Are you looking for a special experience gift for family or friends?
It can be challenging if you’re buying a gift for someone who has everything or you don’t want to add more clutter with a gift that may or may not be used.
When you purchase a fun experience gift around Cincinnati you are helping put dollars back into the community by supporting small businesses, local restaurants, attractions, and museums.
I’ve worked really hard to search and update all of the local attractions listed below. Many of these are small business owners that you can support.
I’ve added the link for each experience gift idea listed so you can find more information on their website as you gather ideas for your loved ones.
This article contains affiliate links.
Experience gifts are great gifts for the holiday season, special occasions, birthdays, and/or Mother’s or Father’s Day.
Experience Gift Ideas With Annual Passes
One of the best things about a family membership or annual pass is that it’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long! Consider one of these fun options:
- Kings Island Amusement Park (pass holders enjoy free parking)
- Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (pass holders enjoy free parking)
- Newport Aquarium, featuring a 75-foot long Shark Bridge suspended above 385,000 gallons of open water
- Cincinnati Museum Center (Includes the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, and Museum of Natural History & Science)
- Perfect North Slopes (Winter)
- Cincinnati Nature Center
- Behringer-Crawford Museum (Museum located in Devou Park)
- Gorman Heritage Farm
- Creation Museum
- Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park
- Cincinnati Observatory
- Great Parks of Hamilton County (Annual Vehicle Motor Permit)
- Kirkwood Adventure Park (Summer)
- Land of Illusion Adventure Park (Summer)
- Wake Nation Cincinnati (Summer)
Experience Gift Ideas for the Sports Fan
Surprise that special someone with tickets to an upcoming game, match, or race.
- Bengals Tickets
- Cincinnati Reds Tickets
- Reds Heads Kids Club – (Recommended for kids ages 3-12)
- Redsfest – Annual Event in December
- FC Cincinnati Tickets
- Cincinnati Cyclones Tickets
- Western & Southern Tickets
- Cincinnati Rollergirls
Experience Gifts That Are Fun With a Group
- Fowling Warehouse Cincinnati (Learn more about fowling…hint: football fans who enjoy bowling would love fowling)
- Archery Arena ( Archery Dodgeball)
- Top Golf
- Pedal Wagon
- Tokyo Kitty (Rent a private karaoke room in downtown Cincinnati)
- Cincinnati Curling Club (Learn to curl)
- PAR3 at Newport on the Levee (indoor mini-golf)
- The Acres – (Driving Range and mini golf)
Ax Throwing Locations
- Class Axe Throwing
- Full Throttle Adrenaline Park (Florence and Cincinnati)
Indoor Go Kart Locations
Duckpin Bowling Around Cincinnati
Experience Gift Ideas for Escape Room Lovers
The following are escape rooms around Cincinnati:
- The Escape Game Cincinnati (Read about our experience here)
- Breakout Games
- OTR Escape
- Sherlock’s Escape Rooms
- Escape Room Family LLC
- Delhi Who Dunnit
- Great Room Escape
Experience Gifts to Cross Off Your Bucket List
Experience Gifts for History Lovers
American Legacy Tours does a FANTASTIC job when it comes to making history interesting and FUN!
You can’t go wrong with any of the American Legacy tours. They range from historic, underground, food and drink, and haunted tours. I’ve taken several of their tours and I learn something new each time.
A few of my favorite American Legacy Tours are:
Experience Gift Ideas for Sightseeing Around Cincinnati
- BB Riverboats on the Ohio River
- Cincinnati Segway Tours
- Cincinnati Dinner Train (Read more about our experience on the Cincinnati Dinner Train)
- Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad
Experience Gift Ideas for Foodies
Food tours are one of the BEST ways to experience a city, for tourists and locals.
Learn more about the history of the area and great restaurants to visit during a food tour.
- Cincinnati Food Tours
- Riverside Food Tours
- Mystery Picnic
- Jungle Jim’s International Market (Be sure to stop by their tasting room for a wine tasting!)
- Afternoon tea at Bonbonerie
Cooking Classes in Cincinnati
A cooking class is a great experience gift for novices and advanced cooks/bakers who want to sharpen their skills.
