10 Best Classes Under $50 in Manhattan

If you wish to learn amazing new things on a budget, then you will love our list of the best classes under $50 in Manhattan.

The fact of the matter is, education is an endless process. Throughout our lives we learn new things and the drive to learn new things should never subside. We are firm believers in that notion, and this is why we wish to share with you some amazing classes around Manhattan that you can take to learn some awesome stuff. What kind of things you ask? Well, each individual is different and our interests vary greatly. We tried to make the list as diverse as possible only for that reason. Although, we were a bit limited in terms of budget, a mere $50, we did our best in finding out the best value that $50 could get you as far as NYC classes and workshops.

With a land area of 22.83 square miles, Manhattan is not the biggest borough in New York City, however, it is considered to be the most notable borough of New York City and for good reasons. If you are to trace the history of New York City, you will find out that the city was first formed by colonists of the Dutch Republic in 1624 in Lower Manhattan as a trading post. At the time it was called New Amsterdam. To many, Manhattan is synonymous to New York City. According to a survey done in 2015 the population of Manhattan is around 1.6 million, which is pretty significant given the area of the borough. Manhattan is the most densely populated borough of New York City too, which is no surprise.

If you are a resident of Manhattan, then the classes we are about to share with you can definitely have a positive impact on your life. But, these classes are only located in the borough of Manhattan. If you do not mind attending classes from all over NYC, then please take a look at our article on 10 Life Improving Classes in New York to Improve Your Life. Anyway, let’s focus on the topic at hand. While browsing through all the available options, we stuck to those classes that in our humble opinion offer the most value for your money. The classes we are about to recommend to you costs $50 or less, but that does not mean you will not get much out of these classes, instead your $50 or less will be well spent.

Since we are listing classes for Manhattan, the most densely populated borough of NYC, we went straight to Class Curious’ rich database. Here, we found everything from classes in NYC for adults to fun classes to take with friends, and NYC classes for couples. We also sought help from Google’s search engine as well. Keeping with the title of our article, we selected the classes that fit the bill perfectly. You’ll find that our list is ranked by the price of classes, since all of the classes are at or below $50. We then went on to assess the quality of these classes from online reviews and ratings from various sources. However, we ranked our list based on pricing alone. As all the classes that made our list are highly regarded by the respective communicates.

Let’s get our list of the best classes under $50 in Manhattan started, so you can find out about the fun classes to take in NYC.

10. Palais des Thés Tea School

Price: $50

Address: 107 Spring Street, 2nd floor (entrance on Mercer St), New York, NY 10012

Tea is generally considered a British thing, but we just could not pass up the opportunity to share this amazing class with our readers. Stereotyping aside, tea is an amazing drink to have, and if you are interested in taking your passion for tea to the next level, then the tea tasting class offered by Palais des Thés Tea School is a must for you. The cost per person is $50, but for that you get to enjoy the full sensory experience of tea tasting, and also the company of tea experts who will share anecdotes and background information about each tea type.

9. Paint Along NYC 

Price: $45

Address: 129 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016

If you are looking spend some quality time with your friends or perhaps you want to make new ones, then you can head straight to Paint Along NYC’s daily group painting classes. The classes are fun and open for all skill levels. You will have the help of a professional instructor, and they will walk you through the entire process. In these classes you will be able to paint all your worries away with many other like minded people.

8. CraftJam

Price: $45

Address: 33 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

At number 8 on our list of best classes under $50 in Manhattan, we have CraftJam, a well-known art school in NYC. The class that we are interested in is called “Learn How to Make Cool Embroidery Wall Art”. If you are interested in embroidery, then this class can teach you a lot about the craft. Needless to say, the class is totally beginner friendly, and on top of that if you have a friend who would like to come along with you, you get a $5 off per person, which makes the deal even sweeter.

7. Chelsea Classical Studio 

Price: $40

Address: 526 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001

This is the perfect class for you if painting is your passion, and I mean passion not hobby because this is a serious class about painting. Unfortunately, this class is not very suitable for beginners, as you will be taught more advanced techniques of portrait making in this class. In each class you will learn about capturing the movement and energetic form of the figure, the unique character and expressions of the figure and other finer things you must pay attention to while making a portrait. On top of that, you will be joined by Roy Mendl a celebrated NYC painter as your instructor.

6. The Art Studio NY

Price: $34

Address: 145 W 96th St #1b, New York, NY 10025

We again have a painting class, but this one is way different than any other painting class, as this is a BYOB art class. BYOB stands for bring your own beverage, that means you will be having a party for a class, rather than just a class, which is a unique approach to education for adults. Of course, you will be learning many things regarding how to create beautiful works of art, but in a fun and more accessible way, especially for beginners.

5. Ajna Dance

Price: $20 

Address: Pearl Studios, 500 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Dancing is a great form of self expression, and a good excuse to keep fit. There are a lot of dance classes out there, but we decided to go with something different. Bollywood, or the Indian film industry, has made quite the name for itself. They follow a unique dance style and we wanted to share  Ajna Dance, an institution that specializes in such dance forms originating in India. If you are interested, you can start classes there for a mere $20.

4. Stepping Out Studios 

Price: $20 

Address: 37 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

Speaking of dance, if you are interested in learning Salsa, you can do that in Manhattan for only $20 per person. This class is of course beginner friendly, but you can learn everything there is to learn about salsa from this very location. You will be able to master all the salsa dance techniques starting from the very beginning. It does not matter what skill level you are at right now, you will fit right in the class without effort, and see where you go from there.

3. JuggleFit

Price: $20

Address: 18 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011

Juggling is an exciting and pretty difficult form of art to master. If you ever wanted to learn juggling, then JuggleFit will help you learn juggling. JuggleFit is perhaps the most well known institution in Manhattan for those who wish to learn Juggling. On top of that, they offer classes starting from a mere $20, which is well within our today’s criteria, thus we just could not ignore JuggleFit’s “Learn to Juggle (or Get Better)!” class.

2. Drawing New York

Price: $15

Address: 15 Gramercy Park S, New York, NY 10003

Drawing is one thing, but live model drawing is something on a whole different level. If you are serious about your passion for art, especially drawing then, Drawing New York’s classes are the best option for you in Manhattan. Not just for the money, but you will have the opportunity to work with both professional models and instructors. Combine that with a mere $15 fee per person, and you get a pretty much unbeatable deal.

1. Sunday Night Improv 

Price: $10

Address: 236 W 78th St, New York, NY 10024

Many consider Improv to be a form of comedy, but in reality improv is something that trains you to think faster and come up with solutions to unanticipated problems on the fly. If you want a quick and guided tour of the improv world, then you cannot go wrong with Sunday Night Improv’s offerings. Classes are starting at a mere $10, in our opinion this is a steal and you ought to take it if you wish to learn improv from the professionals.

This wraps it up for our list of the best classes under $50 in Manhattan. Enjoy!