Northwest Experiences Holiday Gift Guide – Gift Ideas for the Family & Date Night Ideas too!

Sharing is caring!

Are you looking to give a gift that doesn’t take up any space or create any more clutter for your loved ones?  While most folks don’t need more stuff, you can never have enough time with the ones that you love.

We have some great ideas for you that are gifts of experience and special memories around the Northwest that can be enjoyed throughout the year.  Recipients will be thrilled to play tourist in their own city, try something fun they’ve always wanted to do, or simply enjoy the gift of quality time with loved ones.

Western Washington:

Gift Ideas for Kids and Families:

Gameworks All Day Play Card – Seattle, WA

Give the gift of an All Day Play Day at Gameworks Seattle, an interactive game space downtown Seattle where your recipient can play games to their heart’s content for 68% off.  An All Day Play Card and $20 Game card that normally goes for $75 is $25 on Groupon right now.

iFly Indoor Skydiving Experience – Tukwila, WA

This deal through Costco gives a recipient as young as 3 and as old as 103, an indoor flight experience that includes two 1-minute flights, a video-clip, and hands-on instruction for $69.99 through an e-certificate that will be emailed within about an hour after it’s ordered.  Only one flight experience can be redeemed per person- please read the instructions on the Costco site before purchasing this almost out-of-this world experience!  Make sure to check out Sia’s  review of her family’s experience, too.

You can also find even lower discount tickets on the Goldstar.com site, but these are only for Mon-Fri December days right now.

Paintball Tickets –  6 locations around Puget Sound

Get all-day paintball admission and equipment rental for 1 or groups of 4, 6 or 12. This is for ages 10 and up, so it’s most appropriate for the tweens and teens in your life. Get tickets on Groupon for $5-$55 (regularly $20-$480).

Photo Credit: The Makery

The Makery DIY Craft Studio – Tacoma, WA

If you love to get crafty with your girlfriends or kids, the Makery is the place to visit & maybe gift someone a gift card from their shop so they can visit any time to paint. They are a DIY craft studio where you can visit during Open Paint or a special painting party to make a beautiful wood sign, personalized to your home with colors you love! These signs turn out so cute as they have so many fun designs & they are constantly adding new seasonal designs, too.

Grand Prix Raceway – Lakewood, WA

Get ready for a night of speed! This would be a fun family adventure to race kids against adults. This indoor go-kart track is a quarter mile long & go-karts race up to 35 miles an hour, so it’s a great adrenaline pumping activity to do with older kids or teens.

Make sure to check Groupon as there are frequent offers – currently you can pay just $29.99 (reg $44) on Groupon for two 20 lap go-kart races at the Grand Prix Raceway in Lakewood.

Build a Bear Workshop Gift Cards – Tacoma, WA or Lynnwood, WA

If you have kiddos who loved stuffed animals, you can get them a gift card to Build a Bear. They’ll be able to make their own stuffed animal with a choice of accessories and unique personalizations. Get 4 gifts cards, each worth $25 for only $69.99 at Costco now, a savings of $30! Build-A-Bear has some great savings available all year that you can combine this with, too.

Family Fun Center – Tukwila, WA & Edmonds, WA, Wilsonville, OR

Take the family for a fun night out with bumper cars, Max Flight roller-coaster simulator, outdoor kiddie cars, and the outdoor Screamin’ Swing. In Edmonds and Wilsonville, there is also outdoor mini golf and bumper boats.

They are not currently on Groupon -but keep checking back as they do frequently go on sale at Groupon. 

Tour Seattle’s Theo Chocolate Factory – Fremont, WA

Give your recipient a chance to pretend to be Willy Wonka for an afternoon while touring a working chocolate factory, Theo Chocolate, in the heart of Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.  Tours start at $12 and children 6 and over are welcome on the regular tour, while younger children may participate in a weekly chocolate story time that can be booked through the factory’s website. This is a bean to bar chocolate, fair-trade, organic chocolate company. 

Urban Adventure Scavenger Hunt – Seattle, WA

Embark on a scavenger hunt that takes you on a journey through Seattle’s landmarks, traversing 3 miles and riding the monorail. The hunt is $49 for the full quest and it includes a family or team of 2-5 people.

A weekend at Great Wolf Lodge – Grand Mound, WA

Sometimes a weekend away together is a perfect family present and Great Wolf Lodge is a fabulous getaway for the whole family especially when there is a discount involved.

