If the mom you’re shopping for this Mother’s Day already has enough stuff taking up valuable shelf, cabinet and closet space, finding the right gift can be a little difficult. After all, while many moms will no doubt appreciate flowers, kitchen tools or decor items, just as many others might tell you they don’t need or want anything. I kind of get their point; every time I’ve brought home a cute little item I found in a shop, I then realized I have to actually... put it somewhere.
In cases like these, an experience gift can be a great solution. They help Mom (and occasionally the whole family) learn a skill or just have some fun, but won’t force her to find a place to store something if she appreciates a clear countertop like my own mother does. Below, I’ve curated a selection of gifts, both in-person and virtual, that provide a diverse range of experiences so you’re sure to find one she’ll love.
An in-person Sur La Table cooking class
Does Mom enjoy cooking or baking? Does she live near a Sur La Table location? If so, she may be the perfect candidate for one of their in-person cooking classes (there's even one on Mother's Day centered around making sweet treats, depending on location and availability).
The classes are led by professional chef instructors and generally last two hours. She'll get to learn some skills she can use for a long time afterward, whether she's baking pastries, making pasta or trying out dishes for entertaining guests.
A puzzle subscription she can complete at her own pace (and then send back)
My parents are big jigsaw puzzle fans, and have built quite the impressive collection over the years, but lately they've been trying to offload old puzzles when they get new ones for space-saving purposes. If your mom is in a similar boat but doesn't live somewhere with an established puzzle swapping community, a gift card for a Completing the Puzzle subscription could be right up her alley.
The service will let her take a quiz to determine the size and themes she prefers, and then ships new puzzles right to her home (there are options for one, two or four at a time). Whenever she's finished the puzzles she has, she can send them back and receive new ones. It's an easy way to keep up with her puzzling hobby at her own pace without giving her more boxes to have to play cabinet Tetris with.
A pet portrait painting class for the mom with a furry friend
If Mom is also a pet parent, she may get a kick out of this virtual watercolor painting class that's all about creating a portrait of her cat or dog. Taught by Oklahoma artist Addie Stunkard, the two-hour live class can help her paint a watercolor masterpiece based on a printed photo of her four-legged friend. You can book the experience for her and have it sent to her email, or print out a physical card with all the info she'll need. And if she doesn't already have supplies on hand, there's an option to throw in a watercolor kit for $30 extra.
Promising review: "I purchased this class for me and my Mom, who lives in a different state, to do together. The time absolutely flew by. It was so much fun, and the instructor was great!! I highly recommend. This was my first painting class ever, and I look forward to continuing to explore the medium. It was so engaging and relaxing. I didn't finish the paining during the class time, but continued to work on it afterwards." — Lawyer Girl
A spa gift card that doesn't expire
Mom deserves to be pampered, and a SpaFinder gift card is one of the easiest ways to make that happen. The gift card works at thousands of participating locations and never expires, so she can relax on her own time without stressing about fitting it into her schedule. You can choose to mail her a physical card or send an e-gift card to really cut down on clutter. Not only does the card work for spa services like facials and massages, but she can also use it for mani-pedis, haircuts and other beauty services she may already be getting.
An experience gift from a brand that's all about them
Giftory allows you to book experiences all over the country, including fancy dining experiences, outdoor adventures, sightseeing tours and local classes, like making perfumes from scratch. You can choose activities for a range of budgets and durations, and book something in her area or as a vacation getaway. (Giftory also has select experiences available for purchase through their Amazon storefront.)
If you're a little less confident in choosing the exact right dates or type of experience, you can also buy her a gift card so she can book something herself as she pleases.
A CookUnity gift card, for chef-made meals at home
I've previously written about why CookUnity is my favorite meal delivery service: there's virtually no prep or cleanup, the menu offers a wide variety of cuisines and it's an excellent choice for anyone who gets sick of eating leftovers. HuffPost senior shopping writer Lourdes Uribe also said in that article that CookUnity was helpful as a new mom, writing, "I can safely say that CookUnity kept my wife and I alive and fed for the majority of the postpartum period thanks to its absolutely delicious, zero-effort meals."
Whether you're shopping for a mom who's too busy to cook or just doesn't love doing it, CookUnity can have her eating well while saving time spent on grocery shopping or doing the dishes.
