Discovery Center

My wife and I had a great time at the white water rafting trip to northern Wisconsin on the Peshtigo River, August 22 — 23, 2015.
The entire experience was perfect. The food, the people, the camping, the rafting, it was all great.
Thanks, Bob and all those who joined us. We have a lot of new friends and contacts as a result of this excellent weekend get-​away trip. As we look forward to our next Discovery Center activity!!!

Really wanted to like this place. They offer a rotating selection of interesting classes at seemingly good prices.
I only took a language class so I can’t speak to the other classes offered, but I was less than impressed. My instruction was neither a native English speaker NOR a native speaker of the language I was taking. That made for some very poor communication in the class. He also didn’t show up to the first class, and was rude and condescending to students.
Computers are ANCIENT.
Office staff was nice enough but not really able to help with anything.
I had really been looking forward to the class and was super disappointed with my experience here. Would not return. I guess you get what you pay for.

Along with Kristina B., I’m surprised this place is still in business as well. The quality of the classes and instructors are questionable, to say the least. I had a very HUMILIATING experience in one of their Salsa Dance classes. This happened years ago, so I’m not sure if the male instructor is still there…
The instructor was an overweight Latin man, who always wore dress shoes with no socks, not exactly a hygienic move… Anyway, he had asked me to come to the front of a packed class, to demonstrate a dance move, which was followed by a dip. I’m an African-​American woman, with naturally long hair. So he demonstrated the move with me, than afterwards he turns and announced to the class «Men, when you’re doing this move with a woman, make sure she’s NOT WEARING FALSE HAIR!» Then he bent down and pretended like he was picking up a wig, and motioned like he was putting it back on top of my head!!! I didn’t appreciate this racist, stereotypical joke, especially since my hair is naturally long. NEWS FLASH, not all black women wear weaves! Some of us can actually grow hair! I just shook my head and said «no.» I really regret not cursing him out. Along with some of the other ignorant, racist people in the class who laughed.
I never took another class there again after that. Looking back, there were warning signs that this instructor was bad news. He was always making many hurtful, snide comments at women in general. I remember one woman, he was dancing with stopped mid-​step and walked out of the class. I can only imagine what he said to her…
My advice to anybody considering taking a class here, is to sit in on the class for free before forking over a dime. Make sure the instructor is good and won’t actually humiliate you in of the entire class for their own amusement! I sure wish I had!
Sign,
Burned Student

I can’t believe this place is still in business… where do I start? Super creepy inside. Haven’t changed the carpet since 1965. Got to be the only business still using Packard Bell 1992 computers. Crowd in the waiting room was staring at their feet. probably thinking the same thing as me. Honestly. we’re posting this from the bar next door after escaping!

I love this place, I have taken 2 rafting trips and 1 canoe trip and they are wonderful here the staff is knowledgeable and so helpful. The price you can’t beat? My favorite thing is that all you have to do is show up they take care of everything. You meet so many nice people and I even met one of my best friends on my very first rafting trip.
This year I introduced my little bro to canoeing and this winter we are going ski with discovery center.:)

What an awesome camping & whitewater rafting getaway 8÷23−8÷24÷14! Now we all have a great answer for anyone who asks «How was your weekend?» Despite the adjustments in bus transportation and some cool cloudy weather Saturday, it was really great. Many of us had never set up a tent or rafted before, but the trip organizer Bob and assistant river guide Jerry both were very helpful. All our friends from Enjoy Life Chicago! Black Professionals Social Group pitched in too. The campground was nice, with bathrooms and showers suprisingly clean & pleasant.
Singing & dancing by the campfire was fun, everyone was friendly, breakfast was yummy. And the Peshtigo River was AMAZING! Because of the water level we rafted in «funyaks», inflatable 1 person kayaks that were easy to maneuver. The rapids were plentiful, good for beginners but still exciting for those with experience. Only a few people fell out, & they were all ok– just some scraped knees. I had a fantastic time, and plan to go again with the group next year!

Wish I could say I loved this place, since they offer sooo many classes and trips that sound super fun… but after my experience there, I can only agree with the person below: proceed with caution. I felt really misled trying to use a coupon there, and when I tried to reach out to management to work it out, it only made things worse. Not exactly the best customer service.

Last fall when I enrolled in David Miller’s Create and Distribute a Web Series; I was impressed with David knowledge and experience working in film and also creating a web series. So it was very easy for me to sign up for his class: Micro-​Budget and Low Budget Filmmaking. David does a good job giving you tons of information on how to get started and where to go for your material needs. David does emphasize it does takes time and practice, that’s why planning and putting that plan to work is important. Just like the last class David offers some advice to help you out. The next class is coming up March 30. If you interested to know what the film industry is all about David the person to talk to.

