Gift an Experience
Travel and Getaways
Gifting someone the ability to travel without having to plan their own accommodations is truly something special. The Speckled Hen Inn bed and breakfast offers the ultimate cozy Hallmark experience including farm-to-table dining, snowshoeing trails and bird watching for snow owls that return annually to the inn. Share a rockin' New Year's Eve with your family (or a family you love) thanks to Staybridge Suites Madison-Fitchburg's Family New Year's Eve Package including food, activities, crafts, swimming and more.
The Badger fan in your life will love a trip to stay in the heart of the UW-Madison campus. Gift a stay at the Wisconsin Union Hotel or Fluno Center as the cornerstone to your favorite alum or superfan's trip to Madison.
Classes and Workshops
The holiday season is a great time to kick-start the ambitions of the new year by gifting classes or lessons to your loved ones, including:
- Cooking classes at Orange Tree Imports
- Flight classes or a scenic flight over Madison from Wisconsin Aviation
- Cooking, baking, meditation or nutrition classes from Willy Street Co-Op
- Pottery classes at Crimson Artist Collective
- Art classes at Wheelhouse Studios inside Wisconsin Union
Wellness and Sustainability
Everyone knows someone who is looking to improve their overall wellness and get in touch with nature. New in 2024, Madison Adventure Tours is offering a Winter Warm Up Holiday eBike Tour. The two-hour tour features a visit to see the Wisconsin State Capitol Holiday Tree, a warm lakeside drink and stops at other iconic landmarks and locations. Gift cards for future tours are also available.
Your outdoor-loving friends and family will love having access to all the best Olbrich Botanical Gardens has to offer with a gardens membership including free conservatory admission, exclusive event invitations and discounts. Go above and beyond by gifting a monetary donation to the gardens in someone's name.
Activities
Quality time is one of the greatest things you can give. Gift cards from Spare Time Entertainment give you access to bowling, an arcade, laser tag and escape rooms all in one trip. The gift of exploration is right at your fingertips with gift cards to Cave of the Mounds (pro tip: add a take-home mining kit or geode to your gift card to make a gift basket that rocks).
Holiday deals and discounts
Holiday Savings
Treat yourself to a little more cash in your wallet with help from these holiday deals.
- Botham Vineyards and Winery: Get 15% off everything in the tasting room from Nov. 22 through Dec. 1.
- Disorderly Conduct Rage Rooms: Receive 10% off bookings with code SNOWSMASH eligible Nov. 28 through Dec. 31.
- Ethical Trade Co.: Mention DestinationMadison online or in store to get 15% off your order.
- Fortune Favors: Pecan lovers' favorite deal returns. Buy three Fortune Favors tins and get one free throughout the holiday season.
- Lake City Books: Get your gifts wrapped for free with a suggested cash tip for the Madison Reading Project. Carry those gifts in style by snagging a Lake City Books holiday tote for just $12.
- Madison Children's Museum: Museum members will receive 20% off gift shop purchases this season. Non-members save 10%.
Gift Card Bundles
Who doesn't love a gift card? Especially when the gift card lets you explore more Madison. These deals let you get more bang for your buck (and let you keep something for yourself 😉).
- Food Fight Restaurant Group: Receive a bonus $25 gift card when you buy $100 in gift cards.
- Ian’s Pizza: Get a ticket for a free slice with a $25 gift card purchase.
- Kosa Spa: Receive a $10 bonus gift card for every $100 spent on gift cards. Want even more savings? Shop the entire week of Black Friday and receive 25% off the entire selection of Ayurvedic self-care goodies.
- Longtable Beer Cafe: Snag a $25 bonus gift card when you buy $100 in gift cards. Pro tip: Don't forget to enjoy a meal while you're out shopping. Longtable will donate $1 for every burger purchased to WayForward Resources food pantry.
- Melting Pot of Madison: Take home two $25 bonus gift cards when you buy $100 in gift cards.
- Starkweather Brewing: Get an extra $10 gift card when you purchase $50 in gift cards or get an extra $25 gift card when you spend $100 on gift cards.
