101 Experience Gifts for everyone on your list

The ultimate list of 101 experience gifts for families, kids, teens, and adults. Something for everyone including classes, activities, memberships, and more.

Instead of more “stuff” this year, check out this list for 101 ideas for gifting experiences. There are suggestions for everyone on your list!

This is a sponsored post in partnership with UrbanFarmhouseTampa. We also participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you don’t have Prime, you can try it 30 days for free here!

When you house is overwhelmed with stuff – especially with tons that the kids never play with – thinking of gifts to give may seem overwhelming. How on earth can we cram more in here? Why bother when they don’t even play with them?

Giving experience gifts takes care of all that. Plus, it is a fantastic way for the family to come together and enjoy time as a family.

Because of the insane success of our how to gift experiences so they’re just as exciting as toys post, I know you are all looking for ways to give gifts that don’t leave you with a bunch of stuff.

101 Experience Gifts for everyone on your list!

For experience gifts you can enjoy as a family to experience gifts for kid, teens, and adults. There is something for everyone! Also check out the huge list of classes and lessons that make for fun and rewarding experience gifts for anyone in your life!

Also Read: How to gift experiences so they’re just as fun as toys

Experience Gifts for Families

Family Vacation. Whether it’s a big trip or a smaller staycation, this is the perfect gift of family time. Check out how we surprised our kiddos on Christmas with a trip to Walt Disney World in January with our Disney Surprise Reveal.

Children’s Museum. Our kiddos love our Minnesota Children’s Museum. They offer gift memberships and you can get a discount with the code KRISTIN!

Also Read: The Power of Play

Science Museum. The science museum has something for everyone and is a great gift for family togetherness. Did you know that if you have a children’s museum membership they often offer discounts on science museum and other memberships? Our’s does!

Theme Park. Tickets to a local theme park – whether it’s indoors like Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America or outdoors like Valleyfair – are an exciting gift this time of year.

Water Park. We’re in Minnesota, so having access to a water park in the winter is like gold! I’ve heard great things about Great Wolf Lodge. If you have others in your area it’s worth looking into for Christmas!

Open Gym. Check to see if your town or community education has an open gym somewhere. Typically you will find it at a rec center or school and the whole family can play together.

State Parks pass. Buying a pass to enter state parks means you have access to amazing family time in nature and often many great events and activities.

Adventure or Trampoline Park. Our family had a blast at Urban Air Adventure Park for our son’s birthday party. These have places like these all over the country. You can purchase a set of tickets for one day, or some even have membership options.

Camping Trip. Maybe you can’t do this during the winter but, presented in a fun way, a future camping trip can be a great gift! If you want something more immediate, did you know you can rent campers from Orlando companies and they will set them up at Disney’s Fort Wilderness for you?

Also Read: Pop Up Camper Remodel: Before and After

Roller Skating / Ice Skating. This is something I loved as a kid. I went to the roller rink a lot with friends. I also remember my parents taking me to an amazing hotel with an indoor ice skating rink.

Ski Passes. I haven’t been skiing in years, but such a fun family activity!

White Water Rafting. This is one of my strongest memories from my childhood

Plan a hike. Gifting an experience does’t have to be expensive. Plan out an itinerary and a map for a family hike.

Ice Caves. Visit a nearby natural wonder. When I was younger, I remember crawling around in the ice caves of Lake Superior and it was amazing!

Bowling. Has it been a while since you’ve been bowling? Our kids love it but we don’t remember to go nearly enough.

Snowmobile trip or Snowcross / Watercross event. This is a personal favorite of our family. We love to snowmobile at the cabin, attend a Snocross event in the water, and Watercross in the summer.

Boat Ride. Our family spends a lot of time on the boat in the summer, but many families don’t have the opportunity. Plus, even if you do, there are some amazing boating experiences on larger boats.

Also Read: Family Boating Essentials for ideas of things to gift this with

Train Ride. A train ride is also a fantastic family experience. Some have meals included or special programs throughout the year.

Prospecting. This is such a fun thing if you can find it! There are places that allow families to dig for gems or pan for gold and it sounds like so much fun!

