For tourists who want to experience a United States tour from a local’s perspective, Airbnb Experiences is a great way to see the country. Airbnb Experiences offer a more in-depth tour of local fare and activities than many other kinds of sightseeing tours and allow you to combine your lodging with your sightseeing for a convenient and fun package.
Here are seven of the best Airbnb Experiences you can find in the US:
- Beer walk in Portland, ME
- Seashell hunting in Gulf Shores, AL
- Harlem Jazz Crawl in Harlem, NYC
- 4-Day Cajun Country Tour in New Orleans, LA
- Paint and explore with graffiti artists in Austin, TX
- Hike Runyon Canyon with rescue dogs in Los Angeles, CA
- Beekeeping tour in Whaleyville, MD
Airbnb Experiences can be one of the best ways to see the United States cities from the perspective of someone who lives there, so they’re a great choice for both out-of-staters and international guests. Keep reading to learn more about Airbnb Experiences and what you can get out of one.
What Are Experiences on Airbnb?
Experiences on Airbnb is a way to combine travel lodging through Airbnb in a chosen city while also having access to a local guide who can lead tourists to the best “off the beaten path” experiences to engage in while in a city.
Many people who run Airbnb services are also well-versed in their local region and can serve as a personalized guide to interesting places that may not be well-known to professional sightseeing tours.
Here are some of the benefits of using a guide through Airbnb Experiences:
- Airbnb Experiences can provide enriching and enjoyable activities, even in cities that may not otherwise have a strong tourism industry, allowing tourists to savor local history, entertainment, and cuisine.
- Airbnb Experiences streamline your trip planning by allowing you to easily roll lodging and attractions into a single itinerary through a reputable travel site. This cuts back on many problems that arise due to missed connections between sightseeing tours and other travel-related inconveniences.
- Airbnb Experiences will sometimes allow guests to customize their Experience by adding features to their sightseeing tour or cutting parts of the tour out that may be taxing due to small children or people with limited mobility issues. Since the tour guide is often the person you’re staying with, it makes it much easier to make casual and informal accommodations for every group to ensure that every person has the best experience possible.
Airbnb Experiences is a great choice for travelers who want to try some of the more niche activities that a city or geographical locale offers for tourists. No matter whether you’re interested in kayaking or blown glass studios, there’s an Airbnb Experience for just about everyone. If you want to learn how the locals live and maybe take in a little regional fare history, Airbnb Experiences is right for you.
The 7 Best Experiences on Airbnb
There are hundreds of great American Airbnb Experiences that tourists can take advantage of, but some of these tours shine above the rest. They’re worth a trip to lesser-known areas of the United States just for the local color. Below you’ll find seven of the best Airbnb Experiences available for travelers in the US.
Maine is already a beautiful region of the Northeastern United States, but it also has some of the most famous breweries and culinary hot spots in the world. Don’t let the rural vibes fool you—there are centuries of fascinating beer culture and food history in this part of the US.
This Airbnb Experience involves a leisurely stroll around the east end of Portland, Maine, with your host Alan Seabright leading you to some of the best craft beer breweries the state has to offer.
Mr. Seabright is also a certified Cicerone, which makes him one of the most renowned and reputable beer tour guides in this part of the US. In the beer brewing industry, a cicerone is equivalent to a wine sommelier, so if you’ve been dying to learn more about different specialty beers and how they’re made, then this is the tour for you.
Here are some of the things you can expect from your walking tour of Portland’s best beer joints:
- A walking tour throughout Portland with multiple stops along the way for beer tasting flights and lectures on the Portland brewing industry
- A tour guide with 10+ years of experience in running personalized walking tours in cities around the world
- A pre-purchased arrangement of tasting beers so that guests don’t have to worry about payment or gratuity at any of the breweries or bars visited
- Access to some of the lesser-known interesting locales in eastern Portland that only a local tour guide would know well enough to point out
The idea of sampling craft beers may be intimidating if you don’t feel like you have much experience in tasting activities. But by bringing along a seasoned tour guide who specializes in teaching people how to try different types of beer, you’re sure to learn a lot about your particular palate when it comes to craft beers.
Notes: 3-hour tour, up to 10 people, refreshments provided
Lots of people love to go hunting for seashells on the beach, but your luck in actually finding any good shells can be mixed if you don’t know where to look or exactly what you’re looking for. This special tour in Gulf Shores allows a group to go shell hunting on southern Alabama’s pristine white beaches.
A seashell hunting tour is a great way to get kids involved in some guided activities that will help quell any beach boredom and hopefully net hunters some awesome souvenirs!
