We all know how hard it can be to find that perfect gift. But sometimes the most memorable present isn’t something you can physically pull out of a box. Have you ever considered giving the gift of an experience? One of my favorites gifts of all time was an “experience gift.” My husband and I bought each other tickets to a Broadway show when we knew we were going to be traveling to NJ over the holidays. It was our only gift to each other that year, and while I did not receive something tangible, the memories of the show and the fun we shared in planning our outing continue to stay with me – much more so than a typical sweater gift!

Today I pulled together a list of several places throughout the Triad (and nearby) that could offer wonderful experience gifts, yet I know my list only skims the surface. If I left off an obvious favorite – or if you have another unique experience idea – please add it as a comment below!

If we forgot a favorite experience gift idea, please email us at Kodia.Tmom@gmail.com and we’ll get it added. Enjoy!

Art Experience Gifts (Classes, Workshops, Girls Night Outs)

Food & Wine Experience Gifts (Classes, Tours, Dinners, Girls’ or Guys’ Night Outs)

Visit our list of Kid Friendly Restaurants your whole family will love, or Ethnic restaurants, Adult Favorite restaurants, or where Kids Eat Free (and almost free!)
Beer School at Foothills Brewery
Cooking classes at Reto’s Kitchen or The Stocked Pot
Southern Home & Kitchen cooking classes
Williams-Sonoma Cooking & Product Classes
Raffaldini Winery, Jolo Winery & Vineyards, Childress Vineyards, Rayson Vineyards. Click HERE to see more wineries and vineyards in the Piedmont area
Wine Tours with Yadkin Valley Wine Tours or NC Wine Tours

Membership or Daily Passes Experience Gift Ideas

There are so many different memberships you can offer your recipient, and here are a few local places that make it easy:

Carowinds
Children’s Museum of Alamance County
Greensboro Children’s Museum
Greensboro Science Center
Kaleideum
NC Parks Annual Pass (if you enjoy boating, swimming or 4-wheel driving at state parks)
NC Zoo
Old Salem
Reynolda House
Tanglewood – Annual passes can be purchased at the Front Gate or Welcome Center for $25.00. Entrance fees and Annual Admission do not include Admission to Special Events.

Wet N’ Wild Emerald Pointe
Memberships to gyms or other health/wellness organizations are always a good idea: YMCA of NWNC, YMCA of Greensboro, YMCA of High Point, Orange Theory, 9Round, Jazzersize Winston-Salem Fitness Center, Burn Boot Camp, just to name a few!
Think ahead and buy your family a pool membership for next summer!
There are many other places to consider membership. Visit our directories of Arts & Enrichment, Sports Programs, and Birthday Parties for additional ideas!
Other museums and attractions to consider for memberships and passes:
Battleship NC (Wilmington)
Discovery Place (Charlotte) & Discovery Place Kids (Huntersville)
Marbles Kids Museum (Raleigh)
Museum of Life + Science (Durham)
NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte)
Tweetsie Railroad (Blowing Rock)

Sports Experience Gifts

Purchase a season of your child’s favorite sport. Click HERE to see our directory of Sports Programs in the Triad.
Take the family to see a game (or a season of games) of your favorite sport at these local colleges:
Wake Forest University
UNC Greensboro
High Point University
Elon University
Winston-Salem State
There are several other schools within driving distance of the Triad, including UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University, UNC Charlotte, NC State, Appalachian State, and more!
Don’t forget the pros: Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets.
Or tickets to a local minor league baseball game: Winston-Salem Dash, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Thomasville HiToms, and Burlington Sock Puppets.
Catching a race at Bowman Gray is always fun too (and loud!) or at Farmington Dragway.
Of course you’re not limited to the Triad either. If you’re traveling out of town for the holidays, consider tickets to a game in the city/town of your destination!
Consider giving lessons of a favorite sport to your spouse, child, family member or friend. Ideas include horseback riding, Learn-to-Skate at Greensboro Ice House, swimming at High Point Swim Club (For 10% off, use the coupon code HPSC-TMOM at check-out!), just to name a few!