Great Wolf Lodge is frequently available on Groupon & there is currently an offer with prices as low as $119/nt! You can prebook the dates when you purchase so you know ahead of time what weekend you can visit.  This is a great last-minute gift and it’s also easy to print out a picture to wrap up and put under the tree.

Get Eye to Eye with a Shark at the Point Defiance Zoo – Tacoma, WA

For $75 (or $60 with a Point Defiance Zoo Membership) your gift recipient as young as 8 years old can pull on a dry suit over their clothes and venture into an underwater cage to come face to face with a shark on a Level 1 dive.  {Save 20% by booking a weekday visit}

Museum Memberships in Washington

You can’t go wrong with a museum or zoo membership, too. Memberships are awesome because the recipient can use them year-round, and most include gift shop discounts and additional passes for friends.

Plus, most museums and zoos participate in a reciprocal agreement with nationwide zoos or museums, which means you can get a discount or even free admission at locations around the country, which offers even more savings.

Some  favorites for kids and families include:

• Northwest Trek
• Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Seattle Aquarium
• Seattle Children’s Museum
• MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry)
• Pacific Science Center
• Museum of Flight
• MoPOP Museum ( purchasing a Family Membership also includes 50% admission to the Living Computer Museum and the Flying Heritage Collection.
• The All-New Burke Museum

Gift Ideas for Adults:

Murder Mystery Dinner – Lynnwood, Snohomish, & Tacoma, WA & Hillsboro & Portland, OR

Here’s a fun idea for a gift to give an adult or couple – buy tickets for an interactive murder mystery dinner. Guests will be served a three-coursee meal while professional actors test their skills as detectives.  This would make for a unique date night experience or a fun night out with a group of friends. 

Right now, Groupon has discount tickets almost 50% off, making each ticket $32.50/ea.  (Reg $60/ea).

Puzzle Break – Seattle, WA 

You’re locked in a room for 60 minutes and the only way out is by solving a puzzle! The entire experience is about 90 minutes and is as low as $30/person for a group of 5

Photo Credit: Show Me Seattle

Show Me Seattle Pike Place Market Tour – Seattle, WA

Play tourist in your own town on a guided Pike Place Market Tour while trying some fun foods along the way.  Kids under 5 are free on this tour that lasts about 2.5 hours.

Make sure to check Groupon as they are frequently available on Groupon for discounted food tours in Seattle. Currently there is an offer for 2.5 hour walking food tours of Seattle for $33.50.

Blade & Timber – Seattle, WA

One of the newer, popular activities for adults is axe throwing & Blade & Timber is a newer facility in Capitol Hill, Seattle, with 18 different lanes for throwing. Prices are $24 for 1 1/2 hrs to share a lane. Kids ages 10 & up can even throw as well, so this could be a fun family event with tweens & teens. They do always give a safety demonstration first.  Buy a traditional or e-gift card as a unique night out.

Ballroom Dancing – Seattle, WA

Gift the gift of dance to a family member or friend or take lessons together. The Pacific Dance Center in Bellevue offers ballroom dancing lessons in several styles to give you a solid dance foundation. They then will have dance parties to practice what you’ve learned – everything from the waltz & tango to the salsa & rumba.

Find discount dance classes on Groupon currently, with prices at $49 for 10 lessons for 1 person (valued at $525) or $95 for 10 lessons for 2 people. What a fun way to connect & get exercise during a fun evening.

Seattle Self-Guided Food Tours – Seattle, WA

If you love to discover new restaurants, Emerald Palate’s self-guided food tours are a great way to explore new neighborhood restaurants and visit at your own pace. There are 2 self guided food tours you can purchase – Ballard & Fremont . Each food tour includes an 8 stop itinerary for visiting food blogger, Adria Saracino’s favorite restaurants in those neighborhood, 13-14 “honorable mention” restaurants and interviews with the restaurant owners as well.

River Valley Cheese Making Class – Renton WA

If your recipient is a foodie, then they would love this hands-on burrata cheese-making class. They lead 90 minute classes showing you the art of making this delicious cheese.

