Need Gift Ideas for Daughter Who Wants "Experiences" Not Stuff

How about an annual membership to the state parks along with a map? I think the membership in Wisconsin is only $25/year - pretty economical.

classes are a great idea! What about things like zoo memberships or museum memberships if you have anything like that around?

Tickets to a show or concert? The transportation can be up to her.
Or what about lessons of some sort? A class? Cooking? Photography?

ACTUALLY... "student rush" and "dress rehearsals" is how my son and I see/ get in most of our arts & culture.

ex) Regular Opera or Ballet Tickets : $60-200...
Student Rush : $20
Dress rehearsal : $11

If your daughter has any interest in that type of show... she could amtrak in, stay the night, and amtrak out.

Or buy her amtrak tickets to Mineapolis or Chicago (aka what she does there is up to her).

Or get her a hotel night in either city and how she gets and what she does there is up to her.

Here's one option I just looked up and priced for the middle of January:

Hostels International (faboo! experience... I've stayed HI all over the world and in this country, they are an AWESOME thing to become a part of) : $33 http://www.hichicago.org/

So here's a weekday "weekend" option :

Amtrak from LaCrosse to Chicago : $45, 5 hour trip... leaves in the morning get to Chitown mid afternoon. Check into HI-Chicago... two nights at $33 each Amtrak back home $45. = $153

A weekend would cost an added $50 in train fare, and an extra $4 in room fees.

Then what she does in Chicago is up to her. She can spend as little as $20 in going to a blues club, or go to museums, or take part in stuff the hostel is sponsoring, or go to a play/ ballet/ opera etc on discount tickets... or save up and spend a bunch... big city, lots of choices. And it would be on her dime, so her choice.

Concert tickets don't cost too much. (I guess that depends on the group) . If your nearest large city is within a couple hours you could just drive there and come home after before it's too late. And it'll give her something to look forward to seeing that concerts are usually in the distant future when you buy the tickets for them.

Does she like camping? If so you could buy something to use camping ( ie a nice sleeping bag) and set a datefor summer for a fun camping weekend with the family to a place you haven't been before.

A experience could be anything. Is she into riding horses or wants to be. I'm sure that someone in the area does ridding lessons. Skiing lessons, Something like that. Should be too expensive. Around winter you could also rent something winter related like snow shoeing, cross country skiis and get everyone on the family together to try something new. Have fun with it. you could come up with just about anything. 8-)

Well, there are definitely tickets to concerts and events in your area. Also, I don't know if Southwest Airlines flies into the airport nearest you but they do have $100 gift cards that you can purchase that she can use to book a flight. I know she said that she doesn't want more stuff but how is she on the stuff she needs for travel like luggage, travel guides and such? You can also get her some gift certificates for various specialty classes in your area like cooking, art, yoga, interior decorating . . . whatever floats her boat.

Hope this helps.

I had a friend invite me to her self defense class. It was a wonderful experience. So treat her to a private lesson of some kind, usually $30-50.

There are different massages, or facials.

Rock climbing, or different sports your local YMCA may allow a one time try for a flat rate. Ice skating, or some gaming places have the virtual reality games, where you put on a helmet & gloves or a full suit, those are cool.

If she hasn't shot a gun or a bow, check out indoor ranges.

Has she raced a car? Find a local track and get a driver to let you go a few rounds...(i've done this, & it is cool)

Has she operated a tractor, forklift, or other large piece of machinery? Find a local farmer to give her that experience for a small fee.

That is all I got. Hope it helps.

I'm sure this won't be fun or maybe not what she had in mind but how about doing some volunteer work, maybe at a food pantry/meal place. It would be an experience & surely open her eyes, something she will remember & feel great for helping someone.
Another thing, maybe call her local ambulance company & ask if she could do a ride along to see what they do, maybe she'll be interested & become an EMT/Paramedic. I only say that because I am one & thought that would be a great experience. Unless of course she's totally not into that kind of thing. Most people don't know you can do ride alongs at some of the places. May even put her through EMT school.

Good luck & have fun!

Hi L.! We live in WI too (Appleton) and there are a ton of things to do/see in our area. Check out foxcitiespac.org. It's our Performing Arts Center and they have a ton of Broadway shows playing (Wicked is coming in Jan/Feb....it's one of my favorites!). Tickets can start around $30 for some shows, and she can do the "student rush" if you don't live far (I'm not sure how far Holmen is from Appleton).

there are plenty of crazy things she can do, like jump out of an airplane with a pro-buddy. I had a friend (a much braver gal than me) that just did that, and they video you all the way... the video is awesome to watch and makes you feel like you are in the air with her! You could send her on a hot balloon ride. You could maybe start an "experience fund" at your bank and just add money to it now and then and she would eventually have the cash to a trip abroad or to any of the beautiful wonders we have here in our own country than many of us never get the chance to see.
That's about all I can think of off hand.
Nice that you have kids that have that yearning... it means they will accomplish some great things in their lifetime. You are blessed.

How about a visa gift card, she can use it almost anywhere, just like a visa card.