Relaxing Experience Gifts

Adventurous Experience Gifts

Ace Adventure Center
Charlotte Helicopter Sight Seeing
Hang Gliding
High Ropes Challenge: Kersey Valley High Ropes, SkyWild
NASCAR Racing Experience or NASCAR Junior Ride Alongs
Sky Diving: Piedmont Sky Diving, Sky Dive Carolina
Snow Skiing & Tubing
Train Rides at Tweetsie, NC Transportation Museum, or Polar Express
Triad Eco Adventures
US National White Water Center
Zaloos Canoes
Zip Line Tours: Beanstalk Zip lines, Gorge Zipline, High Gravity, Kersey Valley, Richland Creek Zip Line Canopy Tour
Hot Air Balloon Ride

Local Experience Gifts

Trampoline Parks & Inflatable Fun: Bouncin’ Around, Monkey Joe’s, Safari Nation, SkyZone, Surge
All-A-Flutter
Escape Rooms: Breakout Games, Kersey Valley Escape
Laser Tag: Laser X Burlington, SpareTime, Kersey Valley Laser Tag
Lazy Five Ranch
Obstacle Courses: Cliff Hangers, Level Up
Many more local fun ideas can be found in our Birthday Party directory HERE!

Gift the Gift of a Night Out, Overnight, or a Family Trip

Consider one of these overnight packages with your significant other at the O. Henry Hotel!
Schedule a surprise Day Trip for the family
Book a night or two (or more) at Great Wolf Lodge
Splurge on a date night
Plan a family vacation to Disney or Universal Studios
Explore Biltmore, or experience Greenbrier or Omni Grove Park Inn.
Gift them with thrills and memories at Dollywood or Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA

Give the Gift of Summer Camp

Start your search for the ideal camp experience with our Summer Camp Directory
From now until December 31, you can register your kids at YMCA Camp Hanes using 2017 prices. As of January 1, 2018, prices will increase.

Gift the Gift of Culture

Package tickets together with a gift card for snacks at a favorite national movie theatre, or a locally owned one.
Consider tickets for a performance at The Stevens Center, Blumenthal Performing Arts, Carolina Theatre, Community Theatre of Greensboro, Paramount Theatre, Kernersville Little Theatre, UNCG Theatre, High Point Community Theatre, Milton Rhodes Arts Center, or The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem.
How about dinner and a show at The Barn Theatre
Catch a concert or show at the Greensboro Coliseum
Savor a night out with the Winston-Salem Symphony or Greensboro Symphony

*If you are seeking tickets to a Broadway or Off Broadway show – whether in NYC or another major city – here are some websites & tips you might want to consider:

The free app Today Tix has a good roundup of both discount tickets and digital lotteries that you can enter right on the app.
You can usually find discount codes on BroadwayBox.
In NYC, you can also visit the TKTS discount booth the day of a show for tickets that are about 50% off. The one in Times Square usually has a long line, unless you go later in the afternoon (and there are usually some shows left then). There are also TKTS discount booth at the South Street Seaport, Lincoln Center and in downtown Brooklyn – and the lines are usually lighter at these locations – although all quite a long walk or drive from the theatre district in midtown Manhattan – so plan accordingly.

Other Ways to Give Experience Gifts

Like I mentioned above, sometimes the best gifts of all are those that are not even wrapped. Here are a couple other ways to gift the gift of an experience. Whether you are giving or receiving, these ideas offer an experience for both sides of the gift exchange.
~ Offer to do something nice for a year (laundry, dishes, yard work). You can suggest this to your children who don’t have money to spend on a relative.
~ Donate your time (not just your money) by volunteering with your family. We have great ideas listed HERE.

By Katie Moosbrugger

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More Gift Ideas from TMoM

Gift Ideas for Families Far Away
Visit our Gift Giving Category