The following local businesses offer cooking classes:
- Tablespoon Cooking Co.
- Sur La Table
- The Learning Kitchen
- Out of Thyme Kitchen Studio
- Afromeals
- Del Gardo’s – (Private Cannoli-making class)
- Carobello Coffee shop (Coffee classes or try a Tasting Experience at their Analog Coffee Bar)
Experience Gift Tours for Craft Brew, Wine and Spirits
Learn more about the art of craft brewing, distilling, or winemaking during one of these tours around Cincinnati.
This is a great experience gift for someone who enjoys discovering craft brewers, winemakers, and distillers nearby.
- Cincinnati Wine Wagon, Cincinnati Brew Bus, & Cincinnati Bourbon Bus
- Brewing Heritage Trail
- Rhinegeist Brewery
- New Riff Distilling
- Stamp Passport on the B Line
- Book a Customized Bourbon Tour with Tour With US KY (Read about our bourbon tour experience here)
- Grilled to Perfection Dinner at Vinoklet Winery
- Second Sights Spirits
- Pensive Distilling Co
- Custom Bourbon Blending Experience at Willow Run
Experience Gift Ideas for Animal Lovers
These experience gift ideas for animal lovers, perfect for all ages, allow participants to get up close with their animal of choice.
- Wolf Encounter at Wolf Creek Habitat and Rescue (must be 5ft tall for an interaction) (Yes, that’s a wolf playing with my hair)
- Behind the Scenes Experience at the Cincinnati Zoo (Encounters with the giraffes, penguins, wallabies, elephants, hippos, or Red Panda)
- Backstage Animal Experience and Penguin Encounters at Newport Aquarium
- Kitty Brew Cafe ( You can even adopt a cat while you’re there)
- Purrfect Day Cat Café (Read about our experience here)
Experience Gift Ideas for Art Lovers
Regardless of your recipient’s skill level, consider gifting an annual membership or art class(es) at the following museums and centers:
- Cincinnati Art Museum (Annual Membership)
- Taft Museum of Art (Annual Membership)
- Contemporary Arts Center
- The Carnegie
- Baker-Hunt Art & Cultural Center (Classes)
- Art Academy of Cincinnati (Classes)
- Artworks Mural Tour
Paint and Sip Classes Around Cincinnati
These Paint and Slip Classes are a great experience gift for someone who enjoys being social while tapping into their creative side.
- Not Your Average Paint and Sip Class
- A Stroke of Art
- Soul Palette
- Painting with a Twist
- Pinot’s Palette
- Board & Brush Creative Studio – Crestview Hills
Splatter Paint Experiences Around Cincinnati
Splatter Paint experiences are a great experience gift idea for groups to experience together who enjoy making art out of a mess.
Museums with an Admission Fee
- American Sign Museum (The largest sign museum in the United States and a must-see museum for neon sign lovers!)
- Reds Hall of Fame Museum at Great American Ball Park
- Cincinnati Fire Museum
- Krohn Conservatory
- Cincinnati Museum Center
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
- The Historic Loveland Castle & Museum Chateau Laroche
Experience Gift Ideas for Crafters/ Makers
The following are some of the best places to connect with local artists and make something of your own.
Where You Can Make a Custom Candle or Soap Around Cincinnati
Where You Can Make Jewelry or Something With Glass in Cincinnati
Where You Can Make Pottery or Paint Your Own Pottery Around Cincinnati
- Queen City Clay
- Mad Potter
- The Pottery Place
- Doodlin Pottery Studio
- DIY Pottery-Florence Mall
- Color Me Mine
- Art On Fire Of Cincinnati
- Star Glazers
- Core Clay
- Covington Clay
- Guided Tour of Rookwood Pottery
Build Something
Lego enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy challenging themselves on a build at The Brickery Cafe and Play.
The Brickery Cafe and Play (LEGO)
Floral Workshops Around Cincinnati
This is a great experience for someone who wants to learn more about the art of floral arranging.
Experience Gift Ideas for Concert Lovers
Whether it’s general admission tickets or front-row seats, tickets to a concert are the perfect experience gift for the music lover in your life.
