December 9, 2025 | Holidays

Tukwila’s 2025 Holiday Gift Guide — Experiences Edition

Each year, the holidays bring a flurry of shopping, wrapping, and gifting — and often a whole lot of stuff we don’t really need. This season, consider swapping the material for the memorable by giving experiences instead. The Tukwila-based activity-based gifts we’ve added in this gift guide not only support local businesses, they create lasting memories for you and your loved ones that won’t end up in a landfill. 

This gift guide includes options at every price point for kids, teens, and adults, covering a wide range of activities fit for the thrill-seekers, crafters, food lovers, or sports fans in your life.

A Day at the Tukwila Family Fun Center

With value packages starting at $46, Tukwila Family Fun Center is the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure gift. Arcade games, bumper boats, go-karts, batting cages, and mini golf mean endless ways to play. Don’t forget to check out their Wednesday–Friday daily specials for even more unlimited-play fun.

Movie Tickets to AMC Theatres

Give the gift of big feelings and bigger screens. AMC Southcenter offers movie tickets and gift cards perfect for the film lover who takes their Oscars ballot very seriously — and yes, they have IMAX. Perfect for a night out that fits well under $50.

A Gaming Experience at Dimension XR 

If your household has been begging for a VR system, Dimension XR is the next best thing. For $40 per player, enjoy a full hour of immersive VR adventures with dozens of games to choose from. Grab a few friends and step into new worlds together.. 

A Chocolate Factory Tour at Maeve 

For the chocolate lover in your life, this hour-long guided experience is a dream. Learn how Maeve Chocolate is crafted from bean to bar, peek inside the factory, and taste lots of chocolate — including a blind taste test of their signature Maeve and jcoco flavors. Suitable for ages 6+, and a sweet experience well under $50.

Golf Outing with Foster Golf Links

Gift a day on the green at Foster Golf Links — one of the region’s oldest public courses. With 9- and 18-hole options along the beautiful Duwamish River, rates start at just $23 with rental packages available. Perfect for beginners, pros, or anyone who could use a peaceful morning outside.

 

Activate Live Game Room Gift Card

Brand new to Tukwila, Activate is the world’s first active gaming facility — where every room responds to you in real time. Each dynamic game space uses interactive technology that challenges players to jump, climb, solve puzzles, and laugh their way through a full-body adventure. Designed with teens and adults in mind, this experience is great for ages 6+, though younger kids may find some challenges tougher (and that’s all part of the fun).

K1 Speed Gift Card

For the speed enthusiast, a K1 Speed gift card unlocks high-octane fun. Adult karts hit up to 45 MPH (20 MPH for junior racers), and holiday gift card specials make it even easier to give. Races start at $30, and riders just need to be at least 48″ tall to hit the track. But trust us, you won’t want to do just one. 

Flight Packages at iFly Indoor Skydiving

Give the gift of flight — no plane required. iFly’s state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnel lets guests ages 3 to 103 experience the thrill of indoor skydiving, with packages starting at $70. It’s equal parts science, adrenaline, and unforgettable family fun.

Museum of Flight Membership

A Museum of Flight membership unlocks a full year of exploration at the world’s largest independent air and space museum. Enjoy unlimited visits, access to more than 175 aircraft and spacecraft, and discounts on events. Memberships start at $100 — a gift that truly lasts all year.

Rug Making at Tutugether Crafting

Try your hand at fiber arts and create a custom rug at Tutugether Crafting in Westfield Southcenter. With expert guidance and rug sizes starting at $88, you can design something totally personal to take home — no crafting skills required! Other crafting activities start at just $20, making this a great creative outing for all ages.

Sewing Classes with Quality Sewing

For the aspiring maker, Quality Sewing offers beginner-friendly classes where you can learn to sew tote bags, quilts, clothing, décor, and more. Intro classes include all supplies — even the machine — so newcomers can dive right in. Most classes start around $50, making it a perfect approachable gift.

Woodworking Classes at Rockler

Rockler’s hands-on woodworking classes are perfect for beginners and more seasoned makers alike. Learn sanding, sawing, shaping, and finishing skills while creating practical items like pocket knives, bowls, pens, ornaments, or cutting boards. Classes generally start at $115 and let you take home a handcrafted piece you’re proud of.

The Escape Game

Give the gift of teamwork, puzzles, and fast-thinking fun with The Escape Game at Westfield Southcenter. With immersive rooms and themes for every level, it’s a great outing for families, couples, or groups. Experiences start at $45 per person.

