Give the Gift of Experience With These Action-Packed Presents

Enough stuff!

’Tis the season for festive lights, holiday cheer and, for many kids, extra-long wish lists. Beyond the typical kid-centered purchases parents make every day, the holidays can often put even more strain on our collective wallets. When all is said and done, what’s left to show for it (besides endless piles of torn wrapping paper), are toys that all too often get overlooked.

In the spirit of creating meaningful memories this holiday, we’ve rounded up more than 25 experiences that will surely inspire, thrill and excite your little ones for this year and, we hope, many years to come.

• If your kid loves animals
• If your kid loves the great outdoors
• If your kid loves learning new things
• If your kid loves adventure
• If your kid loves sports
• If your kid loves spending time with you
• If your kid loves shows
• Get creative!

Up first: If your kid loves animals

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2018 and updated most in December 2024 by ParentMap’s managing editor, Allison Sutcliffe, to include a fact-check and new experience gift ideas.  

If your kid loves animals

Seeing lions, tigers and bears has stood the test of time when it comes to classic kid entertainment. Surprise your animal lover with a zoo membership or an aquarium pass. For roughly the cost of a few medium-size Lego sets, you can purchase a customizable annual pass to Woodland Park Zoo for your family and visit as often as your little zoologist desires.

For South Sound families, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s 29 acres are home to captivating zoo animals from around the world, the spectacular Pacific Seas Aquarium and a playground that’s hard to beat. Combo memberships include admission to its sister zoo, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville. This uniquely Northwest park features an area where animals roam freely, allowing visitors close-up views of elk, bison, moose and other critters as they take the narrated Discovery Tram Tour. Animal keeper chats and the awesome Kids’ Trek playground are other highlights.

Cougar-crazy kids will love a trip to Issaquah’s Cougar Mountain Zoo, where they can see the big cats along with wolves, wallabies and other creatures.

Up next: If your kid loves the great outdoors

If your kid loves the great outdoors

Take advantage of Washington’s diverse beauty and surprise your family with an outdoor-themed experience. Grab a gift box and fill it with a Washington State Parks Discover Pass, a kid’s hiking book and binoculars for your aspiring ranger.

Go the extra mile and reserve a campsite. Orcas Island’s Moran State Park and Salt Creek Recreation Area near Port Angeles are summer spots that can’t be beat, or grab your warmest gear and plan an off-season trip. Settle in to watch storms while nestled in a yurt at Cape Disappointment State Park. Also, nearby Warm Beach Camp hosts the amazing Lights of Christmas show.

Up next: If your kid loves learning new things

If your kid loves learning new things

There’s nothing quite like visiting a nearby museum when it comes to edutainment — that stealthy combination of learning and fun that’s surprisingly engaging for kids of all ages. The holidays are a great time to start (or renew) a yearly family museum membership.

Currently, the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) has an “Almost Live” retrospective that’s just as entertaining for kids as it is for parents. The Museum of Flight’s recently opened “Home Beyond Earth” exhibit is truly out of this world: It allows visitors to explore what it would be like to live in space. Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion made a splash when it opened this summer, and a family membership gives everyone ample opportunity to get to know the new space. Dino-loving kids will dig a membership to Seattle’s Burke Museum, and Pacific Science Center is always a hit with curious kids.

Museums that center on whimsy and play, such as Museum of Illusions in Seattle, will surely put a smile on your kid’s face when admission tickets are wrapped up with a bow. And parents can’t go wrong with a local children’s museum membership. It’s always in season.

Up next: If your kid loves adventure

If your kid loves adventure

For kids who can’t get enough action, thrill them with an adrenaline rush. Catch some air and skydive with the pros at iFly Indoor Skydiving. Try it once or sign up for flight school for one-on-one coaching.

Teach them the ropes and take your thrill seekers rock climbing. Edgeworks Climbing + Fitness offers climbing classes for mini rockers (kids as young as 5) at its Bellevue, Seattle and Tacoma locations. Vertical World’s classes start kids at an even younger age, with Parent + Me classes for kids as young as 2. Both will keep even the most energetic of kids on their toes.

If the zip lines at the neighborhood park have lost their luster, check out Canopy Tours NW on Camano Island. Family-owned and -operated, it provides family-friendly forest adventures via six zip lines. High Trek Adventures in Everett, with its ropes course and zip lines, is another thrilling option to consider.

Up next: If your kid loves sports

If your kid loves sports

For sports-loving kids, a ticket to watch the pros play is an excellent gift. And with so many professional teams to choose from in the Greater Seattle area, you can almost always find a team worth watching. Tickets to watch big-name teams such as the Seahawks, Kraken, Storm, Mariners, Reign and Sounders always count as a win.

Families can also get creative with tickets to watch the Seattle Tempest or Seattle Cascades play Ultimate Frisbee, the Everett AquaSox or Tacoma Rainiers play baseball, the Seattle Seawolves play rugby, or the Huskies or Cougars play any sport you can think of.

Up next: If your kid loves spending time with you

If your kid loves spending time with you

Since you can’t gift-wrap your undivided attention, set aside time to try new things with your child — it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Inspire your child’s inner chef with a cooking class. Both FrogLegs Cooking School and PCC offer hands-on classes that kids and parents can take together. Who knows? Maybe they’ll even make you dinner one of these days.

Create art together at spots such as Pratt Fine Arts Center and Squirrelly Workshop. No matter what medium you choose, sitting side by side while you paint, sculpt or fuse glass is guaranteed to create lasting memories. Or just head down to Tinkertopia in Tacoma to play in its Tinkerspace during individual building tinker time; reservations are needed.

Challenge your family to puzzle their way out of an escape room at Hourglass Escapes in Seattle. Although many escape rooms are too challenging for the littlest puzzlers, older kids, tweens and teens will rise to the challenge — how can they not when they get to show off how smart they are! Families with kids age 10 and up are welcome. Kids under 16 must have at least one adult in their party. Kids under 10 may be allowed in with prior authorization. 

Up next: If your kid loves shows

If your kid loves shows

Get your Ticketmaster account ready, because there are some fantastic family-friendly shows coming through Seattle in the next few months, including “Mary Poppins” at the 5th Avenue Theatre (through Dec. 26), “Back to the Future” at The Paramount Theatre (Dec. 10–22) and Seattle Children’s Theater’s production of “The Snow Queen” (through Jan. 5, 2025) — and that’s just the tip of the theater iceberg. Sing along with “The Sound of Music” Jan. 11–12, 2025 at the 5th Ave or get down with “Six” May 6–11, 2025 at the Paramount.

Up next: Get creative!

Get creative!

When it comes to giving experiences, the sky is the limit — and that includes presentation! There’s no need to limit yourself to sticking a gift card in an envelope and calling it good. Get creative!

Wrap a new baseball glove together with a pair of Mariners tickets, or tuck a cooking-class registration form into a ready-to-fill recipe box. A small toy plane goes well with a Museum of Flight membership, and a Seattle guidebook is the perfect companion for any of these gifts.

When all is said and done, your littles will be delighted to have something to open, and even more excited to create special memories through a meaningful and intentional experience.