Give them something to look forward to with tickets to see their favorite artist or band.
Check out the upcoming shows and live music coming to the following venues:
- PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation
- Riverbend Music Center
- Bogart’s
- Cincinnati Music Hall
- Taft Theatre
- The Ludlow Garage
- Heritage Bank Center
Experience Gifts for Live Performance Lovers
A live performance is a great experience gift for anyone that appreciates the theatre. If you’re looking for an additional gift to go with the tickets, you may want to consider a gift card to your favorite restaurant near the venue.
Check out upcoming live performances and special events at the following venues in Cincinnati:
- Broadway in Cincinnati tickets – Aronoff Center for the Arts
- Playhouse in the Park
- Know Theatre of Cincinnati
- Taft Theatre
- Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
- Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
- Covedale Center for Performing Arts
- Warsaw Federal Incline Theater
- Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
- The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
- The Carnegie
- Cincinnati Ballet
- Circus Performance at Bircus Brewing Company
Experience Gift Ideas for Active Kids/ Teens
Indoor Trampoline Parks
The following trampoline parks are a great way to burn off some energy:
- Sky Zone Trampoline Park
- Defy -Cincinnati
- Get Air Trampoline Park – West Chester
- Urban Air Adventure Park
- Nova Trampoline Park
- Silverlake The Family Place (*Non-members can book for birthday parties)
Indoor Multi-Activity Attractions
- Sports of All Sorts
- Dave & Busters
- Main Event
- Scene 75 Entertainment Center
- Strike & Spare – Erlanger
Indoor Playgrounds
- LilyPad
- Run Jump-n-Play
- We Rock the Spectrum – Cincinnati
- Wonderland Playground and Party Venue
- Dig ‘N Play
- Jump & Jack’s
- Discovery Zone
- Jump! Zone Party Play Center
Obstacle Course
- Swift Movement Studio
- USA Ninja Challenge
- ELMNTL fitness
- EarthJoy Tree Adventures Guided Tree Climb
Indoor Rock Climbing
- Climb Time Oakley
- Climb Cincy
- RockQuest Climbing Center
- Climb Time of Blue Ash
- Mosaic Climbing
- Silverlake The Family Place
Swim Lessons
Swim lessons can be a great gift for all ages and skill levels.
- Silverlake “The Family Place” (Northern Kentucky)
- Goldfish Swim School
- Bear Paddle Swim School
Experience Gift Ideas for Movie Lovers
Consider a gift card for the following movie theaters around Cincinnati:
- Cobb Liberty Luxury 15 & Cinébistro
- AMC Newport On The Levee 20
- Cincinnati World Cinema at the Garfield Theatre
- Esquire Theatre
- Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater
- Cinemark Oakley Station and XD
- Cinemark Western Hills 14
- Mariemont Theatre
- AMC DINE-IN Anderson Towne Center 9
- Kenwood Theatre Cincinnati
- RJ Cinema Distillery & Taproom
- Regal Wilder
Drive-in Movie Theatres
Use this drive-in movie checklist before you go.
Ice Skating Experience Gift Ideas
You can give the gift of ice skating year-round between all these options around Cincinnati.
Seasonal Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks Around Cincinnati
- Ice Skating/ Bumper Cars on the Ice at Fountain Square
- Fifty West Burger Bar Ice Rink
- Ice Rink at Summit Park
Indoor Ice Skating Rinks Around Cincinnati
Rooftop Igloos Around Cincinnati
- Frosthaus Covington
- Upper Deck at the AC Hotel
- The View at Shires’ Garden
- Braxton Brewery (Covington, KY)
- Kon-Tiki’s Fire Lounge Igloo Experience (Newport on the Levee)
Unique Overnight Stays Around Cincinnati
Give the recipient something to look forward to with a unique overnight stay in the great outdoors.
- EarthJoy Treehouse Adventures (I’ve stayed in each of their treehouses and had a great time at both!)
