Holiday Gift Guide: Family Adventure Gift Ideas

Give the gift of survival! Swimming is an essential life skill. There are year round lessons and swim teams for most ages. It is never too early or too late to teach your little ones to swim. We have partnered with British Swim School because their slogan is survival of the littlest which highlights their commitment to water safety. Find out more HERE.

Learning to fish is fun for the whole family. Grab a pole or book a fishing cruise for the family. Captain Chris and his crew at Family Fishing Adventures offer families a phenomenal fishing experience on the Sea Dragon out of the Annapolis Harbor. You can grab a gift card through their online booking system to schedule for a warmer time. Family Fishing Adventures is dedicated to protecting the bay and providing experiences that inspire others to as well. Captain Chris has bottomless energy and passion teaching kids about marine life in the bay. You’ll be laughing and learning the entire time! Read our review HERE.

Set sail for family adventure on the high seas! Ports across the country offer family friendly cruises on lakes, rivers and oceans. We boarded the Sea Gypsy VI in search of pirate booty with Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake. The family owned and operated Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake has been plundering the waters of Annapolis for 17 seasons offering family outings, birthday parties and field trips. Find out more HERE.

Plan a getaway for the family after the holiday craze is over! One of our favorite ways to get away is with Getaway. Getaway offers tiny house cabins, that sleep 2-4 people, nestled in the woods within a couple hours drive of Washington, DC (and other major cities). A Getaway tiny house combines luxury and simplicity in an effortless aesthetic. The minimalist lifestyle at Getaway offers families the perfect opportunity to unplug, slow down and concentrate on building relationships and memories. The amenities in the cabin help make family fun easy. Book your Getaway now. Read our review HERE.

Skiing and snowboarding are great family activities you can continue with kids of all ages. Spending a day on the slopes as a family is a great way to stay active, enjoy the great outdoors and, most importantly, have fun! Whether you ski often or have never been, trekking out to a ski resort with children can be a big undertaking. We love the lessons at Inside Ski provides a year-round opportunity to practice and train without the drive, lift tickets, rentals, or cold weather. Inside Ski Training Center is great for first-timers, expert skiers, and snowboarders of all ages to learn, improve, and practice in a fun and safe environment. Find out more HERE.

Exposing children to live theatre at a young age improves performance, creativity, empathy, cultural relativity, patience, morals, communication and imagination. Get tickets, or a pass, to a family theatre near you. We love that the Adventure Theatre productions are entertaining and fun for children AND parents. We are constantly impressed by the production value of these performances! Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC) educates and inspires new generations of theater artists and audiences with exceptional theatrical experiences. Find out more HERE.

Make theatre a part of your family holiday traditions. A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theater is not just a play; it’s a celebration of the holiday spirit. It’s an opportunity for families to come together, share joyous moments, and embrace the timeless lessons of kindness and generosity. Whether it’s your first encounter with Scrooge’s tale or a yearly family tradition, this production promises to leave hearts glowing with warmth and goodwill. Find out more HERE.

Food brings people together, especially cooking together. You don’t have to be a skilled chef to cook with your kids. Find a cooking class near you, bonus if you can attend together! We loved learning to make cake truffles at Milk Bar this year. We crumbled, mixed, kneaded, rolled, dipped, spilled and taste-tested our way through the one hour class and even learned some baking tips along the way. You can also find delicious treats for holiday get togethers at Milk Bar in stores and online. Find out more HERE.

Ropes courses are a fun family activity that challenge individuals and strengthen bonds. Go Ape! is an outdoor adventure company which runs Tree Top Adventures, Forest Segways, Tree Top Junior Adventures and Zip Trekking Adventures. Go Ape Rock Creek Treetop Adventure course is a fully immersive outdoor experience. Find out more HERE.

New adventures are always popping up like the ultimate fun in the family-friendly archery dodgeball arena in Virginia. Ultimate Archery is a really fun and exciting way to spend time as a family, and not a bad workout either! This action-packed experience can be enjoyed by anyone 7 years or older. Find out more HERE.

It’s not always easy to find adventures for the whole family that rock (pun intended!). Rock climbing offers adventurers of all ages hours of exercise and challenging fun. Climbing as a family has added benefits of improving teamwork, trust, problem solving and communication within the family. Luckily for families, it has never been easier to join the climbing community. Indoor climbing facilities and teams have been popping up across the country. Earth Treks offers open climb, birthday parties and camps. Read our review HERE.

Most cities have a Children’s Museum perfect for a day of interactive fun for kids of all ages. We love Port Discovery Children’s Museum. It is one of the leading non-traditional educational resources of the Mid-Atlantic region and offers three floors of interactive exhibitions and programs for children ages  Birth through 10 years old. Find out more HERE.

