Photograph: courtesy of Nowaday
Wow your friends and family with one-of-a-kind experience gifts in NYC, from helicopter rides to salt caves and private tours
Written by Shaye Weaver
Editor, Time Out New York
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Finding the perfect gift in NYC can be a challenge, especially for the person who has everything. That’s where an experience gift can come in handy.Giving an experienceis certainly more personalized and fulfilling and caters to your loved ones’ interests. You can book a tour that offers behind-the-scenes access to the top New York attractionsfor your history-buff dad or snag tickets to the new Fotografiska museum for your art-loving bestie. Better yet: join them and share the experience together! Andif you really can’t resistwrapping something up, you can always pick upa few stocking stuffers.
RECOMMENDED: Best Christmas things to do in NYC
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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19 best experience gifts in NYC
1.A vintage car ride
Help them see NYC from a new perspective—from the backseat of a fully restored 1920s-era car. Nowaday is a touring company that offers a stylish, nostalgic experience inside vintage cars, including a city lights tour, a midtown tour, gangsters and ghosts tour, and a vintage car photoshoot, among others. It’s a trip they’ll never forget!
NYC's woman-owned and operated brewery and taproom Talea Beer Co. is offering a mix of really cool beer tastings for the holidays. Treat yourhopsheadto a beer and cheese tasting, yoga and beermosa or a tour and beer tasting among other options starting from $30.
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- Eating
Tiffany & Co.’sBlue Box Caféis the perfect spot to treat someone for their birthday or as a nice gift before or after the holidays.In keeping with the store’s brand, nearly the entire café is decked in Robin’s egg-blue decor. Even the china plates are dipped in blue. It’s a chic and stylish way to dine, for sure.
- Things to do
- Games and hobbies
- Tribeca
The immersive experience at Escape Games NYC is private, so you can cherry-pick your smartest friends to give you an edge. You only have an hour to solve the puzzles, whether you choose the art heist, a high-pressure prison break, an undersea adventure and more. The production quality at Escape Games is top-tier and adds to the overall enjoyment. If escaperooms aren’t their forte, it’s OK—when all else fails, they can appeal to the all-knowing Game Master for a hint or a few extra minutes on the clock.
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- Drinking
The first (legal) whiskey distillery in Manhattan in over a century has a tour and a co*cktail-making class that is fun and super useful! You can find its offerings online and book one today for a tasty gift. Better yet, you can enjoy its full restaurant and speakeasy before or after your class and tour!
- Things to do
- City Life
Riding around the city in a motorcycle sidecar sounds like something you’d only see in an old gangster movie or the Batman television series from the ‘60s, but you can now give your loved one the trip of a lifetime in one of these babies.Dapper Tours is a local tour service that provides guided tours of Gotham from an old-timey sidecar. The vehicle in question is, in fact, a vintage Ural motorcycle, a model that has a fascinating history involving reverse-engineering by Russians in the 1940s. You can't get much cooler than that!
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- Things to do
- Schools and universities
- Battery Park City
Is someone you know struggling to cook delicious meals while staying at home this year? Help them take their culinary skills to the next level with a class from The Institute of Culinary Education Classes. An introductory Knife Skills class would give them all the technique they need to mince, julienne and chop with precision, or they could indulge their dumpling desires virtual dumpling-making course.
Starting at $25 per person
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- Cheesemongers
- West Village
price 2 of 4
Murray’s Cheese has been New York City’s most famed and beloved, vast and varied dairy purveyor since it first opened in Greenwich Village decades ago. If they appreciate cheese or wine, get them entry toMurray’s downtown flagship via burrata and mozzarella-making classes, or lessons on wine and cheese pairings, where they’ll learna bit of the trade.
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- Art
- Art
They won’t be disappointed if you take them to see Painter Marc Chagall’s lusciously vibrant works of art that come to life in this new immersive experience at Hall des Lumières. Titled “Chagall, Paris-New York,” the exhibition explores the prolific painter who defied labels.His works are projected in a larger-than-life scale, taking over walls, ceilings and even the floor of the ornate bank-turned-exhibition hall located at 49 Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan. “Chagall, Paris-New York” is now on view through 2024 with adult tickets starting at $30.In addition to the Chagall works, Hall des Lumières is also displaying works by Wassily Kandinsky.
