Step up your gift giving game with a unique Austin experience to discover all of the fun things you can do in the ATX! This list covers the food lovers, the thrill seekers, the game lovers, and everything in between. Bonus: These types of gifts don’t sell out!
Austin Biplane Tours
4321 Emma Browning
Whether you want to give the gift of a romantic sunset flight or an exhilarating aerobatic flight, this is sure to be a one-of-a-kind gift. Fly over Town Lake (aka Lady Bird Lake), the University of Texas, the Capitol, the Colorado River, and Lake Travis as you escape the crazy traffic below. With six different types of flight packages, one including dinner at Eddie V’s, whomever receives this gift will be very surprised! Depending on the duration of the flight, packages can run anywhere from $350 to $1,400.
Cheese Class at Austin Cheese Company
10000 Research Boulevard
Join the Cheese Mongers (yes, that’s the coolest job title we’ve ever heard) at Austin Cheese Shop and learn all there is to know about cheese. Throughout this class, learn where particular cheeses came from, how they’re made, what they pair well with, and more. Enjoy beer and wine during the hour and a half long class. Classes are $40 and include seven different styles of cheese.
Candle Class at Paddywax Candle Bar
3210 Esperanza Crossing
Candles are great gifts for everyone, hands down. But you can also give the gift of letting them create their own scent and candle at Paddywax Candle Bar. Participants choose their favorite vessel and fragrance before being led through each step of the candle pouring process. After pouring, they offer you 20% off all products in the store. You can B.Y.O.B. and hang out until your candle is ready (about three hours after you pour it). Each class is $40 per person and lasts about 1.5 hours. Your candle can be shipped to you at a later date as well!
Circus Training at Sky Candy
1023 Springdale Road
Sky Candy is Austin’s premier circus training center for people of all ages, body types, and fitness levels! Students can learn from the experts in aerial skills, trapeze, bungee, and more. Classes are 75 minutes long and can have as many as eight students in a class. Each class starts at $30.
Easy Tiger Bakery Workshops
709 East 6th
These intimate classes are led by Easy Tiger’s Head Doughpuncher, David Norman. Learn what goes into making the bakery’s delicious breads and pretzels everyday. No experience is necessary! The best part? Each class includes lunch from the Beer Garden kitchen AND you get to take baked goods home. Each class is $150 and must be pre-booked.
The Escape Game
405 Red River
This is the perfect gift to give friends, couples, families, anyone! They’ll be taken into one of The Escape Game’s immersive worlds and have one hour to work through challenges, clues, and puzzles to finish the story and escape. Choose from rooms such as Playground, Prison Break, or The Heist. Rooms can accommodate anywhere from 2 to 12 players and vary in difficulty level. The Escape Game books spots for rooms at $32.99 per person. Each room has a minimum and a maximum amount of players so you could be playing with strangers!
Getaway at Tiny Home Hotel
8207 Canoga
Give the gift of a tiny vacation, literally. Whether you’re giving the gift of a solo or couples vacation, they are sure to love all 260 square feet of their tiny home. Tiny Homes Hotel wants to showcase how livable it is to stay small. Each hotel is equipped with televisions, wifi, showers, air conditioning, and more. At $129 per night, you can give the gift of a night stay, or an entire weekend!
Hive Tour at Two Hives Honey
720 South Highway 183
Give an adventurous gift of a private tour with Two Hives Honey. Tours are located at Texas Keeper Cider, 20 minutes south of Downtown Austin. During your guided tour (with protective gear provided) you will explore an active, living beehive and learn the world of bees. Taste honey, straight from the hive, and enjoy locally sourced snacks and cider from Texas Keeper Cider. Tours are 1.5 hours and right in the middle of beautiful Texas countryside. These tours are great for any age. $35 per person for a tour that does not include cider, with the boozy tour running $45 per person.
K1 Speed Racing
2500 McHale Court
Got a speed demon in the family you need the perfect gift for? Look no further than K1 Speed, an indoor go kart race track. Let them live out their F1 and NASCAR fantasies with buying race packets! Race packets range from $22.95 to $55 depending on many races you choose.
Kitchen Underground
Locations vary
Impress the cooking expert on your wish list with a hands-on cooking class and culinary experiences put on by writers, local artisans, and chefs. Learn how to become pros on a specific dish like tamales or seafood gumbo, or learn how to perfect your knife skills while building beautiful salads. All instructors are passionate about cooking and are excited to share recipes and stories with you. Depending upon the class and the food that’s being made, prices range from $50 to $80 and are B.Y.O.B.
Massage at Milk + Honey Spa
Various Locations
Give the gift of relaxation this year with a day at the spa. Milk + Honey is one of Austin’s most luxurious spas and they don’t skimp on any of the spa features. Their services include massages, facials, waxing, exfoliation, nails, lashes, and even massages for kids and teens. Signature massages start at $110 and you can add on massage enhancements like body brushing, scalp massage, or hair masque for only $30.
Sushi Class at Uroko
1023 Springdale
In this hands-on sushi class, students are taught the tips and tricks to making the perfect sushi roll by Uroko’s professional chefs. Afterwards, hang out in their dining area and enjoy the sushi you made with a cocktail! These classes are only held on Thursdays and have a very limited amount of seats. With only six people per class, it’s $75 each. Drinks are available for purchase throughout the course of the hour and half class.
Featured photo courtesy of Paddywax Candle Bar.
