Spring break 2009:
Reo Townsend, Staff Writer
Published On: 03/18/2008
Every spring, students from all over the country enjoy a week long break, to “just do whatever.” Over the years, specific locales have garnered more popularity than others, namely beaches and, if you’ve got the money (or your parents have got the money), exotic locations like Hawaii and the Bahamas. But on the fringes of these usual hot-spots exist many lesser-known attractions that can prove as interesting—and sometimes more—as their infamous cousins.
Sponsored by the Key West Business Guild, Gay Spring Break at Key West does not enjoy near as much fame as other spring break happenings on the many lovely Florida Beaches. Despite that, Gay Spring Break 2008 promises to be as exciting and diverse as their 2007 bash which included more than 500 different activities from the beginning of February to the end of April. The party is located in Key West, an area already familiar to many spring breakers, a place where people gather on piers every evening to celebrate the sunset. The residents—they call themselves Conchs, like the seashell—love tourists simply because they love to have a good time and always like having new people to join in. The world’s third largest barrier reef surrounds the island, making snorkeling a must. Other popular water activities include parasailing, kayaking, and jetskiing. It stays warm there, with cool breezes off the water in the afternoon. Key West is considered one of the most diverse places in the country, and, with the Caribbean-esque landscape and a large Cuban population, it’s almost like being in another country altogether. Conchs pride themselves on their accepting nature of people and lifestyles that differ from their own. The city motto is “One Human Family” and the official Gay Spring Break website—www.gayspringbreak.org—boasts that, “in Key West, you are free to be exactly who you are.”
Some spring breakers aren’t fond of big crowds or drunken college parties and would like, instead, to learn something new (and enjoyable). For something fun to learn, you don’t even need to leave the state. The Devyani Dance Center, located on Crestwood Boulevard, features numerous classes on various subjects year-round. For 10 dollars, you can go this Friday night (6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.) for lessons in Middle Eastern percussion. People who have been harboring a passion for bellydancing and just didn’t know what their first step should be will find more than enough help and encouragement during the twice-weekly American tribal style bellydance classes. Full schedules for all classes can be found on the website www.devyani.net.
Perhaps, though, bellydancing isn’t exciting enough by itself. If that is the case, you could always go to a Strip Aerobics class at the Rhythm N Motion (www.bhamrhythm.com) dance studio. The studio houses Birmingham’s newest professional dance company, the Vulcan Performers, and the class combines latin, hip hop and jazz dance styles for a full body workout.
Now, all of these things are fun and mildly artsy fartsy, but there are still more activities in town that will help you show your friends and family what a cultured and intelligent individual you are.
A dignified (and, more importantly, permanently free) option is the Birmingham Museum of Art. Notable current exhibits include Kathryn Tucker Windham: My Land, My People; and a quite different Into the Woods: American Art and the Natural Sublime.
If you’d like to try your hand at making your own art instead of admiring the work of others, sign up for Sloss Furnaces’ Spring Iron Pour. After making a mold with a block of hardened sand in casting class, you get to watch the professionals make your piece a reality by pouring molten iron into your mold. And you get to take that one-of-a-kind sculpture home with you to prove your artistry to your friends.
Of course there’s plenty of fantastic places to go during your spring break—Universal Studios anyone?—it’s good to know that if you wish to stay in town for Spring Break, there’s still exciting things to do.
