The best Austin experiences to give as gifts

The kind of muddy mess you’d want to show off on your feed, Pot Daddy Studio is a beginner-level pottery class inside a glass yurt, complete with matching yellow jumpsuits, so your wardrobe isn’t sacrificed to clay stains. Just a short drive west to Lake Austin Hills, the yurt feels like it’s on another planet as you’re surrounded by lush greenery while you connect with the primal art of pottery. Aside from a $1 card pre-authorization, the studio is donation-based and suggests between $50 and $100. With that donation, you get the course in the yurt and a finished piece to take home.* For anyone who knows someone looking to experience something quintessentially Austin, it’s hard to beat this. 

*Due to the time it takes to cure the pottery, what you make won’t be what you take home. Instead, they’ll have a selection of finished pieces for you to take, but you can just tell everyone you did. 

For your creative friends or family members who say they’d love to try knitting, scrapbooking, painting or whatever crafty endeavor has piqued their interest, give them a gift card to CRAFT. This adults-only studio space is a gym-meets-art-class concept where they provide all the equipment, and you choose what to do with it. You don’t need to worry about cleaning up, as they’ll put it away once you’re done. It’s like a return to our youth's open-ended art classes without kids running around the studio. They price the experience with a $10 admission fee and then a donation afterward of whatever you think is fair for what you used. Gift cards can be made to any amount.

For the Austinite who’s done every water activity possible on Lady Bird Lake, why not treat them to a fun boat cruise on dreamy Lake Austin? GetYourGuide has just the mobile ticket to a water adventure: a memorable ride that takes you through 22 miles of sightseeing, including millionaire cliffside mansions and Mount Bonnell. It’s just $79 per person (a bargain compared to private tours) and for an extra special keepsake, download the Recently App to make a physical magazine of your camera roll photos at the touch of a button.

Enter the sweetest spot in Texas when you book a tour, class or tasting at the delicious Two Hives Honey ranch. The team there manages all their own hives with sustainable beekeeping practices alongside multiple acres of fruiting trees, pollinator gardens and ponds. Could an escape from the city “bee” any greater? Events are seasonal (check the website for dates), and private sessions to make gifts extra special are also available. All up-close experiences include protective gear. Group tours start at $40 for kids and $50 for adults.

If acrophobia is not one of your relationship issues, then this is absolutely for you. Treat your beloved to the longest and fastest zipline in all of Texas. Lake Travis Zipline Adventures hosts Adventure Island day tours consisting of five awesome ziplines (which progress in speed, height and sights) by the group. Adventures include all the necessary equipment, boat transportation to the island and bottled water throughout. There’s even a secret bar to reward yourselves at the end. In the summer, their sister company, Waterloo Adventures, adds a water park to the mix. Gift cards start at around $141.

Does your partner know good camera angles when they see them? Or perhaps they appreciate well-written dialogue? Then sign them up for a year’s membership with a GLIFF (All Genders, Lifestyles and Identities Film Festival). The organization’s mission is to create positive and visible film programs relevant to the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community, via a host of fabulous events throughout the year. Membership includes access to their monthly screening series, members-only screenings and unlimited PRISM 35 film festival content (that’s a lot of movies). Plus, a swag bag with a T-shirt to wear with pride. Membership starts at $300 for the whole year.

Treat someone who deserves to be pampered (and maybe tag along yourself) with a package at Viva Day Spa. Their wide selection of rejuvenating spa treatments includes Swedish, hot stone and deep tissue massages, facials, body wraps, manicures and pedicures, scrubs, pregnancy treatments—you name it. Viva Day Spa has three locations across the city, conveniently in North, Central and South Austin. And they’re all very romantic settings. Speaking of which, their Delicious Duet Spa Package is the ultimate way to say ‘I love you’ via a blend of massage, body wrap, exfoliation, scrub and soothing treatments. But the standard massages are equally lush. Couples massages gift certificates start at $410 per couple.