Full steam Adventures await families on the train! There are railroads that offer rides anywhere from around town to hours long. Look for a special Holiday ride, or go any day, your kids will love the experience anytime. We love riding the Strasburg Railroad. It’s just over 2 hours from Washington DC and along with a train ride we get the history, science and technology of steam engines.  Find out more HERE.

Aquariums are a fun and educational experience for the whole family. A membership allows you to go slow and see the exhibits in a new way. The National Aquarium lets you get up close and personal with aquatic life unlike any other place in the DC area! Purchasing a National also Aquarium membership supports aquatic education and conservation. Find out more HERE.

A Zoo membership can send you on a fun-filled family adventure to see animals from all over the world. In the DMV we have 2 amazing zoos – Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Maryland Zoo. The National Zoo raises funds to support the Zoo’s mission, providing educational and fun experiences, and inspiring members and guests. The Maryland Zoo allows close-up views to many animals including African elephants, southern white rhinoceros, lionhead rabbits and many more! Find out more HERE.

STEAM Adventures are available year round the Science Center. A membership to your local Science Center will give your little ones more opportunities to explore their world. The Maryland Science Center in Baltimore is 3 stories of fascinating exhibits and science encounters plus a planetarium and IMAX Theater! Find out more HERE.

Access to a makers space provide kids with opportunities to combine creativity and critical thinking. We love the KID Museum, it is an innovative learning space unlike any other in the DC region. The museum provides hands-on learning that incorporates STEM, art, and culture. Find out more HERE.

There is a museum for everything it seems so find one you love to explore! A museum membership is a great way to adventure indoors and foster curiosity in children. With so many free museums in the DC area it may seem crazy to pay for one, but The International Spy Museum is an interactive and creative way to learn about history through an all-but-invisible profession that has shaped history and continues to have a significant impact on world events. Find out more HERE.

A National Parks pass is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Each pass covers entrance fees at National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges as well as standard amenity fees at National Forests and Grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. Find out more HERE.

Take a step back in time and discover history hands-on with multiple visits to a historic site. Pick a place close to home or somewhere that overlaps with school curriculum. Get the kids in on the action or pick a new place every year. We love visiting George Washington’s Mount Vernon because it combines an authentically interpreted 18th-century home, lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and first-rate dining and shopping. The special events, interactive exhibits, daily children’s activities, historic reenactments, and tours offer hours of year-round family fun. Find out more HERE.

Honest History is a quarterly Adventure Magazine for Young Historians. It is best for ages 6-12 years old, but anyone at any age can always learn something new about history. Your kids will discover stories of people who changed the world, sparking new questions and introducing new tales from around the world into the imagination of children. The research and design of these magazines makes them keepsakes.

Every print magazine comes with a free digital download available on the app and the magazine ships internationally. Find out more HERE.

The Back To Basics Book Box comes with a guide for the books and activity ideas as well as a game. The Primary Book Box is designed for children in kindergarten to second grade. The Preschool Box is best for kids 3-5 (my 2 year old often joins in too but with lots of help). Find out more HERE.

When it comes to STEAM fun at home KiwiCo has you covered! The hands-on projects that arrive in the mail are designed to help kids develop into fearless innovators. Absolutely everything needed to build each project, detailed easy to follow (written for kids!) instructions, and an educational magazine to learn even more about that crate’s theme are found in each crate. Find out more HERE.

MakeCrate sends all inclusive kits allowing kids to build their own calculator, room alarm, musical instrument, and more. Each kit contains parts to complete at least 2 projects, but kits can be combined with previous kits for endless opportunity! Online instructions are provided to build and code your circuit. Parents don’t have to be tech geniuses to pass on these coding and electronic essential skills to children. The MakeCrate Blog has posts covering information on coding, concepts and components that are great resources for background information and answering questions. Find out more HERE.

Making the most of family time & take an adventure around the world without leaving your kitchen! Eat2explore delivers the spices, recipes and shopping list. Your family delivers the FUN! These culinary adventures in the Family Dinner Club with Eat2Explore are full of information about the selected country. Each meal we have prepared using Eat2Explore has generated some interesting conversations and tons of questions! Find out more HERE.

CuriosityStream let us try out their on-demand award-winning science, technology, history, and nature documentaries. We are hooked! There are over 1,800 features and series with HD visuals that will captivate and storytelling that showcases some of the most interesting facets of life on our planet and beyond. Shop Holiday Deals: Save 25% on your annual plan! Get a preview of CuriosityStream with the free full episodes. Read our review HERE.

The Personalized Artist Pack by Stuck On You is perfect for the creatively inclined. The vibrant pencils and markers allow little artists and dreamers to color their worlds with joy and pizzazz. They can also use their personalized stamp to ‘sign’ their masterpieces! Stuck On You offers unique, timeless products for every child, save families time, energy and money and help them to lead a more organized life. In addition to a broad offering of labels, the Stuck On You collection includes activity and personalized books, durable and stylish bags, lunchboxes and drink bottles, stationery, bag tags and gorgeous gifts for all ages.