I would do some researches and look for any local ice rinks. Go camping. Concert tickets are not that much. Otherwise I would try to encourage scrapebooking and buy her a camera...she sounds pretty creative...she also sounds like she is tired of the same old stuff she has been doing so she is looking to do new things. Hiking is always free and that is a fun activity. Otherwise, I would see about her doing charity work...like helping the homelss...going to shelters to help out others in need. Good luck....sounds like you have a really special girl there that is a very genuine good person....probably gets that from her parents :)

I totally agree with the idea of Amtrak tix to Mpls or Chicago! So much to do in both cities. Chicago might be easier for her to navigate, as the city is laid out on a grid system and it is pretty easy to figure out public transportation. Minneapolis is a bit more confusing, and I used to live there :-)

Both places are GORGEOUS at Christmas time!

I think this is a great idea. Perhaps a little more challenging for you, but realizing she has enough stuff is a wonderful thing for your daughter.
What colleges or universities are near your daughter?
They often have concerts, ballets, symphonies, plays. You might be able to look into signing her up for classes in her area. Are there any local festivals coming up that she might enjoy? It looks like you have a Shakespeare festival in Winona, MN and the Bristol Renaissance Fair at the IL/WI border. There's also a cranberry festival. I would just google things that are close to her to see if anything appeals to you. I love the idea of train tickets. My kids and I have been on a train and it was our favorite thing we ever did. You can research the cost and maybe even do a combo Christmas/birthday present. I'm sure you can find some things that aren't too cost prohibitive.
You can call the chamber of commerce too to see if they have any ideas.

Best wishes!

Look at see if you have a "Sky Venture" near you. It is indoor skydiving and a lot of fun!

Gift cards to hotel. I love when I get those. Sure it doesn't shoulder the cost of alot of my trip but the hotel is the thing I loathe to pay for so having GC to those makes me happy because it will cover or more than cover that expenditure.

hey there, you probably got all the answers on here you need, but b/c i used to tell my mom the same thing (smile) i thought i'd comment. we didn't go like major or anything, but it was fun to just be together & laugh at all the stupid little things that happen along the way. we went to a local college who had maya angelou (she was handicapped but the only spot avaliable was like 1/4 mile away - so we hee-hawed about that b/c it was so ridiculous & that's more memorable than what maya angelou said!) we also saw a comedian (lots of fun!) and the rockettes. we were living in ft. worth at the time, so yeah there's more stuff than in a small town. but you could always take a weekend - nice/decent hotel, shopping, eating til you're stupid and shopping. probably just the time w/you is what she wants, too. :)
what a sweet girl you have and a sweet mom you are. hope you guys have a great time & you find exactly what you're wanting. :)

If she doesn't belong to AAA already, get her a membership. Besides being great road side assistance, they can get her discounts rates on tickets, accommodations, etc.

To get a good discount on "experiences" try joining Daily Deal or GroupOn. They both send out daily emails with great discounts on local events. I've seen flying lessons, rock climbing, theater, yoga classes, spa days & pottery making classes, etc. You get a printable gift card and typically have up to a year to use it. That might help you to afford something that at full price would be more. I know it helps us a lot to get to try new stuff. Hope that helps!

What a great idea!

If she likes plays, look into purchasing tickets for a community theater. Many of these plays are just as good as professional productions for a fraction of the cost.

How about a mother/daughter one day get away? How far is a larger city, even if it's a 2-3 hour drive it can be done as a day trip, you could leave early morning, visit a museum, have a nice lunch, etc.

Find out where she would like to go, and book the hotel room for a few nights. Give her a gas card to cover the cost of the drive.

Theater... either watching it or taking classes.
I did that as a Teen... REAL fun.. and great bunch of people...

Travel... even to cities near you... then do excursions in that area... each State has a "tourism" website... so do a Google search for it.. .and see what venues or activities each city has...

Your daughter is 20 already... and she said she wants to travel, see concerts, plays etc. Seeing Opera is also real great... and visiting museums... lots of museums.. have great guided Tours... AND classes or workshops too. So you can investigate that.

At 20... I was, along with girlfriends, taking trips, and visiting friends in other locales. Its real fun. For me, I'd pay a portion of it and my parents the other portion of it. Have her sign up with a Tour group. That way, it is already organized and they have an itinerary... food/lodging/quality control etc.

This is a good age... for your daughter to do things. What about a ski trip? Colorado is SO great for that!

Or if you are up to it... she can join a tour group... for travel to Europe or something! The key is... to join a TOUR GROUP... not going on her own... so that you can be assured of her safety etc.

Or, even just having your Daughter work in a soup-kitchen... doing philanthropic work... or charity group. These groups are always looking for Volunteers... and it is a GOOD "experience" type thing....
OR, Volunteer at a Hospital... or elderly home.... personally, I love... talking with elderly and helping them...

all the best,
Susan

A lot of theaters have student rates for season tickets. I used to be able to see 5 musicals a year for $99 at a major theater in LA.

How about memberships to museums, zoo, restaurants etc....

There are sites that cater just to this! Try these:

http://www.excitations.com/

http://www.xperiencedays.com/