NYC Gift Experiences (Someone ACTUALLY Wants)

Dust off your detective caps and explore NYC while solving a thrilling murder mystery that unfolds in Manhattan’s streets!

By following clues and unraveling directions sent via WhatsApp, players plunder Chelsea’s historic streets in search of the perpetrator. Perfect for couples, friends, or anybody who loves true crime and detective stories.

🎁 Gift Option: Purchase a CityDays Trail Gift Card

It’s easy to delight a cheese lover: or so you might think.

Don’t waste time or money buying never-before heard of cheeses or picking up something experimental: it’s best to hand it over to the person who knows what kind of cheese will please. 

Pick up a gift card to one of NYC’s most iconic cheese shops and let the recipient decide if they’ll stock their fridge or give mozzarella-making classes a try. 

🎁 Gift Option: Gift a gift card that can be spent on cheese classes or products.

NYC gift experiences don’t have to be extravagant to be spectacular. These scavenger hunts give someone you care about the chance to look at NYC from an explorer’s perspective, whether they’re a local or not.

Discover fascinating history and quirky facts while solving riddles, stop off at top-recommended bars and cafés, and climb to the top of the NYC leaderboard. 

Plus, they’re fully-flexible so the recipient can pick their trail, when they play, and add players to their game if they want to invite a bunch of their friends or family. 

🎁 Gift Option: Purchase a CityDays Trail Gift Card

• Tenement Museum – Explore immigrant history with immersive tours.
• NYC Transit Museum – A paradise for subway and history buffs.
• MoMA – The best of modern art.
• The Met – An essential NYC experience with endless exhibitions.

Before you yawn and scroll away, I’d like to say that this is one of the most underrated NYC gift experiences you can give someone.

Why? Because even though the museums themselves are awesome, there’s a whole bunch of members-only tours and exhibits that are kept behind a paywall. Stuff that you wouldn’t even think of going to see if it wasn’t brought to your attention this way. 

Awesome for families or anybody who has a niche interest (or would like one). 

🎁 Gift Option: Buy a museum membership for year-round cultural experiences.

When you live in NYC, it’s easy to take it for granted. But if you want to give the gift of adventure and a fresh perspective on the City That Never Sleeps, this is for you.

Self-guided walking tours like these aren’t like your average walking tour. For starters, you’re free to start the tour whenever you want, because you are the guide. 

Armed with nothing but a phone, participants enjoy a mix of puzzles and engaging clues while making historical and intriguing discoveries around NYC. 

🎁 Gift Option: Purchase a CityDays Trail Gift Card

It might seem like an obvious choice, but you just can’t go wrong with Broadway gift certificates.

Firstly, it’s awesome experiencing theater first-hand. Secondly, you’re not forcing anybody to go see the one thing you’ve been telling them for months they need to go see.

Theater taste varies as much as anything else in this world, so whether they’re into Hamilton, Wicked or The Lion King, let them decide when, where and what to see. They’ll thank you for it! 

🎁 Gift Option: Buy a Broadway gift certificate for a theater lover.

Ok, maybe aspiring chefs is a bit of an overstatement, but you get the picture.

If you know someone who’s always wanted to whip up something delicious in the kitchen but their culinary skills leave something to be desired, this is about as fun and tasty as NYC gift experiences get. 

🎁 Gift Option: Purchase a cooking class voucher

Looking for NYC gift experiences that are great for families? This will always go down well.

NYC’s zoos are incredible places both for visiting and for the conservation efforts they put in. Support them (and help a family out) by giving them the gift of unlimited visits to one of the country’s best zoos, special behind-the-scenes tours and early access events. 

🎁 Gift Option: Gift a Bronx Zoo membership.

It’s not a saying yet but take my word for it: the way to a bookworm’s heart is through offering them more books.

Yes, they have a TBR (to-be-read) pile taller than their apartment ceiling. Yes, they’re always complaining there’s not enough time to read. Yes, they have a very niche interest in books.

That’s why you let them decide what book to buy, give them the chance to explore a favorite (or entirely new) bookstore, or get them discounts and access to bookish events. 

Want some inspo? Here are some of our favorites:

• Argosy – A historic bookstore with rare and antique books.
• The Ripped Bodice– NYC’s best romance-only bookstore.
• Albertine Membership – Access to exclusive literary events and book discounts.

🎁 Gift Option: Buy a gift card for one of NYC’s best bookstores.
Make sure you check the Ts & Cs before purchasing a book gift card. Some places differentiate between e-cards and in-store vouchers. Choose whichever option you think will suit your gift recipient best!

There’s only so many times you can sympathetically shake your head and tell your friend or family member that they need a break before you need to step in and offer it to them.

As far as NYC gift experiences go, giving the gift of some much-needed stress relief is awesome for anybody who’s into spas, communal bathing and heat therapy. 

We’re not saying that’s everybody, but, for many of us, it’s a dream come true. 

PSST: I know The King Spa is in NJ and not technically NYC but, it’s not that far away and honestly feels a bit like a mini-break. 

🎁 Gift Option: Get a spa gift card for the ultimate relaxation experience.

If you know a beer lover and want to get something they wouldn’t buy for themselves, it’s probably something like this.

Participants get to enjoy a guided tour through NYC’s top breweries and craft beer stops, including tastings and insider stories from brewmasters. What could be better?

🎁 Gift Option: Buy a brewery tour gift card.

Know somebody obsessed with escape rooms but who’s probably done them all? Send them this.

Outdoor escape rooms like these have the puzzles and challenges element you know and love from the original concept, except they’re played outdoors. Uncover city secrets, split into teams and play head-to-head, or just give someone the gift of adventure in the great outdoors. 

🎁 Gift Option: Purchase a CityDays Trail Gift Card

I thought that paint and sips were awesome but that’s before I learned about Sip and Sew classes. I mean, when will I ever get taught something useful like sewing ever again?

If you know somebody creative who could use some NYC gift experiences to broaden their artistic horizons, this is a safe bet. And hey, their skills might come in handy someday.

🎁 Gift Option: Gift a sip and sewing class voucher.

Last but certainly not least on our list of NYC gift experiences, dumpling making classes. Because who doesn’t love dumplings, right?

This is a cool skill that many of us have to go out of our way to learn, and you know what? It probably wouldn’t occur to many people to try. Once they’ve got the hang of it though, you may be invited over for homemade dumplings. And that sounds awesome to me. 

🎁 Gift Option: Gift a dumpling-making class.