Classes Geared to Older Adults

Many community colleges and public universities allow free auditing of classes by older students. There are also several educational programs designed for boomers. Two of the biggest:

Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes: There are OLLI centers on 117 college campuses around the country offering noncredit classes. The OLLI at New York University charges a $250-a-year membership fee for unlimited access to classes on, for example, knitting, will-writing, and personal finance. It also charges members an additional $20 per session for talks by New York Times staffers, baseball historians, and authors such as Malachy McCourt. Yavapai College, a community college in Prescott, Ariz., charges $120 a year for unlimited access to OLLI classes that include microwave cooking, opera for everyone, hiking, and introduction to dowsing. Some OLLI programs also offer financial aid.

Elderhostel: The nonprofit offers pricey educational trips (airfare not included) such as bird-watching in Costa Rica, about $2,000; a safari in Kenya, about $3,700; and a one-day walking tour of art galleries in Manhattan, $100. Elderhostel offers a few scholarships (453 in 2006) worth, typically, $500 to $600.