It’s the season of gift giving, and of course we love toys, clothes, and things – but there is nothing quite like local gifts of experience and memories! Experience gifts create memories, which help families grow together and memories simply cannot be outgrown, purchased, or donated.
This Guide is sponsored by the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Gift giving is such a fun way to show our loved ones we care, and what better way to do that than give the gift of experience for a family! One present to consider that goes beyond the ordinary is a membership to the Sedgwick County Zoo. More than just a ticket to see our zoo’s wildlife, a zoo membership offers a year-round passport to adventure, education, and family fun.
Give the Gift of Membership by Clicking Here
Black Friday Deal: November 21 through December 1, purchase a membership and receive BONUS free Zoo Bucks and two additional guest passes!
The Sedgwick County Zoo is bringing some extra holiday magic to NewMarket Square this season with their special, limited-time Zoo Market Square!
Opening its doors from Black Friday through December 31, this pop-up shop is your go-to for unique gifts and adorable zoo-themed treasures. You’ll find everything from Zoo memberships and one-of-a-kind jewelry to wildlife-inspired apparel, cuddly plush animals, and eco-friendly goodies perfect for every animal lover on your list. The best part? Every single purchase helps support the Zoo’s amazing work in animal care, education, and conservation.
Best Experience Gift Ideas for Wichita Kids:
Memberships + Day Passes
Here is a full list of 20 Museums and Attractions in Wichita to visit with kids, perfect for what to do over the holidays!
And here is a detailed guide to memberships in Wichita, a great gift for birthdays or the holidays. Memberships and day passes to places like the following:
Wichita Attraction Memberships
- Sedgwick County Zoo – here are 7 Reasons to Give the Gift of a Zoo Membership
- Botanica
- Blast Off Bay
Wichita Museum Memberships
- Exploration Place – here is more information on all the Exploration Place membership perks!
- Old Cowtown
- Museum of World Treasures
- Wichita Art Museum
- Kansas Aviation Museum
Crafting & Creating Memberships
Burning Off Energy Memberships
-
- YMCA Membership (so many benefits!!)
- Aviate Jumping Membership
- Urban Air Membership
Lessons + Classes
- Music, singing, or acting lessons
- Dance classes (all styles for all ages!)
- Art Lessons from Monart at The Art Park, Mark Arts , or Wichita Art Museum
- Gift card to create at Paint the Town
- Cooking classes
- Music classes from Riverside Music Together or Music Together of Wichita
- Horseback riding lessons at a local stable
Tickets for an Experience / Show
- Gift card to make a fun plant creation at GROW
- Rock climbing gift card to Bliss Bouldering & Climbing
- Movie Tickets *you can actually rent the AMC movie theatre for a party
- Tickets to concerts or sporting events *perfect for tweens and teens
- Mini Golf passes or amusement/arcade tickets
- Drive-In Movie Passes
- Waterpark Passes
- Bowling Passes
- Passes to Trampoline Parks
- Tickets to a Music Theatre Wichita show for older kiddos *season tickets if you really love them
- Wichita Children’s Theatre tickets
- A trip to Top Golf
- Ice skating passes or lessons at Wichita Ice Center
Gift Cards for Pampering + Relaxation
- A relaxing Spa Day
- Manicure/Pedicure gift cards *great for little girls and teens
- A family vacation
- Book store gift cards
Foodie Experiences
- Gift card to a favorite restaurant – you can find our go-to restaurants where we send visitors here
- Ice cream shop gift cards
- Gift card to one of Wichita’s fancy/romantic restaurants
What would you add to this experience gifts list?
[…] Non-Toy (Local) Gift Ideas for Kids […]
Great list! Thanks.
You’re welcome! Add All Star Sports to the list as well, I recently learned they too sell gift cards!
I have also seen children work with their parents on their birthday to make a donation to a homeless shelter or lunch program for needy kids or animals. They ask friends to bring useful items instead of birthday presents to their parties. It gets them in the spirit of volunteering and thinking of others AND has the added bonus of making them feel good.
What a fantastic idea, Ora. Thank you for sharing!
This is really an attractive and exciting blog for the Buy Online Gifts.
Thanks for sharing your thought and feeling with us, please keep it up.
Online Gift Items
I love these ideas! I think that gifting an experience is far better than any materialistic gift you could receive. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the ideas! My nephews have material stuff, but they love doing stuff with others more. For Christmas my sister thought my idea of an “Auntie Outing” coupon book would be an awesome idea. So these ideas will help! My nephew are 9 and 16(almost 17), so finding stuff for both is a bit challenging, but they are such a team, I know they’ll love this.
I have put on our Christmas list tickets to a Wichita State Basketball game for the family. We have a 9 year old boy who plays basketball.
What a great idea – love that!