Wrestle Gators and Charm Snakes! 10 Crazy Classes to Take This Summer

What do gators, King’s Landing, and clowns have in common?

All three are waiting for you this summer.

Thanks to longer and lighter days, shorter workweek hours, and those glorious summer Fridays, summer presents the perfect schedule to try something new. And we don’t mean simply picking up a new fitness class or splurging for a Citi Bike membership.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous (or even just a bit bored), and want to try something you’ve never done before, we have an even better idea: try something that you can master. Sure, Zorbing could be fun for a day, but we’re talking about tapping a new skill that requires some devotion. With a quick class or two, you can learn to alligator wrestle like a professional trainer, become a real-life Game of Thrones tour-guide, or even graduate from clown school. Who knew?

So whether you’re a thrill-seeker, daredevil, adventure junkie, or a jack-of-all-trades looking to add one more skill to your resume of versatility, here are 10 odd jobs we dare you to pick up this summer.

Alligator wrestler. (Photo: Getty Images)

Learn to Alligator Wrestle

Crocodile Dundee, the swamp is calling you. What once was a hunting technique for Native Americans is now an extreme sport, and even a part of pop-culture in Florida. In Colorado, there’s a Gator Wrestling Class offered at the Colorado Gators Reptile Park, where you get the chance to catch alligators that are two- to eight-feet long. A passing grade gets you a Certificate of Insanity (um, amazing!) and photos for an extra $20. (Hey, if this 3-year-old can do it, so can you!)

Dettifoss (Photo: Getty Images)

Be a Game of Thrones Tour Guide

We just discovered north of the Wall is a real place and our collective mind is blown. Thanks to its use of real filming locations all over the world, HBO’s mega and mythical hit show Game of Thrones has created the ultimate international excursion for fans who want to visit the show’s sets. Well, calling all GoT guides! Get certified online (courses typically run two to three weeks), brush up on your knowledge of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond and then head to one of these locations. Apply to lead a walking tour through King’s Landing in Croatia, hit the roads of Winterfell in Northern Ireland, or hike to the Wall in Iceland. Say hi to John Snow for us!

Snake Charmer. (Photo Getty Images)

Move your body like a snake charmer

If you woke up this morning and said, “Today, I want to hypnotize a snake,” we have the woman for you. Slither across the pond to Snakey Sue, a snake and belly dancer who runs a sanctuary for, you guessed it, snakes, in Essex, England (she tried to charm Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009). If moving like a snake is more your speed, head to Snake Charmer Studios in El Paso, Texas for a belly dancing private session (snakes included only at request!).

Race cars. (Photo: Getty Images)

Drive a Race Car

Not just any race car: a NASCAR race car. Rev an engine driven by Jeff Gordon or Danica Patrick when you loop around one of America’s beloved speedways. The three-hour NASCAR Racing Experience, which includes training and instruction, sends you on the track for a solo timed session and sends you home with a souvenir racing license. Don’t forget your earplugs!

Clown school. (Photo: Getty Images)

Sign up for Clown School

Start clowning around! Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus needs you! Well, maybe not. But if you want to try your hand at becoming a red-nosed jokester, there are plenty of training schools for beginners. The American Clown Academy hosts a yearly week-long camp (From August 18 to 22 in Newark, Ohio), L.A.-based The Clown School offers a five-day session after Labor Day and California Clown School is accepting applications for their three-day workshop in Reno, Nevada. Maybe one day you’ll juggle, unicycle, and stilt-walk your way to the circus.

Stunt person. (Photo: Getty Images)

Dare to be a Stuntperson

Who hasn’t wanted to jump from a moving vehicle like Angelina Jolie or repel down the side of a building like Tom Cruise? For stunt training, the hazardous playground of Hollywood Stunts in Brooklyn, awaits. With their range of classes — from a two-hour “high fall” instruction to a three-day bootcamp to one- and three-week intensive programs — you’re sure to conquer any physical fears before joining this legion of bad-ass graduates. Beginners are welcome.

Polygraph Demonstration. (Photo: Getty Images)

Morph Into a Human Lie Detector

It might not be a physical skill, but learning how to detect duplicitous behavior is sure to make you unstoppable. The Harvard Advantage Consulting & Training program in Vancouver offers a 2.5-hour Truth-Lie Detection class where you can actually study up on how to visually and verbally catch a person in a lie. By studying human behavior, and in this case, during theoretical business situations, you’ll be on your way to becoming an apprentice for Dr. Cal Lightman.

Bungee Jumper. (Photo: Getty Images)

Master the Bungee Jump

Walk a plank, jump, and buoy through the air. It’s exhilarating! Adrenaline Dreams in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, certifies Jump Masters in a five-day program that teaches any gravity-challenged adventurer all of the necessary steps needed to help others fly. You’ll learn not only how to harness jumpers, but also how to save them while hanging mid-air.

Joey Tribbiani. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pick up a PUA degree

How you doin’? Joey Tribbiani is kicking himself somewhere in TV heaven for not graduating with this degree. PUA, which stands for Pick Up Artist, is now a training class being offered around the world (and can cost a hefty few thousand dollars) to help coach men on how to effectively meet women. VH1’s James Matador offers coaching calls where men can dial in for advice, as well as two-day workshops and a nine-day training program. The art of the pick up might not be priceless, but finding your soulmate sure is.

A rodeo. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ride the Rodeo

You might own a cowboy hat, but are you ready for the rodeo? Sankey Rodeo School thinks so! Lassoing beginners to their locations across the country, the Missouri-based school requires zero experience from wannabe bucking broncos, but does request tip-top shape from anyone enrolling in their three- and four-day sessions.

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