- The Swing House (Airbnb with a Giant Swing inside)
- 21c Museum Hotel (Art-themed boutique museum hotel) Save $$$ on booking your stay here
- Great Wolf Lodge (Learn more about what to expect at Great Wolf Lodge) Save $$$ on booking your stay here
- Camp Cedar Near Kings Island (Luxury campground with cabins and RV campsites)
- Great Parks of Hamilton County (Cabins and campsites at various campgrounds) We had one of the best experiences when we camped at Winton Woods.
- Hueston Woods Lodge
- Family Twiga Overnight the Cincinnati Zoo
- Overnight at the Newport Aquarium (Sleep with the sharks)
Save Money on Cincinnati Experiences
Cincinnati POGO Pass – use the “ADVMOM” discount code for 50% off a pass that includes 15 attractions in Cincinnati!
(You can buy now and activate later)
*Check the Pogo Pass website for what’s specifically included at each attraction
- Cincinnati Museum Center
- Cincinnati Reds
- Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
- Cincinnati Zoo
- D-BAT Hebron
- Deck The Y’alls
- Goldfish Swim Schools
- Florence Y’alls
- Fowling Warehouse
- Jump!Zone
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
- Recreations Outlet
- Strike & Spare
- Velocity Esports
- The Web Extreme Entertainment
Save on the following attractions around Cincinnati included with the Pogo Pass and don’t forget to use my discount code “ADVMOM“
Watch My Segment with John Matareese
You can see clips of me indoor skydiving at iFly.
What an amazing list! Will be printing this for ideas!
My daughter would love to see Peter Pan
Great ideas for my big kids!! We will be going fowling!!
This would be such an amazing gift for either of my theater and music loving children. They are 24 & 20 so time with them is precious.
Such a great article.
Grateful for all the giveaway opportunities!
What a great list!!!! Definitely saving this for date night ideas!
I would love any of the prizes! They all look great!
This is such a comprehensive list of wonderful gifts and experiences! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights. There is so much to do!
Would love to share adventures with my kids before they get too old for such fun memories.
I’d love to be able to share these adventures with my family! You’re such an inspiration??
My grandson would LOVE this!
There are some excellent ideas in this blog post as well as upcoming events I wasn’t aware of. My son is about to turn ten and would love to try out the archery place.
Great list, so much fun in our tri-state area!
I love Adventure Mom! So many great recommendations I’ve used for my family from trips to birthdays. ??
So many great ideas and places to visit! Thank you!
ALL great ideas! Thank you
Best. Lists. (And giveaways) Ever.
This is such a great list of ideas! I would love to win any of the prizes because my daughters and I love to try new experiences!
Thank you for the amount of time and effort you’ve put in to make such a fun list!!! I hope to win!!! I love your ideas
would love to win any of these prizes! great list!
Such a fun giveaway!! ?
Great list! So many fun things to do!
These would make amazing experience gifts for my daughter!
Great article! Hope to win!
My birthday is coming up and a lot of this sounds like a fun way to celebrate! Thank you!
We would love to win and take the kids to Cincinnati over their winter break!
These are great experience ideas!! So many I’ve never heard of! Thank you!
Amazing list of ideas!
So many incredible ideas here! Thanks for putting this together!
What an incredible list! Thank you for the effort put in to create this! I will definitely refer to this a lot in the future! You’re the best!
I had no idea we have so many escape rooms in the area!
I’d love to win so I can have fun with my daughters!
I would love to win because it would be a great getaway for my family!
Would love share these adventures with my momma.
This would be so amazing to win! What a great prize, but also so many great ideas for experiences! Thank you!
Thank you, these are great ideas. It is helpful to have a list of ideas of adventures near home.
Wow! What a great list! I am going to use some of these ideas and share with friends!
Thanks! This is a great list! Sharing with my son.
So many great things in this giveaway! My boys would love the treehouse!!
Wow!! What an amazing list of great ideas!! Thanks!!
Wonderful article!!!
Thank you for working so hard to bring us the best ideas!
Love all the ideas for experiences! This list helped me with Christmas ideas for our young adult children! Thank you Nedra!
Wow!!! That was definitely a one stop shop!!!! Information for many things people want all in one place! Great job!!!
Some great gift ideas! Thanks for putting this together!
this was so helpful – I found several gifts for loved ones! thank you!!