Had a really good time on our White Water rafting trip down the Vermillion. It’s definitely a trip for beginners. There were some choppy parts of the river, and 1 rapid — Wild Cat. We were with a LARGE group, the guides were very informative and took extra concern for our safety. I have never gone white water rafting before and was really concerned when they were giving information about the dangers along the river. The guide was cool enough to allow me and another girl to ride in his raft and gave us additional instruction and safety tips. I felt we got our monies worth and I definitely would go again.

I have always seen the courses listed and felt they seemed interesting.
I decided to take 2 courses for computers-​powerpoint and excel. I was truly disappointed. I did not expect to become a computer whiz, however, I felt I did not get my monies worth.
The first impression you get is not good. It is in a safe neighborhood, however, the staff is far from friendly. Both courses were for Saturday– 10 to 5. Neither class lasted that long. The only good aspect was I received a disc from both classes-​which cost $ 20 for each course. Both instructors stated they were experts in the field, however, I didn’t get that feeling. Both instructors were not helpful. Both had their own agenda and didn’t stray from that. Both instructors had little patience.
All I learned was that my late father was right – if you want quality, you need to pay for it.
I would not recommend this place for anything.

UNPROFESSIONAL.
This is my first time writing a review because this place has forced me to do so with their ridiculously poor service. I signed up in February for some Swedish massage classes that were supposed to start on March 5^th. It was supposed to be every Tuesday for 3 weeks. Okay, reserved those 3 weeks in advance in my calendar thinking I was going to do these classes.
Get a call from them the DAY BEFORE (March 4^th) saying that the instructor will not be available for the term. FINE. Didn’t make a big deal out of it. All I asked for was a refund. The lady tries to convince me to get some voucher that will expire in 1 year for the amount I paid for or take the same classes in June or whatever. I told them that I want a refund on my CC because I don’t know if I’ll have time in June AND I only wanted to take that class. She still insisted that I take those two options. Then I had to explain to her that it’s not my fault this happened and etc.
She finally agreed to refund but would need an approval from Bob the director of this place. Not only did Bob NEVER EVER called (it’s April 15^th now) but someone called a few weeks ago saying that the last of the 3 classes was available, suddenly. I told her I can’t make it because they told me on March 4^th that the class was already cancelled. I don’t reserved those days in case it’s suddenly available again. That’s stupid. Agree? Yeah, well she then told me that she can’t refund that last class because it’s suddenly available. Now I’m livid. I demanded that I get a refund for all three classes to my CC.
So they said they will send a request form but Bob will need to approve, once again. I’m like okay. Called many times but Bob is NEVER in. All they ever tell me was to leave my name and number and he will get back to me and he NEVER does. He’s just plain annoying now. Spoke with Nathan and few other girls that answer the phone and they all said they will make sure Bob gets it but not one call over a month. How unprofessional is this? It’s their fault and they can’t even do a simple refund. I don’t understand why I am chasing this man for my money back for some mistake THEY made. Ridiculous.
WILL NEVER RECOMMEND OR EVEN CONSIDER THIS PLACE AGAIN.

Unfortunately I have to give one star, if I had an option to give 0 stars, I would use it.
Bob Wagner, owner and operating manager, has a dishonest business ethic and does not properly support his staff. I worked there for one year and was unpaid for the last several months of employment. Also, he would consistently invent additional fees that the instructor was responsible for, thus reducing their overall salary.
He also does not give refunds for class, and instead encourages students to take other classes.

Yes, the building is run down and does badly need to be gutted, but it is also located in a nice, safe and trendy neighborhood where its residents can safely walk to and from classes at night. No, there is no parking lot, but how many parking lots do you see per business in Lincoln Park? Let’s be real people. I’ve never had a problem finding street parking within a few buildings of the Discovery Center, but I take most of my classes on the weekdays after 6 P.M.
I’ve taken ballroom dancing classes with my SO for some ridiculously cheap price. the instructor tries to sell you his mixed CD, but there’s no pressure to buy. We just went to Coconuts and looked in the used CD section. We’ve taken skiing lessons which again, was cheap, came with free transportation to and from, equipment rental and instructor. We also took an S&M instructional and safety class which was almost endearing. The professional dominatrix was nervous teaching the class. It was clearly her first time teaching and speaking in public. She seemed so out of her element, like we were the ones torturing her. Half way through, she gained some confidence and started to have fun with it.
My SO signed us up for a kinky meet ‘n greet which I wasn’t interested in. The people at the Discovery Center were really nice and accommodating when I called to cancel. They gave me a voucher for future classes instead. Every class we’ve taken here has been well taught, educational, entertaining, enriched our lives, helped us see a different side of each other and provided hours and hours of laughter at ourselves and each other. I’m so glad we have a place like this in the city.

