I was a member of two different quilt guilds for some 20 years. Each had it's own quirks and flavor. The one I enjoyed the most was almost an hour drive from my home but met in the daytime. They had a covered dish luncheon every meeting. They started with a business meeting at 10:00 in the morning. They usually had a speaker or some kind of demonstration or other program each meeting. Most of the members were laid back and I always felt comfortable there. They were started by Mimi Dietrich and her friend Norma Campbell. Both are nationally known quilters at least in our neck of the woods. Mimi is a darling lady. The guild usually took two months off during the summer months. The second group was only a 20 or so minute drive from my home. They met in the evening. A lot of their members were a lot more uptight about quilting etc. Their dues were more and they had lots of stuff they more than urged you to participate in. One of the things that bothered me was their "block of the month". The girl who ran it liked to pick hard blocks and she had lots of rules. She insisted on certain colors and you were often required to purchase the fabric needed from her. The one I hated the most was that if you won you had to participate every month for the next year. As a person who likes the hand quilting part of quilting above everything else that didn't suit me. I sort of stopped going to the first guild that was the farthest away as I got older and the trip seemed longer and longer especially in less than perfect weather. The second group met at night and many times I was just to tired. The main reason I quit that one was the last Christmas Party of theirs I attended. They met us at the door with a box of numbers. We had to draw a number and sit at that table for the evening. I ended up with a whole table full of girls I only knew by face. I wanted to spend the evening with my closest quilting buddies as the guild meetings were where I saw them the most. A mixer would have been alright any other night. I advice you to go to a meeting and get the feel of the group. If they don't make you feel welcome or start making demands immediately "run".