Gift Ideas: Downtown Experiences
This holiday season, give someone a favorite memory or moment
Whether you’re the gift-giver or the gift-receiver, sometimes it’s nice to change things up with a holiday present that offers an experience rather than a material item. With that in mind, here are some experiential gift ideas—all with a Downtown connection:
ESCAPE ROOMS
Breakout KC, 114 W. 3rd St.
Breakout KC in the River Market offers six rooms (including a limited-engagement Christmas-themed room) of varying degrees of difficulty. The Loop’s suggestion: Add to the Downtown vibe by parking somewhere along Main, then riding the free streetcar to this location near Third Street between Wyandotte and Delaware. Gift cards here.
The Basement, 1600 W. 8th Street
The Basement in the West Bottoms add a degree of fear to its two escape experiences (The Basement and The Study), but don’t worry, if your gift-recipients decide they don’t appreciate being kidnapped by a cannibalistic serial killer with a taste for taxidermy and human flesh, they can leave at any time. (They will not, however, be issued a refund or be able to reschedule if they tap out.) Gift vouchers here.
Escape Room Kansas City at Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road
Each of three escape rooms inside this Union Station venue is different in theme and has a different difficulty level. Scenarios include Prison Break, Secret Agent, and The Theory of Everything. Gift cards here.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Local Pig Sunday Production-Kitchen Classes, 20 E Fifth Street
Despite Mark Twain and others suggesting that your gift recipients don’t want to see how sausage is made, the Local Pig butcher shop in the City Market begs to differ—and offers a Sausage Making Class. Attendees learn the basics of cutting, grinding, seasoning, mixing, stuffing, and twisting sausages by hand—and then get to take a few home afterward. Other Sunday kitchen options include Whole Hog Class, Charcuterie Class, and Whole Beast Class. Link to classes.
Kansas City Ballet School Adult Fitness and Dance Classes, 500 W. Pershing Road
Studio classes are designed for teens and adults with varying levels or no experience, who are interested in the fun and fitness of dance. Classes are drop-in style and meet weekly at the Bolender Center Campus near Union Station. Link to classes.
Belger Arts Pottery and Ceramics Courses, 2011 Tracy Avenue
Give your family, friends, or associates the gift of single-night or recurring classes at Belger Arts. In addition to adult and children’s offerings, you could even gift your favorite couple Belger’s popular Date Night Class for sweethearts, friends, or family members. Link to all classes.
Cooking Classes at Billie’s Grocery, 3216 Gillham Plaza
Billie’s Grocery, the restaurant-bakery-retail space in the historic Nelle Peters Building in Midtown, offers a wide range of hands-on culinary classes led by Billie’s Grocery staff. Most classes culminate with a family-style meal, plus wine pairings or cocktails, that your gift recipients will enjoy with their classmates. Link to classes.
WALKS AND TOURS
The Kansas City Tour Company offers walking (or virtual) tours of the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, Kansas City Black History bus tours, a mafia tour, a streetcar tour, and a civil rights tour, among others.
Kansas City Walking Tours began for the purpose of helping residents and tourists of the Kansas City area to learn more about the city's beginnings, its past struggles, and its current culture. Attendees may tour the River Market, Crossroads, and other Downtown areas. Gift link here.
Gift a four- to six-mile guided urban hike in KCMO (or KCK). It's a new way to get a workout, connect with others, and explore Kansas City's rich history and hidden gems. Gift card option on home page.
Kansas City Prohibition Craft Cocktail Tour
While the rest of the country went dry during Prohibition, the political bosses and mafia families in Kansas City made sure the alcohol flowed. This tour shares these stories and simultaneously weaves in some of the best cocktail destinations of today. Gift certificates here.
Kansas City Gangster Tour, Union Station
Starting at Union Station, site of the Union Station Massacre, this Kansas City Transportation Group tour takes attendees on an inter-active bus tour, showing the sites of speakeasies, brothels, murders, and more. Gift options here.
The Roasterie Coffee Company Tour, 1204 W. 27th Street
Considering a tour of the Roasterie factory only cost $5, it could make for a great stocking stuffer. See how coffee is roasted, blended, and packaged under “Betty”, the Douglas DC-3 airplane displayed above the plant. Tour info here.
Tom’s Town In-Person and Virtual Distillery Experiences, 1701 Main Street
Distillery Tours last approximately an hour and include a look around the Tom’s Town production facility, an overview of how the spirits are made, and the history behind Pendergast-era KC. Attendees also get to sample Tom’s Town’s award-winning spirits. Book a tour here.
Skybound Helicopters Sightseeing Tours, 500 NW Richards Rd, Downtown Airport
For the adventurous folks on your list, Skybound Helicopters offers breath-taking views of Downtown (and beyond) seven days a week. Originating from the Charles B. Wheeler Airport, Skybound pilots take passengers to altitudes near 1,000 feet above the city. Gift cards available by contacting the company.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Blade and Timber Axe Throwing, 1303 Baltimore Avenue
Admit it, you will forever be the “Cool Uncle” if you give your nieces and nephews the gift of axe throwing. And Blade and Timber in the Power & Light District is here to help. Adults 18 and older can participate—and kids ages 10 and up can throw when accompanied by an adult. Gift cards here.
Crown Center Ice Terrace Season Pass or Ice Skating Lessons
A single visit to the Crown Center Ice Terrace will cost you $8, but you could gift an entire skating season—from the day you buy it until March 13, 2022—for $90. The Ice Terrace also offers group skating lessons in two different sessions for anyone from tots to adult. Classes are held on Sunday mornings before opening, with each seven-week session costing $120 per skater. (Session 1 is sold out. Spots are still available for Session 2: January 23 - March 6, 2022.)
SUPPORT INSTITUTIONS THROUGH GIFT-GIVING
A gift card from, or membership to, establishments and organizations such as the following can mean a lot to the person receiving your gift—and to the Downtown-based business from where you procured it. Here are just a few more ideas:
· Gift cards from locally owned or managed restaurants, bars, and breweries
· Gift cards from locally owned or managed coffee shops, bakeries, and specialty stores
· Gift cards or tickets to performances and venues such as B&B Theatres Mainstreet KC; the theaters and more at Union Station; KC Rep Copaken Stage; SeaLife and LegoLand; Quality Hill Playhouse; Quixotic at MTH Theater; live music venues; the ballet, opera, and symphony at Kauffman Center, and more
· Gift Shop purchases or memberships to the American Jazz Museum, Arabia Steamboat Museum, College Basketball Experience, Museum of Kansas City History and Cultural Heritage (the Kansas City Museum), Mutual Musicians Foundation, National World War I Museum, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Union Station
Know of a Downtown experiential gift suggestion you’d like to share? Add your ideas in the comments!