Experience Gifts for Kids

Camp. What could be better than the gift of an amazing camp experience!? Our kids have done farm school each summer, but have exhausted the class list because they have gone so much. This summer we’re looking into a new camp in town and may deliver it as a gift this Christmas.

Children’s Theater. One of my absolute favorite field trips to chaperone are trips to the children’s theater. This is a fantastic gift for kids and the whole family!

Build-a-Bear. Such a fun store and experience for kids!

Build Something Together. What a fantastic way to bond and have something to show for it in the end. Maybe your child has been asking for a fort in the backyard. Maybe they need a desk in their room or a toy box. Building it together can be so much fun!

Indoor Playground. Perfect for those winter months. This is fun for kids and a relief for parents!

American Girl. Sadly, the Mall of America no longer has an American Girl Store, but we loved taking my daughter there! She got her doll’s hair done, ears pierced, and left with a few goodies.

Also Read: DIY American Girl Doll Holder

Children’s concerts. If you look up your local theaters, parks, and events in your city you can find many great children’s concerts. You can gift tickets from the theaters, and the city events and parks will often have free concerts you could print off a card or flyer to gift.

Disney on Ice. these shows are spectacular! We have a couple posts about our experiences at Disney on Ice: Mickey’s Search Party and Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic. If you’re in Minnesota Carrie the Moment always has great discounts to these shows!

Monster Jam. Believe it or not, this is actually what my husband and I did for our first time celebrating my birthday together. I was game, but not super excited. However, I left loving it! We’re finally going to take the kids this month. If you’re in Minnesota Carrie the Moment always has great discounts to these shows!

Music Together. These are fun music and movement classes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Swim Lessons or Open Swim. We have been loving our swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School and they have gift memberships as well as family swim times. Perfect gift for winter!

Zoo. Buy a membership, buy some tickets, or even just plan an outing to a zoo that is free.

Sesame Street Live. We went to Sesame Street Life for many of my birthdays when I was younger. I loved sharing the experience with my son when he was little too! If you’re in Minnesota Carrie the Moment always has great discounts to these shows!

Subscription Boxes. There are a few subscription boxes for kids out there if you do a quick search. The ones that stand out in my mind are Little Passports and Kiwi Crate, but I’m sure you can find something for any interest.

Garden. If your child is interested in how things grow, you can get them started with their own little garden. You can easily find kids gardens, vegetable starter kits – like this pizza garden, and flower growing kits. My favorite are sweet little fairy gardens. This magic bean growing kit with secret messages is amazing!

Visit a farm. Maybe even more interesting than a zoo, set up a farm visit. They can see different animals and plants and connect with how we get our food.

Classes or Lessons to explore a hobby (check those lists out below!)

Experience Gifts for Teens

Theater tickets. Such a fun and “grown up” gift for teens.

Concert tickets. What teen wouldn’t be excited about tickets to see their favorite artist?

Sporting Event tickets. Whether they’re a baseball, hockey, lacrosse, or whatever fan. Surprise them with tickets to see their favorite team.

Psychic Reading. Something totally different and very fun for teens.

X Games. We had the best time at the X Games this past summer. Totally something a teen would love!

Movies. A gift of a movie theater gift card presented in a cute popcorn box will be a big hit with teens.

Also Read: Dumbo’s Circus Popcorn and Peanuts

Go Karts. As a kid I loved riding the go karts up near our cabin. Now, some places even have crazy indoor tracks and carts way faster than the ones I used to ride!

Spa Day. I mean, we’d all love this, right? There are a lot of things to choose from too… Manicures, facials, wraps, hair services, etc…

Escape Room. These are so much fun! I’d say this gift is good for families and adults as well, but I put it in the teen category because I feel like they are much harder to gift.

Also Read: Spy Party: A Secret Agent Birthday Party Kids Love

Paintball or Laser Tag. From teens to younger kids or adults, this is another that would be fun for anyone.

Photoshoot. When I was in high school some friends and I made a whole day of taking photos. This was a blast even before Instagram, digital cameras, and cell-phones. We set up backdrops, different locations, and outfit changes. I would imagine a day like this – in today’s Instagram craziness – would be so popular with teens. This is also a sweet gift for moms/grandmas who want a family photo too.

