32 “Experience Gifts” Ideas For Kids (and their Families)

Want some great Experience Gifts ideas to give your kids? Here are 32 fantastic options!

What are “Experience Gifts?”

Instead of giving a tangible item as a gift, you can give the gift of an experience. An outing, a special trip, a membership pass, lessons – there are so many options!

Experience gifts are great for your family if you feel your child doesn’t need more “stuff.” Instead, you can give them a special experience!

I think Experience Gifts are especially great for grandparents to give their grandkids. For that matter, it’s a great idea to consider gifting the entire family with gifts such a Family Pass to their favorite local activity centers!

Here’s a great list of Gift Experience ideas my friend Kim helped me come up with:

Experience Gifts

1. Museum family pass or trip (There are ALL kinds of museums. Dinosaur museums, history museums, train museums, art museums, craft museums, quilt museums, archaeology museums, science museums, air and space museums, military museums, botanical gardens, and more. Like cameras or photography? Look for a museum that specializes in that subject. Like to roller skate? Check out a skating museums. Some museums are free or accept free-will donations.)
2. Zoo family pass or trip (Sometimes when you have a large family, a family pass is the way to go because even if you only go once or twice it saves you money.)
3. Trip to Great Wolf Lodge (Make wonderful memories!)
4. Tickets to a play, musical, or opera (Consider what the recipient would love to see.)
5. Tickets to a concert (We’ve surprised our boys with this more than once and we still talk about it!)
6. Pool passes 
7. Roller skating passes
8. Bowling passes (What a fun family gift!)
9. Archery or gun range passes (Unique. I like it.)
10. Indoor batting cages
11. Pedicure or manicure date (Would you believe I’ve never done this?)
12. Massage (YES. PLEASE.)
13. Hair cut and style or makeover
14. Movie passes with snack bar money (We did this when Rogue 1 came out.)
15. Horseback riding lessons
16. Instrument lessons (guitar, ukulele and piano lessons)
17. Trampoline park passes
18. Swim park passes
19. Gift card to their favorite restaurant, ice cream parlor, bakery or candy shop (And then go with them.)
20. Coffee date
21. Trip to the pumpkin patch, orchard or berry farm
22. Gift card to their favorite bookstore (And then go with them.)
23. Trip to the Ark Encounter or Creation Museum (Now we’re talking about higher dollar ideas, but if you’re going anyway, you should make it a gift!)
24. Trip to Legoland, Knotts Berry Farm, or similar play park
25. Trip to Silver Dollar City, Six Flags, Disney, Universal Studios
26. Trip to DC to see the icons of American history (Many of them are free admission or outdoors.)
27. Train tickets to go to a specific destination on a train (We want to do this someday with our train-loving 5-year old.)
28. Trip to the beach 
29. Trip to the lake to play in the water, water ski, swim, fish, kayak, etc.
30. Hot air balloon ride (I suggested this one to my husband on our anniversary trip, but he didn’t like the idea. Something about not liking heights…)
31. Helicopter ride
32. Airplane ride over a favorite place (like Yellowstone National Park)

Your turn to share ideas! What Experience Gifts have you given or received?