10.New York Helicopter Tour: City Lights Skyline Experience
Even lifelong New Yorkers have never seen the city quite like this. Board a helicopter after dark tospend half an hour soaring high above the glittering skyline. The Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, the Chrysler Building and countless other NYC landmarks will be on full display in all their glittering glory. The helicopter flight ends with a loop around the Statue of Liberty for one final moment of New York City pride.
From $274 per person
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- Attractions
- Midtown West
If heights aren’t an issue, take them to thehighest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. Edge juts out65 feet into the sky and is up 1,100 feet in the air, making it the highest public balcony in NYC. The deck not only features panoramic views of our city’s skyline but a killer vantage point below. If you want to push their limits even farther, Edge offers a chance to climb the side of the building and lean over the side (with harnesses holding you up). Once done, relax and celebrate your bravery in the bar and restaurant called Peak on the 101th floor.
Book online
12.Holiday Cocoa Cruise
Classic Harbor Linehas fun holiday cruises for those who’d like to enjoy sailing around the city in style. The motor yachtsare decked out with holiday flair and lights and each guest gets one complimentary beverage. Choose fromnew cruises like Cocoa and Carols holiday cruise ($86-$96 per adult) and the Holiday Brunch Cruise ($124-$142 per adult) or one of the classics:NYC Lights andCocoa Cruise ($86-$96 per adult, 1.5 hours); Sunset & Holiday Cocoa Cruise ($86-$96 per adult, 1.5 hours); and the Holiday Live Jazz Cruise ($96-$124 per adult, 1.5 hours).
It also does dazzling New Year's Eve cruises in case you'd like to surprise them with a swanky night out!
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13.Digital Photography: An Introduction
If you know someone who’s picked up a DSLR this year, give thema set of photography lessons to help make the most of his new toy. Start with the three-hour introductory session at the Art of Intuitive Photography, where the expert instructor will cover all the basics—including exposure, white balance and depth of field—and help the classdecode all the complicated buttons and modes.
$150 per person
14.Trapeze Lessons
You can fly! Or at least get the sensation of soaring through the air during a flying trapeze lesson.For an hour and a half, your instructor will teacha 10-person class how to latch onto the bar with your legs, release your arms and fly across the field toa catcher. If you've ever dreamed of running away to the circus, now's your chance!
From $85
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15.Salt Cave Sessions at Montauk Salt Cave
We’ve all got that friend who seems to run on caffeine and nervous energy. And that friend who swear by the power of crystals, salt lamps, and burning sage. Gift either (or both!) the chance to relax with a 45-minute session insideMontauk Salt Cave in the East Village. The Himalayan pink salt lining the room is purported to have anti-inflammatory benefits ranging from healing respiratory illnesses to reducing anxiety. Whether or not the treatment is scientifically valid, it’s a good excuse to unplug and close your eyes for the better part of an hour.
Starting at $20
16.New York Beer and Brewery Tour
Any suds lover would jump at the chance to taste beer from three New York City breweries. Treat the beersnobin your life to an afternoon tasting tour thattraverses three boroughs on a quest to find the best craft beer in the city. Your daywill include stops at McSorley’s Old Ale House, The Brooklyn Brewery, Transmitter Brewing and That Witch Ales You Brewery.Tickets include all booze, bites, and transportation during the 5-hour tour.
$125 per person
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17.One-on-One Makeup Class
Know a budding make-up artist?Give her a private, expert-led session to help take her skills to the next level. With more than 10years of experience in industry, instructor Shara Strand knows all the tricks of the trade—from basic contouring and shadow skills to mastering a strobing palette. Plus, your bestie can purchase any of the brushes, kits, and skincarefeaturedin the one-hour class.
From $20
18.New Year's Eve Dinner Cruise
Snag some of the best (and most romantic) seats in the city for you and your booon New Year's Eve. During this five-hour cruise you'llenjoyan open bar, and nosh on complimentary hors d'oeuvres and delicious buffet-style dinner, while dancing the rest of the year away. On deck in New York Harbor as the clock strikes midnight, your unrivaled view of the fireworks burstingabovethe twinkling skylinewill be one to remember for years to come.
From $250
Looking for more Christmas gift ideas?
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If you’re looking for Christmas gifts for friends this holiday season, we got you
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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