This holiday season, it’s easy to go to a store and pick out yet another bright-eyed doll or huge bulky truck for that little one in your life. As a busy mom of two, living in cramped quarters, I’m reminded often of how nice it would be to receive gifts that encourage experiences with my children. Here’s a list of some groovy, locally-based, and community-driven gift certificate and/or membership ideas for families around Kentuckiana.
Use this list to take a child who is special in your life on a field trip together and spend the day making your own memories! Think outside that cardboard box and give the children and their parents/caregivers in their lives the gift of cultural, educational, and enriching experiences that they will value for a very long time. Help them make memories together instead of spending another fifteen minutes trying to pry that plaything out of the plastic that won’t let go in that toy package!
Kentucky Gymnastics Academy [7]
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft [9]
Louisville Visual Art Association [10]
Wine and Canvas [11] (Cookies and Canvas classes for children)
Pinot’s Palette [12]
Uptown Art [13]
Louisville Zoo [15]
J.B. Speed Museum [16]
Bricks 4 Kidz [17]
Louisville Orchestra [18]
YMCA of Greater Louisville [20]
Jennifer’s Academy of Dance [23]
Rauch Planetarium [24]
Portland Museum [25]
Thomas Edison House [26]
Muhammad Ali Center [27]
Derby Dinner Playhouse Children’s Theatre [28]
Mellwood Art Center [29] art classes for children
Clifton Center [30]
Camp Hi Ho [31]
Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana [32]
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens [33]
Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve [34]
Blackacre Nature Preserve [35]
Squallis Puppeteers [36]
Locust Grove [37]
Henry’s Ark [38]
Louisville Youth Orchestra [39]
Sky Zone Louisville [40]
Farmington Historic Plantation [41]
Bernheim Forest [42]
Riverside Farnsley-Moremen Landing [43]
Blue Apple Players [45]
Louisville Children’s Museum [46]
Los Monitos [47] and Hwang's Martial Arts [48]
If your organization or educational-themed venue is not listed, contact Louisville.com and we’ll consider adding it to this list!
Photo by Erin Nevitt