Rock Climbing or Ropes Course. A very fun way to get out of their comfort zone and try something new.

Classes or Lessons to explore a hobby (check those lists out below!)

Experience Gifts for Adults

Wine Tasting. Yes please! Sign me up! In grad school we even lived near several wineries and rented a bus to take us around to each of them.

DIY Workshops. We have a place in our town called Sawdust Saavy and adults can create projects like painted signs, blanket ladders, pillow covers, etc.

Theater and Dinner Theater tickets. Last year, I got to go to Hamilton as a Christmas gift. It was amazing! I have always loved Broadway shoes, but there are other smaller theaters that are an amazing idea too. Locally, we have the Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, which I learned all about recently and fell in love with.

Comedy Show. Also while at the Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, we got to see a little of the improv show. What a fun experience and gift for adults!

Beer Tasting and Brewery Tour. There are so many great local breweries popping up. This is always a fun way to spend some time.

Meal Subscription Boxes. I love this idea as a gift to someone! The gift of fresh food and a delicious recipe. We have tried two meal delivery services – Hello Fresh and Green Chef.

Skydiving or Indoor Skydiving. For a little adventure indoor skydiving experiences look like so much fun. For a lot of adventure maybe even gift the real thing?…

Restaurant Reservations. Try a unique or themed restaurant or a new-to-them cuisine.

Sip and Paint. There are so many of these wine and painting classes popping up you’re sure to find one in your area. Perfect for a couple or some girlfriends.

Memberships. One of my favorite gifts was a Costco membership. I also love all the perks of Amazon Prime membership, which is an amazing gift!

Factory Tour. This could be one for the whole family or adults. Tour a factory for anything – chocolate, candy, Louisville Slugger, Crayola, Coca-Cola… I’m sure you’ll find something in your area if you search your city and “factory tours.”

Whiskey tasting. I mean, any wine, beer, or spirits tasting is a pretty fun activity for adults…

Fondue Dinner. If you haven’t done a fondue dinner before, it is a whole experience! For fondue at home, it takes a lot of prep which can be fun to do together, and the meal itself takes a long time. It’s not just fun for adults, although they will be doing most of the work, but kids like it too. We love a fondue dinner for New Years Eve.

Conference Tickets. Does this sound like something you’d like? Maybe it’s not for everyone, but conferences are not cheap, but they can be an amazing experience! I would love tickets to WOW Summit!

Personal Training. Now, only do this if you know this person wants this gift… Don’t take a shot in the dark with this one! However, if someone has been talking about wanting a personal trainer and is not doing it because of the cost, this gift is perfect!

Classes or Lessons to explore a hobby (check those lists out below!)

Experience Gifts for All: Classes and Lessons

Cooking

Painting

Skiing

Woodworking

Also Read: Gifts to Inspire Creativity in Children

Sewing

Cake Decorating

Yoga

Golf

Also Read: Even more gifts to inspire creativity

Writing

Ceramics

Knitting / Crocheting

Karate

Also Read: gifts for your martial arts fan

Theater

Basket Weaving

Aerial Fitness or Arts

Photography

Dance

Also Read: DIY Girls Leg Warmers for a Dollar!

Kickboxing

Mosaic

Glass Blowing

Zumba

Piano

Swim

Also Read: Why Goldfish Swim School is Life Changing

Archery

Guitar

Gymnastics

Also Read: Magical gifts for your little girl

Flower Arranging

Horseback Riding

Singing

Chess

Scrapbooking or Card Making

Also Read: Who you should NOT forget when sending Christmas cards

Drums

Poetry

Crossfit

Computer Coding

Also Read: Active Gifts for Healthy Kids

Scuba Diving

Fly Fishing

Language (Spanish, French, Japanese, sign language)

Engineering

Happy Gift Giving

These experience gifts are sure to bring your family together and create wonderful memories!

If you’re stumped on how to give these gifts, check out these ideas for how to gift experiences so they’re just as fun as toys!

Pin It!