takes a course (which are generally a week long or take place over a weekend) the other one enjoys the events, attractions, shopping and dining in nearby communities like Franklin, Greenwood, Edinburgh, Indianapolis and Bargersville.

Click here to check out Marc Adams School of Woodworking and register for a class before they fill up, and click here to secure lodging or plan what to do in your free time.