 

Viking Elite Mead Club from Oppegaard Meadery

For the craft-beverage enthusiast, the Viking Elite Mead Club delivers small-batch, handcrafted mead straight from Tukwila’s own Oppegaard Meadery. A $200 annual membership includes eight 750ML bottles of Mead, released quarterly, 15% off all mead online and in store, special releases and perks, and early access to limited batches. 

Oppegaard Mead Making Class

Gift someone the chance to learn the ancient art of mead making. This is a one-on-one hands-on class with Oppegaard owner and expert mead maker Jon Oppegaard and includes expert instruction, all ingredients and equipment, your own batch to take home and ferment, and of course a glass of mead during the class for good luck. Perfect for experimenters, foodies, and hobbyists. One gallon class for $300 and a five gallon class for $430. 

Seattle Seawolves Full or Half Season Tickets

For the sports fan, a Seattle Seawolves season tickets turns every home match into an unforgettable experience. Enjoy priority seating, special member perks, and an entire season of fast-paced Major League Rugby action at Starfire Stadium with your two-time MLR championship team. Full season memberships, half season memberships, and single game tickets all available. 

________________________________________________________________________

No matter who’s on your list, an experience gift offers something more personal — time together, a shared adventure, or a moment they’ll remember long after the tree comes down. From under-$50 outings to all-out splurges, these Tukwila-area activities make it easy to support local businesses while giving something thoughtful and impactful. 

We hope you’ve found this gift guide helpful as you worth through your holiday shopping! 

 

December 14, 2023 | Holidays, News, Shopping

Tukwila’s 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

Nestled right there between Taylor Swift’s Eras World Tour, Barbenheimer, and Fat Bear Week is the 2023 Tukwila Holiday Gift Guide. This event comes just once a year, but the joy it produces is pretty much limitless. We’ve made our list and checked it twice. Now it’s your turn to give it a once over. You’ll see a lot of returning favorites as well as many new faces this year. So go ahead, dive in, dig around, and come away with amazing gift ideas that will help you win the holidays! 

For the Mega Fan:

    • Seawolves Jersey/2024 Season Tickets: Show your commitment to the best rugby team in the universe (we’re not biased, promise). Sport a fresh new jersey, or go all in on season tickets for the Seawolves 2024 season!
    • OL Reign/Sounders Merch: Tukwila is overflowing with talent, which means you should be overloaded with swag. Grab the latest OL Reign and Seattle Sounders merch to complete your full #champstrainintukwila wardrobe. 

For the Sporty:

    • Mayweather Boxing: Here’s a gift that’s undefeated – a membership to Mayweather Boxing! Train like a champ in this one-of-a-kind, high-intensity gym that builds community and muscle. 
    • Starfire Camps for Kids/ Adult Drop-Ins: You can’t score a goal with an iPad. Give your kid the gift that keeps on giving them a reason to be outside. Starfire Sports has plenty of camps for kids eager to take to the pitch.
    • Foster Golf Links: There’s nothing quite like sending a tiny ball sailing through a hall of towering Douglas firs and lush ferns. Don’t miss out on the holiday special at Foster Golf Links!

For the Playful:

    • Sykart: This is an easy one because everyone loves go-karts. If they say otherwise, they’re lying. Take your gift-giving from 0 to 60 with Sykart – the PNW’s premiere indoor go-kart track. 
    • Dimension XR: Every year someone gives the gift of a VR headset. And every year a living room gets destroyed. This year, protect your house by leaving VR to the professionals. Book a reservation at Dimension XR today.
    • Legacy Gaming: Gaming lounges are a great way to enjoy classic video games and make friends. Legacy Gaming offers a wide range of packages for every type of gamer.
    • iFly: Experience what it’s like to drop from thousands of feet in the air while barely leaving the ground. iFly is a fun way for the whole family to experience a whole new level of joy this holiday season.
    • Tukwila Family Fun Center: Spend the holidays at everyone’s favorite fun center. Right now, Tukwila Family Fun Center is offering $10 off when you buy $50 in gift certificates. Go-karts, bowling, games, and more!
    • Defy: You haven’t trampolined until you’ve trampolined at Defy. Give the gift of defying gravity with a membership card + a Holidays Perks Passport.