I took a class there a few months ago and the instructor was great! I really enjoyed the class he honestly did a great job.
The only thing is that they don’t have a parking lot, so it can be quite difficult to find parking.
I can’t lie, when I first walked in I didn’t expect to look so ummmmmm, not nice!
But regardless of the looks I had a great time, our instructor was great!

Signed up for the white water rafting course. My friends and i had sooo much fun. Initially we thought we were signing up for the Vermillion River which was considered a level 1 or 2. We figured if anything we would have a little bit of fun coasting down a river. When we got there they told us we were going to go to the St. Joseph’s River instead. This place was awesome! Sure it wasn’t what we had in mind but we had a super fun time. We had 5 good runs then we got cocky and attempted a 6^th. That was a mistake… kind of. Our raft flipped somehow and we went floating down river. We got banged up a bit but the vital stuff is ok. Somehow flipping over made the trip FANTASTIC!!! I very much doubt I will ever forget this trip.
One huge tip: go with friends you know will have a fun time!
Also, don’t listen to anything people say about the building. Sure it’s old but it’s only the place to meet and sign your waiver (for this course). People, you are grown ups (allegedly). Are you really so immature that you’re willing to allow a «dingy carpet» ruin your experience and lower your rating???

I took the class last week on Voiceovers because I have always had a great interest in this topic. I thought the cost was reasonable so I decided to try it out. I actually loved the class and learned a great deal from the instructor. He was very knowledgable and gave us a great deal of information, was very down to earth, open to questions, and approachable.
My low rating is due to the classroom the class was conducted in and the surroundings. Upon entering the building, I felt like I’d entered a run down slum and at first you have no idea where to go for the class. The class ended up being upstairs in a classroom with not enough room around the tables for everyone. I feel lucky to have entered early enough to get a table seat since this was a 5 hour class. At least 5 – 10 people had to sit behind others at the table or around the edges on uncomfortable folding chairs, the old style metal ones. Also, I could hear a terrible voice student in the next room doing her warm ups and could hear dance class music from two rooms away.
Overall, it was a striking imbalance between a very unprofessional and distracting setting and a very professional instructor and worthy class to attend. I certainly expected more from the setting considering the amount of classes the center offers and the cost of each class.

My husband and I took dance classes here before our wedding, and it was EXACTLY what we were looking for. Not too expensive, not too intense, and we learned a few moves for our first dance!
The instructor was really nice and everyone in the class was super beginner like we were so there was no intimidation factor (other than signing up and walking in the door). We learned a few dance steps and a few moves which was perfect. Since it was specific for those getting married, they showed is the «dip», the proper way to enter the dance floor and be led off etc. Things that you wouldn’t think of, but make the first dance look more natural.
I would suggest it to anyone getting married who want just a wedding dance 101.
We turned it into date night — dinner/​wine and then go dancing! :)

Although this place needs a paint job pretty badly, I can’t say enough about the founder Robert Wagner. I took a workshop called Starting A New Business that he taught and it was very informative and interesting. He had two guest speakers, a lawyer and a PR guy who lectured about marketing and advertising.
I only wish the class was broken up into a few sessions instead of being eight hours long. Towards the end, when I was crashing from my caffeine high, it took a bit of effort to stay awake, especially during the part about finance. However, I walked away with tons of new information, reference materials and referrals to other resources.

This review is based solely on the white water rafting trip I’ve taken here. Ok, the place itself is old, dirty, and all around creepy. No lie, I was kind of scared about my trip after visiting their facilities. We had an orientation beforehand, then took a school bus to the Vermilion River.
Once we were there, everything was fine. The bus ride, rafts, paddles, life jackets, and instruction were all included in the price. The rafting was fun, if a bit uneventful. It was only a Level 1 and 2 rafting trip, for noobs like me who have never rafted before. There was one exciting drop, but everything else was easy going. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant for dinner and drinks. The restaurant was your typical small town establishment, with just «ok» food, but a decent place to unwind after the trip.
Overall, it was a fun experience and the price was fair. The Discovery Center itself is in dire need of a makeover, but I did have a good time rafting.

I’ve taken many classes here over the years — Fencing, Tango, BellyDance, Arabic Language, Shamanism, Import/​Export business and a real estate seminar or two.
The classes are fair to great — with the «great» distinction being for those interests I’ve taken beyond and out of the Discovery Center, and then looked back on the class as what started my obsession.
The instructors range from incredibly engaged and fascinating to totally incompetent.
The building itself is shockingly run down. Moldy, filthy carpeting. Walls that haven’t been painted since we were all irrationally exuberant. The dirtiest dance floor in Chicago. Shabby, dirty classrooms — and again with the mold.
This guy really needs some competition for the adult learning genre so he’ll finally sink some money into improving this operation.