A service to help her write a memoir with weekly questions
Every mom has a story to tell, and Storyworth is on a mission to keep those tales documented for her as well as future generations. When you sign her up, she'll receive weekly questions about her life that she can answer however she prefers (by email, phone or online). You can choose the questions for her from Storyworth's library or even write your own, to truly personalize this gift. It's a small weekly time commitment that eventually builds up into enough material for a full memoir, and Storyworth will compile all the memories along with some photos into a keepsake book.
Promising Trustpilot review: "As Duke Ellington once said, “I don’t need time, I need a deadline.” I had been wanting to pass on life experiences to our children and grandchildren for many years. I’ve even bought beautiful books to fill out- all stored under our bed. But getting a weekly prompt of questions selected by our daughters was an easy, enjoyable way to finally record some memories. Adding photos inspired me to delve into the drawers and albums, reliving memories as I found - sometimes for the first time- a visual to accompany a story (and do some organizing!). The three months between the last prompt and deadline for publication was adequate for completion. The finished product is beautiful!" — Nancy Green Carter
An Ancestry DNA kit to help her learn her family history
For the mom who's interested in genealogy and is curious about her family, ancestors and origins, an Ancestry DNA kit can get her the answers she's looking for in as little as six weeks. The kit. comes with a saliva collection tube and prepaid return mailer, so collecting and sending off a sample is easy-peasy. She can then see information about her ethnicities, other family members and possible DNA matches. She'll retain ownership of her data and can choose what gets shared.
Promising review: "We purchased for my mom as a Christmas gift. In an insane turn of events, she was about to learn the identity of her biological father. She spent a recent weekend in chigaco with her newfound siblings- who she looks exactly like.
The gift of a lifetime. ♥️♥️♥️♥️" — David
A gift box that lets her choose the experience she wants
Similar to Giftory, Tinggly offers tons of experience gift ideas, though they package them a little differently. They offer experience gift boxes like this "Thank You, Mom" one at different price points, with each box unlocking access to one of thousands of experiences (scroll down on the product page to see the full catalog of experiences). Depending on which experience she chooses, the gift box can include one to four people, and there are options for all over the country and world. If you want to give her tons of options but stay within a certain budget, this is perhaps the simplest way to do that.
Promising Trustpilot review: "I've given Tinggly gifts to the most important people in life (my Wife, My Mother, etc) for milestone occasions and have never been disappointed. The gifts are truly unique and create memories that last forever. The website is so easy to navigate and there are no surprises after purchasing. There is no better gift to give someone you care about that an experience that they will remember for a lifetime, and selecting the experience is just as fun!" — Anthony Monastero
A Masterclass subscription for the mom who loves to learn
Mom can pick up career advice, interior design tips, artistic skills, lessons about her well-being and so much more with an annual subscription to Masterclass, the online streaming platform with over 200 classes taught by experts across so many fields. A subscription gives her access to the full catalog, so she can learn about gardening from Ron Finley, creative writing from Margaret Atwood and even brain health from leading doctors, all in the same year.
A virtual Mother's Day tasting of delicious cheese pairings
Sure, taking Mom out for a Mother's Day meal is always lovely, but if you want to level up the experience with something a little different, you can treat her to this hour-long Murray's Cheese tasting. Held over Zoom with an expert, the class is all about different cheeses and the jams, honeys and other pairing items that make them even more delicious. Murray's can ship all the food to Mom's house so she can enjoy the experience in the comfort of her own home. The experience serves up to four people.
Tickets to a show or event she's been wanting to see
Is Mom a theater lover? Sports fan? Frequent concertgoer? Check out StubHub to find tickets for tons of events in her area, from musicals to rock concerts to baseball games and just about everything in between. You can get tickets just for her or for the whole family to take in the experience together and make some incredible new memories.
A getaway near or far from home
Maybe Mom loves to travel, or just wants to get away from the hubbub of everyday life. If she'd rather avoid crowded hotels, booking an Airbnb is a great way for her to travel and keep her own space. You can find spots all over the world for stays at all different budgets, like this cute, cozy apartment in Paris that is calling my name.
A resort day pass without the overnight stay
If booking a trip isn't in the cards, there are still ways to help her enjoy the vacation lifestyle. ResortPass offers day passes to luxury hotels and spas, with options for all kinds of budgets. Maybe you want to book her a spa treatment, or just give her a pass to sit in the jacuzzi and use the fancy showers. Maybe she's hoping to lounge by the pool with a pool pass, or even book a day room to use the hotel's amenities without staying overnight. If you think Mom won't commit to a full vacation, now you can at least provide one day of paradise.