Give the Gift of Experiences

Bathe an elephant or go behind the scenes of the new Galapagos exhibit to visit with the penguins at the Houston Zoo and buy the animal lover on your list a gift certificate to an Animal Encounter. Feed a giant anteater from a specially designed puzzle feeder or help care for sea lions. Looking for other zoo experiences? Gift an adult child a ticket for a wild carousel ride on a hand-carved and hand-painted carousel animal. Check out these other Houston Zoo gift ideas including Zoo Lights and sending an animal cameo to a loved one.

I can't think of a single person who couldn't use the gift of rest and relaxation right now, can you? Houston has a variety of luxurious spas where you can treat that special person to some well-deserved pampering. Consider a gift card to The Spa at the Four Seasons and try a Private Retreat, a City Tour, play a game at the Topgolf Swing Suite or enjoy Pool Deck Yoga. Treat someone to a day pass to The Houstonian’s Trellis Spa (photo above), where your special someone can access the spa’s soaking pools and garden, jacuzzi, and indoor reflection pool for a relaxing escape.

There's over a dozen local craft breweries in Houston: Sip your way through Houston and buy a gift card for a Houston Brew Pass today. Meet at Market Square for an Astroville Food Tour of Downtown where you can learn about downtown's architecture and the rich cultural food history of Houston. Or checkout a Joyride Houston Brewery Tour where a cart transports you to three Houston breweries and distilleries. Or purchase an experience at Houston Bites & Sites, another tour of Downtown that includes 5 food tastings that showcase the diversity of Houston's food scene.

Purchase a gift card to come visit a space-themed holiday lights show that defies gravity at Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston (photo above). Gift your loved one a Houston Museum Pass, with 1 Day, 3 Day, or 30 Day options. Or buy them a day at the beautiful Houston Botanic Garden, where they can explore a 132-acre living museum with tropical, subtropical, and arid plants from around the world.

Give a Pleasure Pier All-Day Ride Pass a try for a trip out to Galveston and discover the beauty of Galveston Bay with waterfront views like nowhere else. Good for up to one year, an All Day Ride Pass includes entrance to the Pier and unlimited rides all day long. Kemah Boardwalk also offers an All Day Ride Pass, with the boardwalk home to amusement rides, midway games, waterfront restaurants, shopping, live entertainment and special events. For something a little closer to nature, try a Galveston Harbour Dolphin Tour, or Admission to Gator Country, the largest alligator adventure park and sanctuary in Southeast Texas. The Gator Country Adventure Park is home to over 450 American alligators, crocodiles and many different reptiles.

Get creative and purchase a Houston Slingshot Rental and Guided Tour for something unique! A Speedsportz Race Package (photo above) includes top-of-the-line rental karts for a fun and interactive experience (all Rental Kart Racers must be at least 14 years old and 60 inches tall to safely reach the gas and brake pedals). A Catamaran Sailing Lesson with Yachtcations Sailing Experiences could be just the relaxing yet exciting getaway adventure your loved one needs today.

Interested in Houston Architecture? Check out a Historic Building Tour and tour authentically restored buildings built 1823-1905 with these docent-guided history tours. Take a loved one with you on a Joyride Houston Mural Tour through Downtown, East Downtown, and Midtown and view Houston's beloved murals with a guide. If you're feeling historically specific, The Heritage Society offers a Women's History Houses Tour as well, featuring historic homes that were inhabited by progressive, educated, and talented women who helped change the shape of property ownership rights, the suffragist movement, the school system, and the Arts scene in Houston.

Perfect for the whole family, gift an Air, Land, Sea, & Space Pass to access the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Space Center Houston, the Downtown Aquarium, and the Lone Star Flight Museum, all huge hits with every age. And, of course, the incredibly impressive and massively fun Children's Museum (photo above), which includes 90,000 square feet of innovative, interactive, bilingual exhibits for kids, from birth to 12 years.

Hopefully you've found something delightful and appealing from this list of gift experiences for a loved one in your life. Or purchase for yourself!

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Photos: Courtesy of attractions and companies mentioned in this post. Header photo: Houston Zoo, opening photo: Kemah Boardwalk.