I second this. I was in the same position a few years ago, and went to my local astronomy club, found a gifted person that I got along with well, and was willing to teach me. After several "star-hopping" observation sessions I found that I was really beginning to know and understand the night sky. Eventually I learned enough from him, Sky & Telescope and Astronomy Magazine and books from my local library that I was asked to teach the Intro to Astronomy class at the local university--that activity forced me to learn even more! I even went on to be active with other, more advanced clubs in the state, which helped push my knowledge.

I'd also recommend looking into week-long activities like the one at University of Arizona. I've been to both the beginning and advanced Adult camps and they were great fun.

As for Physics, I'll leave that as an exercise for other posters ;-).

But isn't the real question whether the class was actually pointER-less? ;-) :-) :-).

I'd also ask:

Number of years in business.
Involvement of the owner in the current business.
Number of years the current owner has been in this business.
Also do a check with the Better Business Bureau to see what, if any, complaints had been filed.

And, as always, Google is your friend -- definitely do a search for the business you are considering along with the word(s) problem, issue, complaint, praise, etc!