Types of Experience Gifts Popular Among Families

Nobody needs another scented candle. I gave away three last year. Families want to do something together, not just open another box. Picking the right experience gift? That’s what people actually remember.

Adventure and Outdoor Experiences

Skydiving for toddlers? I mean, people actually ask. My neighbor’s a park ranger and says state parks sell out family hiking tours every holiday. Probably because you can’t buy the wrong size boots for a hike. Zip lining, kayaking, “local safaris”—they’re less about adrenaline and more about group chaos, bug bites, and having something to post that isn’t just another pool selfie.

Apparently, 70% of parents (2024 Experience Gift Association survey, which is a real thing, who knew?) said outdoor adventure gifts made better memories than boxes of stuff. Even geocaching weekends make the list—though, why does it always rain? Half the fun is everyone piling into the car, forgetting gloves, arguing over snacks, and then talking about it for months. Don’t ask me about ski trip prices, though. (Seriously, just go off-season.)

Creative and Educational Activities

Pottery wheels, painting classes, chocolate making (dads get competitive, it’s a thing), escape rooms—these are everywhere now. Schools even push these as “team-building.” My sister-in-law took her kids to a cooking class, and they still joke about the burnt soufflé. These gifts usually mean nobody’s left out, and the “souvenir” is, at worst, a funny story.

Museums do private tours, kids can build robots, there are coding boot camps for families—none of it’s cheap, but it feels less like wasted time. Even stuff like Reading Eggs or audio story subscriptions count as educational gifts (Legit, Literacy Now updated their guidelines in 2024). Someone always forgets extra art smocks. Who cares? The mess is mandatory.

Top Experience Gift Ideas for All Ages

Nobody ever brags about the pile of bath bombs in the hall closet. These days, it’s the random, hands-on gifts—cooking classes, not another toy truck—that fill up the family calendar. I keep forgetting that amusement park passes or concert tickets actually prevent the living room from becoming a toy graveyard. Last time, my brother’s kids just wanted to stay home and watch YouTube. It happens.

Cooking Classes and Culinary Adventures

Every “let’s try something new” family dinner ends up as a disaster or a legend. Booking a cooking class—maybe a pasta-making session with Chef Arielle Rivera (who teaches knife skills like she’s prepping you for the Olympics)—turns dinner into chaos that’s somehow, weirdly, super fun.

Most places (Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table) do beginner classes where nobody cares if the flour explodes. Kids’ baking camps? They sell out faster than Taylor Swift tickets (no joke). Book early if you want a spot. For adults, wine tastings or weird cuisine tours (Icelandic fish stew, why not?) are way more memorable than gadgets. 2024 stats from The Spruce Eats say experience gifts lead to 70% higher recall and satisfaction than stuff. Don’t expect Instagram-worthy results, though. Nobody’s pasta looks like the brochure.

Art Classes and Workshops

Honestly, the only thing I managed to paint last year was the bathroom trim, but hey, I still dragged my family to a pottery class. Community art centers, private studios, those random watercolor workshops that pop up in strip malls—they’re everywhere now. It’s only embarrassing until you watch someone else’s mug explode in the kiln. Then it’s just funny.

Kids’ sculpture classes, adults doing mixed-media, comic drawing for everyone—sure, now the fridge is covered in lumpy, unidentifiable stuff. But somewhere in the middle of all that, everyone just stops doomscrolling and gets weirdly into mixing cerulean blue. The best part? Most instructors don’t care if you’re good, they just want you to quit apologizing for “not being creative.” Also, gift cards to these places never expire, which is a miracle if you’ve got that cousin who’s always “too busy” until next year.

Amusement Park Visits and Outdoor Fun

Why do I keep buying amusement park tickets? Because nothing beats the family meltdown over the last churro at Six Flags. Or that gut-punch moment when you realize you brought sunscreen but left the tickets on the kitchen counter. And don’t even mention getting a preschooler into a poncho during a Florida thunderstorm (“It’s fun!” Sure it is. Sure.).

National park passes, indoor climbing, ski trips with group lessons—yeah, even ice skating lessons where I eat ice every third lap—they all force us to actually hang out. Apparently, “VIP mobile tickets” are the thing for 2025, so you can skip lines (or lose your phone and panic, which is more my style). Buy early or you’ll end up with tickets to “Mystery Gator Swamp Park” in the middle of nowhere. Not speaking from experience, but…maybe I am.

Concerts, Shows, and Events

Look, if I have to explain one more time why movie tickets at the multiplex don’t count as “real” events, I’ll scream. But somehow, if you give concert tickets, Broadway shows, or even local theater, everyone acts like it’s the Met Gala—even if my nephew lasts ten minutes before demanding popcorn.

There’s everything: symphony picnics, Disney On Ice, outdoor concerts, indie gigs where the kids actually nap in your lap. Massage sessions sneak into the “event” category, right alongside improv classes, and I’m not even mad about it. Just check the venue’s age limits and seat maps. I ended up in a magic show splash zone once—thought it was G-rated, it was not. Still better than another plastic dinosaur.