Reasonably affordable, experiential gifts

June 21, 2017 9:58 AM

I have a couple good friends who have upcoming birthdays. Last year I got them both introductory flight lessons, which they both loved. I've done indoor skydiving and jet boat rides (I'm in Portland, OR) previously. Any other great ideas out there for around $100?
posted by OneSmartMonkey to Human Relations (18 answers total)

I did a flying trapeze class once, and it was terrifying and also amazing. I haven't lived in Portland in years so I can't make any personal recommendations, but a quick Google shows several trapeze/aerial/circus options.
posted by spelunkingplato at 10:08 AM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

REI does mountain biking and outdoor rock climbing courses for about that much! Since you are in the NW, I suspect that there are other climbing and outdoors-y courses - I googled "Portland mountain school" and there's a lot of options.
posted by quadrilaterals at 10:11 AM on June 21, 2017

My wife once got me a helicopter lesson, though I think it was slightly more than $100.00. I got to take over the controls, first one at a time and then all at once. I thought I was gonna kill us. It was awesome. Then I just suggested the instructor fly around a bit, which was really cool.

Last weekend I brought my wife to a falconer. She got to fly some hawks and learn about raptor behavior. The standard session is within your budget. This was in MA though, you'd have to find one in your area.

Other experiences worth having: Sailing, hot air balloon ride, rock climbing, white water rafting, glass bottom boat, air boat ride, glider ride.
posted by bondcliff at 10:20 AM on June 21, 2017 [4 favorites]

Kind of audience dependent, but Puzzle/escape rooms are really neat, and there are several to choose from in Portland.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:51 AM on June 21, 2017 [2 favorites]

Indoor go-kart races? I've only every done it as part of a corporate event, but it was really fun (the electric karts are really fast)
posted by Mr. Big Business at 10:52 AM on June 21, 2017 [3 favorites]

Kayaking or paddleboarding.

You can also check on the PCC Community Education program. They have lots of random experiences. Most are partnered with companies in the community, so even if you don't go through the college, you can check with the partner organization.

Stained Glass making.

There's also a glider organization in Hillsboro/North Plains that will take one person up at a time - looks like it's closer to $140 for each session though.
posted by hydra77 at 10:54 AM on June 21, 2017

GroupOn might give you some ideas.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:04 AM on June 21, 2017

I've done VR (virtual reality) for experiential gifts and it never fails to blow people's minds. Find a VR lounge near you and make sure they have "experiences" (i.e. you truly feel like you are in that place) rather than just games. Floating in space, touching jellyfish in the middle of a coral reef, or having magic hands to do wizardry with are incomparable and unforgettable experiences, and you can do several in one hour. Here in Minneapolis, renting out a bay for one hour for two people is around $50.
posted by rada at 11:08 AM on June 21, 2017 [2 favorites]

Archery!
posted by TrinsicWS at 11:44 AM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Glass Blowing? It looks like you have a place in Portland called Live Laugh Love Art that gets good yelp reviews. I don''t seem to be able to link to it on my phone though. They also have an intro to Welding Yard Art class that looks fun. What a great question.
posted by BoscosMom at 11:47 AM on June 21, 2017 [3 favorites]

How about a cooking class at a local culinary school, or a store like Sur La Table?
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:32 PM on June 21, 2017

My ideas:

Trackers!
Alpine Slide!
Relaxing Massage! (anywhere)
Float Tank!
BrewCycle!
Drone Flying Class! (no experience with this one, just a random google result)
Oregon Coast Aquarium!
Segway Tours!
posted by TomFoolery at 1:28 PM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

I love these ideas and am totally stealing them for date night. My marriage thanks you.
posted by widdershins at 1:46 PM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you are going to do a cooking glass, I'd go to Portland Culinary Workshop.
posted by janell at 2:51 PM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Woodworking or blacksmithing classes.
posted by Quack at 3:29 PM on June 21, 2017

My sister just bought me a session in an immersion tank for my birthday, and I am beyond excited!

Here in Brooklyn, we have Brooklyn Brainery which has quirky one-off classes, and I've bought gift certificates for friends to buy whatever class they want. You probably have something similar by you.
posted by silverstatue at 4:12 PM on June 21, 2017

There are also a lot of one- or two-day workshops at Oregon College of Art and Craft (and other institutions in the area) if you wanted them to spend a fun day woodturning or blacksmithing or dyeing or enameling or potterying or weaving or stitching or darkroom futzing or ....
posted by janell at 6:14 PM on June 21, 2017

Tree Climbing Planet? I haven't been, but it's unique to Portland and I have been curious about something like this for ages.
posted by yarntheory at 2:28 PM on June 22, 2017