Whether you want to cut down on clutter or take time to appreciate what Valentine's Day is really about, experience gifts are a great way to pick a personal present this year. Odds are, every person on your list can benefit from an experience gift. Whether it's a cooking class with Mom, a drive in Dad's dream car, a flower arranging class with Grandma, or a STEAM learning subscription for the kids, anyone and everyone could use a new experience to share with their family members this year.
So, what experience can you gift someone? Well, just about anything! Evaluate their interests and hobbies and then go from there. If you want to stay on budget, consider getting an experience that takes place locally. Or splurge and plan a trip around an experience you can do together. Some of our favorite experience gifts are virtual classes and subscription kits that you can get everyone involved in. One thing is for sure: they'll always appreciate the extra time spent making a memory together.
Have they ever wanted to try their hand at making a true homestyle Italian dish? Or learn how to make a romantic Parisian style roast chicken? Or maybe they've been dying to figure out the secret to getting that perfectly medium rare steak? Gift them a cooking class with Sur la Table so they can learn all the ins and outs of making restaurant-worthy dishes.
Every month they can make a new historical figure's recipe, from names like George Washington, Emily Dickinson, and Rosa Parks. The best part? Each recipe is a replica of the handwritten version, so they can really feel like they're cooking with history.
Taken virtually or in-person at their locations in Vermont and Washington, King Arthur baking classes cover an array of different foods, from supper pies to biscuits to Ramen. Class times range from introductory single courses to more intense courses that take place over a matter of meetings. Classes with kids are also offered!
This STEAM subscription will have them excited to learn something new! It includes fun activities like creating their own comic book, learn chess through storytelling, and making their very own robot. Comes in both three- and six-month subscriptions.
Choose from a three- or six-month subscription and have family game night delivered straight to their door. The best part? This is the experience gift that keeps on giving, because they'll be playing these fun games for years to come.
Surprise them with a full day of driving around town in their dream car. DriveShare gives people the chance to ride or drive in classic cars, like this 1977 Ford Bronco.
Hunt a Killer gives players the opportunity to sit in the detective's seat and lead a murder investigation, and hopefully solve it. It includes tons of different pieces of "evidence" that are incredibly realistic and get players feeling like they're actually in a race for time to find who the culprit is.
REI Adventures takes the planning out of their trips and gives them access to some of the coolest places in the country, from mountain biking in Utah to backpacking in Joshua Tree to hiking the Smokey Mountains. They also offer lodge-based trips if camping isn't your style.
If they aren't able to take a trip anywhere, then give them the next best thing: an audiobook subscription that'll let them adventure wherever their imagination takes them. We love Libro.fm because it supports local book shops.
There's little more romantic—or thrilling—than soaring sky-high aboard a hot air balloon. With rides available all over the country, ballooning makes a particularly perfect gift for the adventurous twosome in your life.
Suds lovers will rejoice when they receive this delectable gift, which includes monthly delivery of 12 beers in four different styles from two microbreweries. They'll be thanking you with every shipment of their "nectar of the guys"—maybe even enough to share.
It may take two to tango, but it won't be hard for your favorite couple to learn the dance when you give them virtual lessons with an expert instructor straight out of Argentina. No prior experience is necessary, and the lesson includes a bit of tango history, too.
This Valentine's Day, make his dreams come true with NASCAR Racing Experience. Choose from two options: 1. Ride along in a high speed drive with a professional at the wheel. 2. Following instruction and a meeting with his crew chief, he'll strap into a real NASCAR and drive on one of the nation's actual race tracks, by himself, with no lead car to follow! Depending on the package purchased, your guy can race for anywhere from five minutes to a whopping 48 minutes, going as fast as his nerve allows.
Your mom is sure to cherish this thoughtful gift, which includes 40 cards for you to exchange with each other and then store in the secret pockets of the book. Meant to honor the unique mother-daughter bond, the tome includes hundreds of writing prompts to help inspire you both to share deeply of yourselves.
There's no better time than now to experience the great outdoors, and there are few places on the planet greater than America's federal recreation sites. This handy pass will give four adults a year's free entrance into more than 2,000 such locations, including the country's most popular national park, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Healthy, delish, and super simple, Blue Apron meals include recipes and all the ingredients they'll need to create dishes so good they'll be proudly Instagramming every one.
Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.
Hannah Jones is the Commerce Editor for Country Living. Her eye is always on the next up-and-coming products to include in gift guides and she's ready to test everything from dog beds to garden tools for product reviews. When she’s not scoping out the latest and greatest items on the market, you can find her hanging with her two rescue dogs.