Memories make the best gifts! These experience gifts let you do that for the holidays and year-round. When you give an experience gift instead of physical items, you can make memories long after the wrapping has hit the floor.
Gifting family experiences, like an annual membership to a great local attraction or buying tickets for a fun family show or adventure also helps to reduce clutter and allow for an enjoyable, eco-friendly celebration without all the excess packaging. Enjoy all that Metro Vancouver has to offer, stop the accumulation of clutter and get your family moving in new ways. This year we have split our list into experience gift ideas for "kids & families", and experience ideas for "parents & adults", and we hope it gives you lots of inspiration!
Experience Gifts For
Metro Vancouver Kids & Families
Gift of Music from School Of Rock Vancouver
Are your kids looking to become Rock Stars? Want your grandkids to develop their love of music? Does your spouse want to rock out? School of Rock is Music School reimagined. The patented School of Rock Method uses programs that are designed to encourage learning in a supportive environment where students of all skill levels are comfortable and engaged. They take the music school concept to the next level for kids, teens, and adults by combining private lessons with group rehearsals that culminate in amazing live shows. Chose between lessons in guitar, drums, bass guitar, vocals, & keyboard!
Tickets to A Dinosaur Tale LIVE-Action Show
In the tradition of such family favourites as E.T., The Avengers, and Jurassic World, comes A Dinosaur Tale! A mysterious time-warping wormhole has brought the dinosaurs back into our world and it’s up to Lisa & Declan, a pair of intrepid eighth graders, to send the creatures home before the school field trip is over. Tickets to this LIVE-action fantasy adventure for the whole family make a perfect experience gift this holiday season! Shows at the Massey Theatre in New Westminster on March 18 & 19, 2023 at 2 pm and 7 pm.
WINTER FUN AT CYPRESS MOUNTAIN
Cypress Mountain is Vancouver’s BIGGEST Ski and Snowboarding resort located only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver! For outdoor adventurers, Cypress Mountain offers the gift of many fresh-air options from season passes for downhill or cross-country skiing, to one-time use passes for snowshoeing or a visit to their incredible snow tube park for big kids & adults or sliding hill for little ones! Cypress Mountain has you covered for awesome experience gifts for all of your family & friends this holiday season
MEMBERSHIP TO MAPLEWOOD FARM IN NORTH VANCOUVER
Have an animal lover on your list? Give the gift of a yearly membership to Maplewood Farm! Maplewood Farm is five acres of rural family fun in the urban heart of the North Shore. Located along the Seymour River in North Vancouver, and just a twenty-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, the farm is home to many friendly domestic animals and birds, and offers a unique and enjoyable experience for visitors of all ages.
- Dive into history with Beyond King Tut
- Discover mountain adventures at the Sea to Sky Gondola
- Explore underground at Britannia Mine Museum
- Brave a 70 m high walk at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
- Enter the magical world of horses & horse care with the Unicorn Club
- Explore life on the farm at Maplewood Farm in North Vancouver
- Enjoy a drive-in movie with yummy snacks at the Twilight Drive-In in Langley
- Do a Virtual Family Paint Night with YayMaker
- Explore a miniature city & indoor playground at Kidtropolis in Richmond
- Nature-loving families can enjoy a family membership to NatureKidsBC
- Are the kids climbing the walls? Get them a membership to The Hive Climbing Gym
- Cheer on the Vancouver Canucks or the Vancouver Giants
- Take a workshop together at 4Cats
- Try Parkour at Origins Parkour in Vancouver & Port Moody
- Brave tightropes, climbing up cargo nets, sliding down zip lines & more at WildPlay
- Support bird rehabilitation at George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
- Build circus skills at Vancouver Circus School
- Learn about the sea and the ships that sail it at the Maritime Museum
- Have a tea party at Neverland Tea Salon, Secret Garden Tea Company, or La Petite Cuillère
- Connect with nature at VanDusen Gardens
- Science their socks off at Science World
- Explore outer space at the H.R. Macmillan Space Centre
- Take bigger kids white-water rafting
- Go whale watching
- Take an Online Art Class together at Collage Collage
- Family bowling night out
- Go behind the scenes at the Greater Vancouver Zoo
- Snuggle up with adoptable furry friends at the Catfe or Bunny Cafe
- Head up to the Peak of Vancouver at Grouse Mountain to see the World Famous Lumberjack Show and the awe-inspiring Birds in Motion demonstration
Experience Gifts For Adults in Metro Vancouver
- Drive a race car with Breakaway Experiences
- Go for a Vespa adventure with ZOOM ZOOM Bowen
- Expand your culinary horizons with the Dumplings Masterclass
- Expand your tea knowledge with a Guided Tea Tasting
- Enjoy a staycation at Skwachàys Lodge, Canada's first Indigenous Arts Hotel
- Spooky stories live year-round at the Vancouver Police Museum with Movies in the Morgue
- For those who love the great outdoors, try snorkeling with salmon on Vancouver Island
- Soar over BC's Alpine Lakes and Glaciers with Harbour Air
- Catch a bite on Joe's BBQ Boat
- Explore the stunning wineries of the Fraser Valley with Beyond Bubbles Wine Tours
- Get in touch with your senses at Dark Table restaurant
- Seadoo over to Bowen Island for dinner
There are so many great experiences in Metro Vancouver! Enjoy!
Wondering what to do with the kids in Metro Vancouver this weekend, or what to make for dinner? You can find it at HealthyFamilyLiving.com! From the Sunshine Coast to the Fraser Valley, we’re the best online resource for busy parents looking for practical tips for healthy, active, sustainable living. For the latest on family events, outdoor adventures, birthday parties, camps & classes and kid-approved recipes, follow us on Facebook and sign-up for our parent-approved e-newsletter!
