Consumer Reports made dozens of cups of hot cocoa to recommend what will make the tastiest version for your holiday gathering. News4 Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan shares the results.
Looking for gifts for people who have everything?
Consider giving the gift of an experience instead of a thing.
Museum memberships; tickets to concerts, games or shows; passes to activities such as Top Golf or rock climbing, or gift cards to local restaurants can create memories that last forever. And they don't take up any space in your home!
We have 90 clutter-free gift ideas for 2023 here to kick off your brainstorming. But if your giftee lives in the Washington, D.C., area, the gifts below are sure to delight.
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Pro tip: Write a note on a card about why you picked the special experience just for them. That way, they'll still have something special to unwrap.
Here are our editor's picks. All featured items were independently selected, and NBC receives no compensation for these links.
Best gifts for adventurers who are out of PTO
Cookology Cooking School: The Ballston Quarter cooking school offers a range of classes for adults and kids ages 3 and up. You can give your giftee a gift card to begin fulfilling their chef-y dreams. Family classes and kids classes cost about $75, while demos on sushi making and international cuisine for those $18+ start about $120.
Profs and Pints: For about $15, give the gift of knowledge at this popular series of talks by professors on topics ranging from pirates in the Chesapeake to artificial intelligence. Make sure you clear your selected date with your gift recipient before you buy!
Spa World: The Korean spa in Centreville, Virginia, offers pools, saunas and poultice rooms made of red clay, gems, salt and more with general admission, plus you can book massages and other care services. Spa World offers gift cards and a selection of Groupons starting at $35 for a one-day general admission. Make sure to read our Groupon gifting tips at the bottom of this article. (If you haven’t been to a Korean spa before, read the FAQ and etiquette advice before committing. Pools are separated by gender, and no clothes are allowed in them.)
Museum memberships are great for all ages
College Park Aviation Museum: Air travel obsessives of all ages would love access to this gem in College Park. Memberships start at $25 and go up from there. All options include unlimited free admission, discounts on special events and more; the $50 flight pack is probably best for families because it admits six people.
National Aquarium: Visit our friends under the sea as often as you want at the aquarium in Baltimore. Memberships for a year range from $95 (individual) to $300. Note that admission is free for kids age 4 and under.
National Building Museum: Members get free admission to exhibits showcasing the wonders of design and architecture, including the Brick City LEGO exhibit, and discounts to special events. Individual memberships start at $60, while a family membership for six costs $90.
National Children’s Museum: Along with experiences and exhibits for children, from babies up to age 12, the downtown D.C. museum has memberships offering a year of free admission, members-only hours and discounts. The family membership covering two adults and all children in the household is on sale for $200 (use code HolidayPlay25Off for a $25 discount on family memberships, including gifts and renewals, through Dec. 31).
National Zoo: Someone who misses being able to pop into the zoo without reserving a timed entry pass may benefit from a membership, which starts at $74. Unlimited carousel rides, special members-only events and discounts at the zoo are the big benefits. Parking passes are part of membership at tiers of $92 and above.
Spy Museum: A $199 membership gets unlimited access for two adults and up to five children to the museum near L’Enfant Plaza. The museum is best for visitors age 9 and older, but the family tour lays out options for younger kids.
Best gifts for current and former theater kids
Subscriptions to theaters not only support the arts but allow your giftee to take a chance on a show they might not have seen otherwise. Many D.C.-area theaters offer subscriptions, but here are some stand-out options.
Arena Stage: Shows including “Swept Away” and Step Afrika!’s holiday step show are part of subscription packages of three or four plays. They cost $181-$349, depending on the seat quality and your days. You can even pick out some shows you think your giftee will love, and they can do fee-free exchanges and easy rescheduling if that date doesn’t end up working.
Mosaic Theater: The performing arts center in Northeast D.C. is currently running “a very D.C. play” that brings you back to the lives of Nancy Reagan and a Navajo mother in 1985. Next up is "Mexodus," a hip-hop infused play about enslaved people escaping to Mexico. Through Sunday, Dec. 31, you can get over half off ticket bundles in the holiday sale: four tickets for $150, six tickets for $210 or eight tickets for $264. Subscriptions can be redeemed when later, when your giftee is ready.
The Kennedy Center: Subscription packages allow you to pick a genre, including theater, dance, jazz, the National Symphony Orchestra and performances for young audiences, and get tickets to a series of shows. Because of the unlimited no-fee ticket exchanges, you can surprise your giftee but allow them the flexibility to switch to dates that work for them. A Kennedy Center membership comes in handy when trying to get competitive tickets, too. And just in time for the holidays, the live-action stage version of Disney’s “Frozen” is playing through Jan. 21. Kennedy Center gift certificates and regular memberships are also available, starting at $75 per year.
Wolf Trap: The performing arts venue in Vienna offers memberships from $50. The “most popular” Curtain Raiser level offers presale access, reduced ticket fees and two special event invitations for $165.
Fun activities for younger kids and families
Disney Encanto x CAMP: Walk through the magic door and into La Familia Madrigal’s magical Casita for an hour of exploring themed rooms and secret passages, plus singalongs led by costumed actors playing townspeople from the movie. Tickets start at $37; a gift card is probably the best way to gift this experience.
Get Air: The trampoline park in Alexandria offers annual memberships starting at $159.99 for kids taller than 46 inches, but you’ll need the slightly pricier Ultimate Membership to get unlimited two-hour jump sessions on weekends.
