5 Unique Experiences to Celebrate your Child's Thirteenth Birthday

A couple years back our children were watching a television show where a Hispanic family was celebrating their daughter turning 15 with a lavish party called a quinceanera. They thought it was the coolest idea! Then they found out about the Jewish custom of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for the thirteenth birthday and they started asking how we as a family would be celebrating their upcoming teenage birthdays.

We don't do traditional birthday parties in our home on a yearly basis. We of course celebrate each one of their special days, but we keep it minimal. I thought it would so much fun to allow our kids a special thirteenth birthday celebration where they get to choose a once in a lifetime activity to commemorate their "coming of age." I also liked celebrating with an experience, not a tangible gift, which allows for more memories for everyone! That was all my kids needed to hear to start planning their upcoming big event!

My son Zion will celebrate his thirteenth birthday in 6 months so we started compiling a list of ideas that interested him! He has yet to make a formal decision on what he wants to do, but our daughter Elle (who won't be 13 for another 18 months) has already picked out her activity and she talks about it regularly!

If you are wanting to adopt a fun thirteenth birthday tradition for your family, I've put together a list of very memorable, unique options that your 13 year old will love!!

1. Weekend Trip to a New City - There are so many amazing cities here in the United States! Think New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Austin, San Francisco, New Orleans ... I could go on and on!! Several cities offer a City Pass which allows you to visit multiple attractions for a discounted price.

2. Swimming with Sharks - my daughter's choice! Ideally she would LOVE to be in an ocean, inside a cage, with sharks swimming around her. I however am not ready for that much experience in her short 13 years of life. So we compromised. The Georgia Aquarium offers a Swim with Whale Sharks experience. It is the only opportunity in the world where you are guaranteed to swim with the largest fish in the world!

3. White Water Rafting - a fun activity for the entire family! Depending on where you live, you can select from calm rivers that are self guided to more treacherous waters that require a guide. Here is a list of the top 20 white water rafting experiences in the United States.

4. Concert or Music Festival - every kid has a favorite band, singer, type of music, etc. and wherever you are located there is sure to be a concert or festival coming to a city near you!

5. Cruise - friends of ours recently took their son on a cruise to celebrate him turning 13 and it was such a special experience for them. The great thing about cruises is they can be relatively inexpensive depending on the cruise line, length of trip, and departure point especially when you consider everything is included in the price. Plus in my experience the cruise line staff goes above and beyond to make sure your birthday child is celebrated very well!

Do you have any fun birthday traditions in your family? Have you taken a recent trip that was unique and memorable?

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