Top-Notch Gifts
Uniquely Madison Offerings
Get a taste of the lake-city-lake place all year long with gifts you can't find anywhere else. Learn how to cook like some of Madison's greatest chefs with recipes inspired by the largest producer-only farmers' market in the country. The Dane County Farmers' Market Cookbook dives into the history behind the iconic market in addition to sharing chef-crafted recipes. And speaking of icons, you can gift one of Madison's most recognizable items, the Memorial Union Terrace sunburst chairs.
The dozens of makers who call Madison home make the city a hub for creativity and personality. Linen & Clove carries several locally-made items including candles from Wisconsin Candle Company and Ambrosia Flame Candles, and coffee from local roaster Rusty Dog Coffee. Your loved ones can accessorize in style with scrunchie sets and other women-made gifts from The Shop by EBNS.
Curated Gift Sets
There's no need to guess what to get your friends, co-workers, in-laws or other harder-to-shop-for people in your life. Curated sets of local, themed items in beautiful ready-to-go packages give the feeling of elevated thoughtfulness with none of the shopping stress.
Food and Drink
- Kin-Kin Coffee, The Deliciouser and State Line Distillery have collaborated to create a holiday gift set any coffee and cocktail lover will love.
- Countdown to Christmas (or any occasion) with the 12 Beers of Winter tasting box from Giant Jones Brewing.
- Get award-winning flavors all in one with a mustard trio gift box from the National Mustard Museum.
- Capital Brewery's combo pack comes with six beers, two glasses and two beer coasters that's a hit for anyone with an at-home bar.
- Holiday bundles from Delta Beer Lab let you mix-and-match beer and Delta clothing items so you can imbibe in style.
Specialty Gift Sets
Get all the best things about these locations in one box, tied with a bow. Madison Mallards and Madison Night Mares fans will love a super-fan gift package complete with a jersey, hat, bobblehead and two gameday tickets. Nobody knows locally handcrafted gifts like the folks at JNJ Gifts, Wisco Home Goods and WiscoBoxes which each curate their own gift boxes of made-in-Madison and made-in-Wisconsin items. Good Day Shop and The Purple Goose are known for carrying high quality clothing, accessories and home goods and are happy to help you create your own special gift packages. And for the furry friends, The Crazy Dog Mom recommends the Excite Bites Dog Treat Sampler Box.
Subscriptions
Who said gifting has to be a one-day event? The Deliciouser's quarterly spice subscription brings rich flavors to your loved one's doorstep. A build-your-own subscription to the Wisconsin Union Theater lets you pick the shows you're gifting (and save a little money in the process). And every UW student and alumni dreams of carrying the coveted Wisconsin Union Lifetime Membership card which comes with exclusive discounts and access to members-only events.
Get Creative
The creative person in your life will love a gift that matches their colorful energy. Overt Space Gallery + Gift, in addition to their wide selection of local art, carries abstract sticker sheets that let you peel and stick your own masterpiece. Thistle + Elm lets you express yourself with their lineup of women's clothing and their much-loved devotionals, journals and word search books where you hunt for inspirational quotes.
Holiday Menus
Giving a great gift is only one part of the holiday shopping adventure. You can't forget about the holiday eats, treats and decor needed to round out your holiday spread or to bring with you to parties and potlucks.
- Bloom Bake Shop's holiday menu will be available to preorder beginning Monday, Nov. 18 and will include treats like classic buche de noel, stollen, rum cake, gingersnap tart and chocolate ganache peppermint cakes.
- Let the experts at Fromagination guide you on a culinary adventure as they help you build your own cheese board. Trust the experts? Put the decision making in their hands by purchasing a premade board.
- Holiday dessert platters from Miggy's Bakes are equal parts tasty and adorable. Seasonal cookie flavors such as hot chocolate, ginger molasses and butter pecan will be offered in the bakery throughout the season.
- ORIGIN Breads goes above and beyond with local flavors by using all regionally-grown flowers and grains in addition to local produce to make their breads, pastries, desserts and granola.
- Enjoy a tasty holiday countdown with Quince and Apple's holiday calendar featuring 10 conserves, one mustard and one honey.
- Don't forget to make your home look as beautiful as your spread will taste with help from Warm Belly Farm's fresh-cut wreaths and trees.
Markets, craft fairs and more
See the full calendar