Launch: Kids bouncing off the walls? That’s the whole point at this trampoline park with an arcade, ropes course and laser tag at Launch, which has locations in Capitol Heights, Maryland, and Herndon, Virginia. They’re running a “limited time deal” that offers bonus value on gift cards.
LEGO Discovery Center Washington DC: The LEGO attraction in Springfield Town Center offers memberships starting at $57.99-$115.99 that include admission (there are blackout dates, however), discounts on birthday parties and discounts on LEGO products and the café. A big bonus? Members don’t need to make reservations.
Best experience gifts for older boys and girls and teenagers
Fun Land: The indoor amusement park in Fairfax has a sky trail, go-karts, laser tag, climbing and arcade games under one roof, and FUNpass + Day Pass combos with access to all the main attractions are 20% off through Dec. 25.
Dave & Busters: With locations in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Capitol Heights, Springfield and Fairfax, this chain of arcades offers gift cards to unlock a lot of potential for fun.
iFLY: The indoor skydiving center with locations in Ashburn and Gaithersburg is running a special offering up to 40% off gift vouchers on flight packages.
Game tickets for the pro sports fan
Tickets to the game will please so many people on your gift list, and big fans would probably enjoy a gift card to the merch store.
If you have a Costco membership, you can purchase a limited number of e-voucher cards to the Nationals, Capitals and Wizards regular season home games. The e-vouchers get you two tickets and allow flexible scheduling.
You can, of course, buy tickets or a gift card on each team’s website, but here are some other giftable options from D.C.’s pro teams:
- Washington Capitals holiday packs and Gr8 Packs
- Washington Nationals holiday gift packs
- Washington Wizards Give & Go Pass
Note: The Washington Commanders' main option is gift cards as their season winds down. Washington Mystics season tickets will go on sale once the 2024 schedule is released. Washington Spirit and DC United only have season tickets on sale while waiting for soccer season to kick off.
Best experience gifts for sporty friends
Top Golf: Does your giftee want to work on their swing? Platinum Memberships for 1-2 people start at $100 for a month, $420 for six months or $720 for a year at the Gaithersburg locations. Other local outposts include National Harbor and Ashburn. You can ask your local location about discounts for first responders, teachers, military members and health care workers.
Kraken: Pickleball and roller skating are great ways to get active when it’s cold outside. The family skating membership grants unlimited access to the skating rink for up to two adults and two children for $79 a month. Pickleball memberships start at $99 per month. Their Bryant Street location is the only indoor roller skating in D.C.
Rock climbing: Sportrock Climbing Centers in Sterling has a good Groupon for an introductory class (ages 14+ only), and the discount website has other climbing offers, as well! Make sure to read our Groupon gifting tips at the bottom of this article.
Reviewers also like Movement, which has locations in Crystal City and Rockville. They’re offering a BOGO holiday deal through Dec. 27.
Vertical Rock has a solid two-month membership deal and five-visit pass for its Manassas and Tysons locations.
Massages: A gift certificate to your giftee’s go-to place is great, but you have tons of options. Massage Envy offers electronic and physical gift cards to its five DMV locations. Groupon has tons of offers for all types of beauty and spa treatments. Make sure to check out our Groupon tips below.
Movie ticket gifts
Winter is exactly the time when you want to roll out the red carpet for a night at the movies.
Costco members can get steep discounts on movie gift cards and bundles.
AMC: If your giftee heads to the movies at their local AMC multiple times a month, they’ll probably enjoy an AMC Stubs A-List membership, ranging from $19.95 to $25.95 a month if you’re based at their Georgetown location.
Alamo Drafthouse: With locations in Crystal City and Northeast D.C., this dine-in movie theater is a full evening out in one stop. A single-seat subscription starts at $29.99 for one movie every day. Gift cards are also available.
Angelika Film Center: Gift cards, including ones with movie themes, are likely your best option.
Avalon Theater: The Chevy Chase movie house says it's the only nonprofit cinema in D.C. Gift cards and memberships are available.
Landmark Theatres: Aficionado Tickets are a pack of 25 tickets for $225. At $9 per ticket, you can give out single tickets as a stocking stuffer or delight one person with a whole lot of screen time.
Regal: The theater chain offers gift cards for three months or a year of its Unlimited subscription plan.
Tips on gifting Groupons
Groupons are an easy way to gift experiences and save some dough. Their website has a guide to purchasing them as gifts.
But there are a few more important things to consider. Here are our tips:
Read the fine print: You'll want a Groupon that allows flexible booking. Does the Groupon offer a good selection of dates, ideally for a few months at least? Are weekends included? Ideally, the answer to these is yes. Also, look for restrictions on age and other factors.
Check the location: Your giftee will appreciate something that’s a short drive or easy transit trip from their home – unless you’re also gifting them a ride, or you KNOW they’ve been desperate to, for example, go skydiving in Midland, Virginia.
Listen to your gift recipient: If someone is afraid of heights, skydiving obviously isn’t a good present. On the other hand, if they’ve been talking about their neck pain, a massage could be incredibly thoughtful.
Read reviews: If you’re not familiar with the provider of an experience, check the Groupon reviews and look up the business on another website or two.
Consider gratuity and tax: Groupons to spa services, restaurants and the like don’t include tips, and it’s good etiquette to tip for the full value of the service even if you got it for a steal. Depending on your giftee’s financial situation, consider slipping a cash for a tip into their card. Tax is also not included on some Groupons.
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