As a rule, we don’t recommend using weekend escapes as opportunities for self-improvement (it’s a getaway, for God’s sake!), but the Center for Photography at Woodstock, which offers workshops all summer, has something special this weekend. Photojournalist Maggie Steber, best known for her award-winning images of the war in Zimbabwe and Haiti’s struggle for democracy, leads a workshop called “Finding Your Way,” suitable for both aspiring photographers (she reviews portfolios and suggests ways to fund, edit, and exhibit your work) and amateurs passionate about photography. The $250 fee also includes a Saturday slide show and lecture. Woodstock, which began filling up with artists a century ago, has retained its bohemian pedigree despite yuppification and the mass-marketing of its name. Stay at the historic Twin Gables, right next door to the center. And if Steber doesn’t keep you working too late, dine at the nearby New World Home Cooking restaurant, a Woodstock favorite.
DETAILS The Center for Photography (914-679-9957; www.cpw.org); the Twin Gables (914-679-9479; rooms start at $59.26); the New World Home Cooking restaurant (914-246-0900; entrées, $10 to $20).