For the Experiential Type:

    • Meadmaking Class: Here’s a pretty sweet idea for the holidays – mead-making! Connect to thousands of years of history with a private mead-making class from Jon Oppegaard, the Owner and Head Meadmaker for Oppegaard Meadery. Want to read more about the business before you commit? Check out the blog on our recent meadery visit!
    • Seattle Chocolate Factory Tour: Speaking of sweet, what’s a holiday gift guide without Seattle Chocolate? Treat your family and friends to a factory tour of this Tukwila institution to see how much love goes into making your favorite bar of chocolate.
    • Tickets to Rainier Symphony: For all the music lovers out there, Tukwila is home to one of the finest community orchestras around. Grab tickets for a night at the Rainier Symphony listening to all your favorite holiday classics.
    • Museum of Flight Membership: A full-size airplane won’t fit in a gift box, but a membership to The Museum of Flight will! With over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, dozens of exhibits, and thousands of artifacts, it’s the perfect gift for the history buff in your family. While you’re on their site, check out their rocking gift guide for more inspiration.

For the Foodie:

    • Spice Bridge Shop: Everyone knows Spice Bridge for their amazing rotating menu of globally inspired dishes. But did you know they also have a swag shop? Pick up a tote or gift card for that special foodie in your family!
    • Bacovino Wine: A wine tasting never misses. Take that special someone out for a romantic night at Bacovino Wine. There’s a tasting room in Tukwila? You bet your cork there is!

For the Stylish: 

    • Southcenter: When you don’t know how to shop for someone, just give them the gift of shopping! Westfield Southcenter has gift cards for all the amazing brands in Washington’s favorite mall.
    • The Cool NW Clothing: Help them update their wardrobe with The Cool NW – a lifestyle boutique that has been creating elevated streetwear in Tukwila since 2009.

November 20, 2023 | Holidays

Thank You, Tukwila

Brisk autumn air has finally swept through Tukwila, shaking the green from leaves and blowing festive wool scarves and knitted hats out from their seasonal hiding places. We’re just days out from one of the biggest hits of the holiday season, Thanksgiving. All that matters is family, food, and appreciating the many wonderful moments we get to experience in this life. So why don’t we all gather around the proverbial table and share a little bit about what we’re most thankful for. Here, we’ll go first! 

Our Diverse Dining Scene

We’re thankful that Tukwila has cultivated such a diverse dining scene. There are so many unique ways to break bread in this city and so many wonderful people providing it. From enjoying worldly dishes cooked up by immigrant and refugee chefs at Spice Bridge to gathering family and friends for a round of wings and football at Billy Baroo’s, Tukwila is home to every way to enjoy a delicious meal.

Our Inspiring Champions

We’re thankful for the many professional sports teams that inspire us and wow us throughout the year. There’s nothing quite like weaseling your way into the middle of a roaring crowd at Starfire Sports as the Seawolves clinch another playoff appearance. Starfire is also where we love watching legends like Megan Rapinoe train with OL Reign during the final season of her illustrious career and the Sounders put in hours to launch them into the Western Conference Semifinals.

Tukwila is where champions train and where fans become one with the team.

Our Spacious Parks 

We’re thankful for all the amazing natural spaces that are just right outside our front door, and for all the amazing people that keep them beautiful. Towering trees, flowing rivers and streams, and cliffside views can all be reached within city limits. Nearly every weekend, volunteers from all over work together as part of Green Tukwila to conserve these natural spaces so that we can continue enjoying them well into the future.

Our Beautiful Art 

We’re thankful for the many unique ways this city expresses itself through art. Take a quick stroll around Tukwila and you will find many commissioned pieces on the sides of buildings, utility boxes, or even under bridges. Many wonderful sculptures also dot the landscape, sometimes asking you to venture to rarely visited corners of our lovely parks.

Our Endless List of Activities 

We’re thankful for never having a lack of things to do in Tukwila. Never is there a day when we’d rather be lying on the couch than out experiencing new things in our amazing city. We can whip around the track at SyKart Indoor Racing, join a drop-in game at Starfire Sports, shop till we drop at Southcenter, play a round or two at Foster Golf Links, or even glimpse the future with a round of VR laser tag at Dimension XR. And that’s just one day around town!

Our Innovative Businesses 

We’re thankful for the many businesses that have chosen Tukwila to be home for their wildest dreams. Every year businesses celebrate their grand openings right here in Tukwila. It’s humbling to see long-standing institutions like The Museum of Flight and Foster Golf Links continue to innovate and inspire visitors, as well as to watch newcomers like Seattle Chocolates, Oppegaard Meadery, and LeoStella take their respective industries by storm.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As you can see, there are unlimited things to be grateful for in this wonderful city, and it’s all thanks to the loving people who call it home. From all of us here at Experience Tukwila, we hope you have a very cozy Thanksgiving full of delicious food and surrounded by the people you love.