Find discount tickets on Groupon for just $70 (reg $159) for 1 person or $119 (reg $318) for 2 people

Monthly Gift Subscriptions

Fun gifts in the mail can be such a delightful surprise and many of these subscriptions have a variety of gifting options that let you pick one or multiple months so that you can make sure your recipient has something special from the holidays continue into the New Year.

• FabFitFun Box– you can buy just one box or a subscription box for this fun box which features beauty, fashion & fitness items (valued at $200 or   more) – see the current offers on how to save when purchasing
• Facetory – a subscription box of face sheet masks so your recipient can have relaxing evenings enjoying 7 new face masks in every box
• Book of the Month Club–  subscribers can pick from a few pre-selected book choices for their monthly read
• Fonte Monthly Coffee Subscription – coffee choices from Seattle-based Fonte Coffee Roasters.
• Birchbox– a curated monthly makeup sample box
• Classpass – gift a monthly membership to popular local gyms.

Western Oregon:

Gift Ideas for Kids and Families:

Wings & Waves Water Park – McMinnville, Oregon

What better gift than an indoor water park for kids in the middle of winter? Wings & Waves Waterpark is located right next to the Evergreen Air & Space Museum & this park offers fun for all ages. They have slides & tunnels providing lots of adrenaline & ways to get the heart pumping, while sliding down from the belly of a 747 plane. Parents will enjoy the Leisure pool, while kids will get their thrills in the Wave Pool.

Check out Groupon as they offer frequent discount admission to Wings & Waves waterpark for up to 26% off single day admission, with prices $87 for a family of 4 (regularly $116).

Sky Zone Trampoline Park – Vancouver, WA

One of the best ways to get exercise & have a blast together is by heading to a trampoline park. Kids & adults will love jumping on the trampolines, so it’s a great activity to do as a family.

The Sky Zone Trampoline Park offers 90 minute jump passes for up to 46% off  on Groupon frequently – buy discount tickets for a group of 4 for $44 (reg $80) or they offer single tickets as well.

Live Laugh Love Art Paint Your Own Pottery Studio – Portland, OR or Vancouver, WA

Enjoy some one-on-one time with one of your kids or head there as a family to show off your artistic abilities at this Paint Your Own Pottery studio. Walk-ins are always welcome & they are open daily except Tuesdays. So give the gift of art & have fun painting your masterpieces.

Find discount prices for this studio on Groupon right now, a $30 value for just $19.50 – $21.50 (depending on location)

Gift Ideas for Adults:

Rooosevelt Terrariums – Portland, OR

Looking for a relaxing class where your recipient can take home a special item for their home? Give the gift of a terrarium class! They will teach you how to plant a beautiful terrarium that can last for years. These terrariums are totally enclosed, low maintenance terrariums with tropical & woodland options to choose from. They have everything from antique glass jars to fine glass containers.

If you’re looking for a discount on a class, check out Groupon currently for classes as low as $33 (Reg $60) for 1 person.

Mt. Hood Meadows 2 Adult Ski-Lift Ticket e-vouchers – Mt. Hood Meadows, OR

Mt Hood Meadows is a huge mountain with 2150 acres of varied terrain. This gift is only $159.99 for two adult lift ticket vouchers from Costco that will be emailed at time of purchase.  It also includes free ski check at the Mt. Hood Meadows rental shop.

Stumptown Escape Room – Tigard, OR

Escape rooms are a great date night or adventure with friends (or these are also fun to do with older tweens/teens for a family bonding experience). Players will have one hour to reach escape podss, save the Western Hemisphere, gather evidence & escape the dark forces.

Check on Groupon for discounted tickets for up to 24% off for a family of four (on sale for $96, regularly $120)

Museum Memberships in Oregon:

You can’t go wrong with a museum or zoo membership, too. Memberships are awesome because the recipient can use them year round, and most include gift shop discounts and additional passes for friends. Plus, most museums and zoos participate in a reciprocal agreement with nationwide zoos or museums, which means you can get a discount or even free admission at locations around the country, which offers even more savings.  Some favorites for kids and families include:

• Oregon Zoo– in 2018 this also included monthly reciprocal benefits at other Portland-area museums.
• OMSI – (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)
• Portland Children’s Museum
• Gilbert House Children’s Museum
• Evergreen Aviation Museum 
• High Desert Museum (Bend OR)

Check out more Holiday Gift Guides:

VSCO Girl Gift Guide

Hydro Flask Gift Guide

Tween Gift Guide