Nobody does a ranch better than a Texan, and the best of the bunch near Austin is Blue Hills Ranch. Here live all your four-legged favorites from bison, horses and deer to zebra, giraffes and camels. Many of them are rescues, so be sure to ask the team for stories that'll warm your hearts. They all have a ton of space to roam free, so much so that the best way to see them is via Grand Safari, whereby you’ll jump in the ranch vehicle and zoom out to hang with (and feed) the animals with a private guide. Alternative encounters include bottle-feeding baby giraffes and swimming with otters. Upgrade the visit with an overnight stay—on-site cabins (starting at $200 a night) are themed to safaris and pirate ships, and yes, you might just be greeted by one of the (herbivore) residents in the morning, so bring your camera with that cup of Joe. Grand safari encounters are $75 per person (minimum two) for a private drive.

If you’re buying for a Texan, chances are they enjoy a tipple or three on the regs. Celebrate this with a master class at the classy downtown boudoir, The Roosevelt Room. Their lessons focus on a different spirit each time and are geared toward cocktail connoisseurs with a real passion for learning. This isn't an excuse for a knees-up (save that for post-lesson), but more an education in the cocktail ingredients and the making of the perfect drink. Of course, there are plenty of tastings, too, so you needn't have your hand on a notepad and pen the whole time. Classes are held once a month and must be purchased in advance on Eventbrite starting at $70.

This isn’t just some typical rinky-dink theater where the best thing on the menu is a stale pretzel and a showing of the latest sequel reboot. Alamo Drafthouse is a cinematic experience with a full dine-in menu and a rotating features list themed to the movie's screening. It also hosts various film-forward events like Master Pancake, where a comedy troupe roasts the movie they show. For anyone who loves film and yearns to connect with it more than clicking through a streaming service, a humble gift card can unlock a newfound home for your beloved cinephile. Cards range from $25 to $150 and can be applied to any ticket, meal or drink from their in-house bars.

Why fly to Manhattan for a musical, when the musical can come to you? Broadway in Austin puts on all the greats from The Big Apple at the grand and gorgeous Bass Concert Hall, part of the University of Texas. Over the years, it has hosted Wicked, Hamilton, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, The Donna Summer Musical, Mean Girls and Hadestown. Ticket prices vary, as you'd expect.

Know someone who's looking to graduate from your typical shot bars on Dirty and wants to experience the more refined side of a night out in Austin? With Austin Unlocked through Airbnb, skip the hassle of trying to decode the passwords, figure out which garage Garage Bar is in and let a trusted local show them why speakeasy culture lives on, at least a century after prohibition ended. This tour bypasses the hassle, from iconic groundbreakers to the latest and greatest looking to add to the growing list of bars behind bookshelves and buzzers. It gives the gift of multiple memorable experiences all in one unforgettable night. Tickets go for $65 per person, with the option to book a private party of eight max for $500.

Have a Bach coming up and want to do something for the bride or groom-to-be that'll be the highlight of the trip? Give them a chance to tame the patriarchy and hop on a mechanical bull stylized to look like a giant hog, if you catch our drift. Slick Dick’s Wild Ride is a one-of-a-kind experience complete with arcade games like “Whack-A-Dick,” a claw machine with provocative plushies and, of course, a ride on Marvin. For those looking for a different type of pole to tame, there’s a stage complete with a neon rainbow for anyone looking to spin out of control responsibly. Tickets start at $25, but the memories (and photos) are priceless.

If you're scratching your head thinking of what to buy for your creative, artistically minded pal, consider an art class at The Contemporary Austin Laguna Gloria. Their Art School welcomes kids as well as adults, and the wide-ranging classes include painting, drawing, pottery, photography, mosaics, jewelry and more. The courses are kept small to maximize the amount of one-on-one interaction students have with their talented group of credentialed faculty members, and the beautiful 12-acre grounds of Laguna Gloria serve as some great artistic inspiration. Classes cost between $60 and $304, ranging from one-off classes to 6- to 7-week courses.

Give the gift of the great outdoors—or at least free access to the great outdoors—with a Texas State Parks pass. The $70 pass grants unlimited free entry to 89 parks across the state for the cardholder and their guests, not to mention additional discounts on camping, store purchases and equipment rentals. The great thing is that your recipient won't have to travel very far outside of Austin to make the most of their new gift with McKinney Falls State Park, Pedernales Falls State Park, Inks Lake State Park, Colorado Bend State Park and others all less than a two-hour drive away.