Thank you once again, Nedra, for a wonderful giveaway. This would be wonderful for our older grandchildren!
I really need to try more of these things! Great list, Nedra!!!
We travel from Columbus to Cincinnati at least once a year because there is SO much to do there – and your suggestions are invaluable as I plan our trips. A stay in the Treehouse would be the ultimate adventure for my son.
What an incredible list of gift ideas! Makes me want to plan a long visit to the area. I’m definitely a go for the tree house overnight.
Thank you for the chance to win. I’d love to try some of these places
You have given me a lot of information about things to do in Cincinnati. These are some great ideas! Thanks for the chance to win!
I love your amazing adventures! Thanks for the opportunity to win some amazing adventures as well. Merry Christmas!
What a great list and thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for all the great ideas!!!
This list is amazing!! Can’t imagine how much time that took!? And this prize package is incredible! Someone is going to be very lucky!
Love all these ideas! Thanks for getting them together!
I love getting ideas from you on fun things to do! I get inspired from reading about your adventures. Would love to win and experience these adventures with my family!
Fabulous roundup of adventure ideas!
What a great opportunity for a staycation in our city!
So many great ideas! Love that there were Cincy things I had never heard about before!
So many fun ideas in one list and there are so many I never knew about. Shared with my sister who is coming into town next week, as she wanted to go ice skating and I didnt know of all the places available. Our family would love to win the giveaway to experience Cincinnati and make lasting memories.
This is an awesome list! Could have used this yesterday when my brother and sister-in-law asked me what experience they can buy gift cards for my girls. This is such a complete list, so many of these I had forgotten about. Plus, this is an awesome giveaway package. Wow! Merry Christmas!
I love this post! There are so many great ideas for not only gift giving ideas but just things to do in general. Thank you for posting this and sharing this info!!
This is so helpful & that is one heck of a give away! Definitely some great ideas!!
This is a amazing list of local stuff to do with my family! Thank you! My boys would love to do so many things on this list! Thank you for the giveaway and chance to try a few of them!
What a great list of things to do around Cincinnati! Experiences make great gifts
Totally book marking this list to refer back to throughout the year. Had no idea Del Gardo’s had cannoli making classes! Love it!
We are definitely focusing on more experiences as gifts this year. Thanks for the helpful post!
This is an awesome list of experience gifts. I will definitely save this list for gift ideas throughout the year. It’s so easy to get caught it up buying friends and family more stuff. More toys, more clothes, more home decor, more electronics. This list and your prize pack can provide more quality time with the ones you love enjoying this amazing city.
What an amazing list of ideas!!!
What an awesome list!!!!! Saving this for sure
I have lived here my whole life and not heard of some of these things! Definitely going to make a 2022 bucket list with my kids using some of these ideas! Thank you!
These are incredible ideas and an amazing giveaway! Thanks for sharing!
Love this information! Great ideas for my “experience” gift for my husband. Would love to win the giveaway! Been in Cincinnati 4 years now and am loving it. So many cool things to do.
Oh! What a great gift package! Everything looks so fun!
I’d love to win and be a tourist in my hometown
I’ve lived here my whole life and have only done maybe a handful of these. I’d love to win the giveaway so I can try some of these amazing things.
i’ve been wanting to do the treehouse thing forever!!!!
All of these are so amazing! I’d love to win for my daughters.
What a great list of experience gifts!
Wow! Never knew there was so much to do there! And what an amazing prize package!
Hi Nendra,
I didn’t know about the experience gift before reading your post. So, thank you so much for familiarizing me with the term. I was looking for a gift for someone close to me, and after reading your article I have so many great ideas. I wasn’t aware of the things you could do in Cincinnati, your post really helped me plan an amazing adventure gift. Thank you for taking the time in putting this together. Hope to steal more gift ideas from you in future.
That’s great to hear Melanie! Hope you found some great experience gift ideas for friends and family.
LOVE this article and I am a avid reader of everything you post on here. I appreciate all the insight on local venues.
Love it! Any of those prizes would be awesome, but my favorite would be the tree house !!!
Thanks Jennie! Hoping it helps people find experience gift ideas for everyone on their list.