The Gift of a Memorable Day

The secret to the best gifts is finding that something special the recipient will truly love but will never get for themselves. To do that, you may have to think outside the website, and instead bestow a truly memorable experience. Find a gift of shared laughter and stories to tell (and retell). That’s something often needed and overlooked in everyone’s overscheduled and overburdened lives.

To get you started, we’ve boxed up and wrapped in shiny paper some of our favorite adventures in waiting.

Hidden Gem Delivery

For the person who has it all, give the gift of the overlooked. For every Longwood Gardens, there’s a Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College’s 425-acre botanical garden abloom in inspiration and repose. An equally amazing destination — less buzz and no crowds.

How about planning a visit to the Wharton Esherick Museum, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year? Located atop Valley Forge Mountain, this museum was hand-built by the famed American artist over the course of 40 years and serves as an organic work of art in its own right. Today, the property is registered as a National Historic Landmark and an ode to the beauty of the everyday. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday and best experienced by a guided tour.

As part of this outing, swing by Dixie Picnic in Malvern for a fun twist on lunch on the run. Select a Bette box lunch packaged with a sandwich — like their best-selling chicken salad — choice of side, a homemade deviled egg and a signature upcake (upside down cupcake with more icing) for something sweet.

Speaking of rethinking the everyday, instead of letting your gift recipient settle for the usual pizza spot on Friday, make their night (or week) and reserve dough from Ravanesi Pizzeria Napoletana in Glen Mills. Their signature pies start with traditional long-fermented dough and finish in a super-hot oven. Hot enough to turn the dough a rich, warm brown and get the cheese bubbling in just 90 seconds. The result is a pizza night that won’t soon be forgotten. And what goes perfectly with pizza? Pair it with game night with friends.

Where Amazon has added convenience, it has eliminated fun. The Games Keep in West Chester is having none of that. The highly rated games destination hosts regular tournaments and weekly game nights. The small, nondescript shop features floor-to-wall shelves of board games in categories like family, strategy, war and historical. A round of Zillionaires Road Trip USA, anyone?

The Equestrian Life Tied Up in a Bow

This whimsical escape to a world of jockeys and thoroughbred horses is sure to excite whether the recipient is entrenched in Chester County’s rich horse culture, a longtime lover of the beautiful beasts, or simply someone always up for something new.

Start with tickets and tailgate passes to the 92nd running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, a four-mile, 18-jump, timber steeplechase race that takes place each November in Unionville. Gather the family and provide a tasty spread as part of an unforgettable afternoon of pomp, circumstance and plenty of cheering.

To make tailgating setup even easier, include a gift basket packed with treats from Northbrook Marketplace in West Chester. Let the lucky recipient munch on a lunch of pulled pork and barbecue chicken sandwiches served with plenty of their famous Uncle Harold’s Chips. For something sweet, include one of the best apple cider donuts around. Share the treats or don’t — it’s your gift.

Or give a gift that lets folks get in on the action with riding lessons from Carousel Park Equestrian Center in Wilmington. The 200-acre Delaware park offers lessons from beginner to advanced plus specialty classes like Western Dressage. Sweep through meadows, trot around ponds, and spot swans and geese while gaining a new appreciation for life on high.

For someone whose tastes run in the royal direction, give passes to the sport of kings, a polo match at the Brandywine Polo Club. Matches take place on Fridays and Sundays from June through September. Remind them to bring a chair or blanket for a front-row seat to the action.

After the match, send them to the Whip Tavern in Coatesville for dinner with fellow horse enthusiasts. The A-line cottage pub is just enough out of the way to evoke images of an English countryside tavern. A proper British menu, including Scotch eggs and Welsh rarebit, doesn’t hurt either. Suggest they order a pint of ale or some For Fox Sake hard cider before settling in to recap the day’s action.

Unwrap a Tasting Tour

What better gift to give this season than a chance to raise a glass for the things we love?

Begin with an invitation to share a glass, or several, at Avondale’s Va La Vineyards. Va La remains a Pennsylvania rarity, an old-world-style winery featuring wines made from northern Italian and French grape varietals grown right here in Chester County. Specializing in small-batch vintages, the family-owned vineyard remains committed to the philosophy of farmer as winemaker. Plan a visit for a staff-guided tasting of four of the farm’s seasonal offerings. And arrange for a tasting from the local artisan cheese menu, selected specially to pair with the wines. Perhaps the fresh goat chevre with honey from Shellbark Hollow Farm in Honey Brook and a glass of the La Prima Donna.

When the temps have dipped and the weather is threatening, the new Wayvine Tasting Room in Kennett Square is another wine lovers’ destination. This spot may not have the rolling hills of the brand’s Nottingham farmstead, but it’s similarly flush with character, with the bar, tables and shelves made from trees that have fallen at the main farm. “Crafted with care in true Wilson DIY fashion,” their website reads. Also the same: Wayvine’s signature tastings. Choose from bold reds and crisp whites, or try one of their new cocktails.

Got a history lover on your list? Then how about a toast to America? Let them travel back to the days of our Founding Fathers with a pint of crisp English-style cider from Old Stone Cider in Lewisville., brewed from 1,200 heirloom apple trees grown on the farm specifically for fermenting into hard cider. They can enjoy a pint in the property’s historic rebuilt Pennsylvania bank barn or meander through the working farm. Or for something different, they can skip over to Hangry Bear Creamery in Kennett Square for Old Stone on tap, but more importantly, in ice cream form!

Before this country bids farewell to its 250th year, gift a celebration of its history with a meal at the General Warren in Malvern. Originally established in 1745, the historic restaurant has gone by a variety of names over the last 280 years. But whatever you call it, it’s literally served history, starting with the men of General Washington’s army. Your guest can tuck into their signature beef Wellington, then shuffle over to the Warren Tavern and raise a glass to another 250.

Thinking Outside the (Gift) Box

Here’s a little treasure for the lifelong learner on your list or anyone who just needs a little inspiration. This pretty box is also a reminder that nights don’t need to be routine. Add a little zest back into their evenings and maybe their cooking, too, with some spicy red lentils. It’s one of several recipes to master during the Ethiopian Kitchen class offered by Chester County Lifelong Learning.

Cooking not the right match? The course options run the gamut from crafts and photography to technology and professional development. Or maybe that special someone on your list just needs some space to let the creative juices flow? The Chrysalis Art Center in Downingtown offers open studio time for adults on Wednesdays. This gift is good for five two-hour sessions. The time can be used for painting, drawing or sculpting in the company of other artists.

Consider the simple but always appreciated gift of a gift card to Main Point Books in Wayne. This lovely independent gem always has the best recommendations. And for a gift your book lover won’t soon forget, they work with a collection of authors to provide signed copies of their latest works. You even get to weigh in on what the inscription will say.

Finally, send your bibliophile to Kennett Square for a night away from it all at the ultimate book lovers’ staycation, the original Bookhouse Hotel. Book a night in the Writer’s Den, the second-floor suite in rich green and pink that’s peaceful, warm, with just a hint of romance. It’s the perfect place for that lucky person on your gift list to pen a happy ending. Or thank-you note.

Things are nice. Time spent together is priceless. Here’s hoping this holiday will be one to remember.