Here are some of the things you can expect from a seashell hunting tour in Gulf Shores, Alabama:
- The best types of tools for gathering seashells
- The best methods for finding good quality seashells both on the surface of the beach and buried beneath the sand
- The different types of shells that can be found in Gulf Shores and their correct terminology
- Good shell hunting etiquette, the best places to find shells, and the best times of day to go shell hunting
- The best places to dig holes for successful shell hunting
- How to clean and polish shells for a home collection
The great thing about learning how to hunt seashells in Gulf Shores is that you can take the skills you learn during this Airbnb Experience and apply them to pretty much any beachgoing vacation you take for the rest of your life. No matter what beach you end up on in the future, you’ll be the best shell hunter in the crew!
Seashell hunting is an activity that is enjoyed by people young and old—everybody likes a walk down the beach—and can be a great way to bring every member of a travel party together in an activity that will be remembered fondly by everyone involved. Unlike activities that cater specifically to children or adult activities that bar them, this hunt is a team effort that will leave everybody smiling.
Notes: 1-hour tour, up to 6 people, supplies provided
For people who are visiting New York City but want a little something different than the average sightseeing tour, this Harlem NYC tour offers a view of the city from a musical perspective. Touring with a guide who has managed a jazz club and several jazz musicians, tourists will get to take in the many sights of Harlem while also participating in the Harlem Jazz community.
Not only do visitors on this tour get to see some of the best up and coming jazz musicians in Harlem as well as tried and true favorites, but they’ll also get a walking tour complete with the history of the Harlem area and architecture. The tour also includes a stop by the world-famous Apollo Theater, and everyone on the tour will get a thorough background on the evolution of jazz as a musical genre.
Here are some of the things you can expect from a jazz crawl in Harlem:
- A chance to check out one or two live jazz shows
- An exploration of the underground jazz scene in New York City, both its history and its current-day influences
- Optional food and drinks during the walking tour (not included in ticket price)
Plus, if you are looking for a night to party, there are plenty of famous New York City nightclubs just a few miles away.
There are larger tours available in New York City, but this Harlem jazz crawl consistently ranks as one of the best visitor experiences in New York City. Take in some of the city’s music scene on your next trip by booking with Gordon and Amanda!
Notes: 4-hour tour, event tickets included, up to 10 people
This is a tour that covers pretty much everything you could want out of a Cajun vacation in Louisiana. At four days in length, this adventure is large enough to be a vacation all on its own, and all activities included are covered in the cost of the Airbnb Experience.
Here are some of the things you’ll get to take in on an all-inclusive tour of Cajun Country through Airbnb Experiences:
- Go on a swamp tour of Lake Martin where you’ll get to go on a hunt for exotic local wildlife such as large alligators and colorful local birds
- Go kayaking in Bayou Teche while learning about the history of the local area
- Take part in a private Cajun cooking class with a local chef who will not only teach the preparation of some traditional Cajun meals but will also explain some of the history behind them
- Participate in a sumptuous private shrimp boil prepared by a Cajun chef (the same one who teaches you how to cook Cajun food the previous night)
- Visit an organic pecan farm and sample some of the famous pecan-based dishes that originate from this region
- Visit a zydeco musician in his recording studio
While this trip is a little expensive compared to some of the other Airbnb Experiences and involves committing to four days’ worth of activities, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive tour of Louisiana culture outside of the routine walking tours in New Orleans.
Notes: Four-day tour, all-inclusive, moderate activity level
Many people admire street art and graffiti from a distance through either their local streets or through depictions of graffiti in the media. Still, few people have the chance to get up close and personal with this controversial art form.
This Airbnb Experience is run by a professional graffiti artist and muralist. Andrew, a founding member of the graffiti art group the Color Cartel, will not only introduce visitors to Austin’s bustling street art scene, but he will also give tourists a chance to work on some (legal) wall graffiti of their own!
Here are some of the things you can expect to experience on a graffiti tour in Austin:
- A history and walking tour of street art found in Austin, one of the major hubs for street art and graffiti in the world
- A lesson in the techniques and tricks used by America’s most famous graffiti artists, as well as a history of how those techniques have evolved over the years
- A graffiti painting experience where visitors are tutored in how to paint graffiti through a legal mural painting exercise
Beautiful and deliberate street art isn’t something that people get to see every day, much less experience making for themselves. That makes this tour one of the most exciting and unique experiences you can participate in if you’re headed to Texas.
Notes: Equipment provided, 90-minute tour, up to 10 people
While many visitors check out Los Angeles to go on traditional sightseeing tours through Hollywood, this Airbnb Experience gives tourists a more nature-based perspective on one of the world’s most bustling and successful cityscapes.
By taking part in this tour, visitors can also help support a local animal welfare group in a few different ways:
- Making sure these lovely rescue dogs are exercised and well-socialized with a variety of different people and experiences
- Taking photographs with your new furry friends at iconic locations such as the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign
- Providing donations that help contribute to the continued care of the animals—100% of all proceeds of the Airbnb Experience go towards providing medical care for animals that can’t afford their vet bills through the Free Animal Doctor Program
Many people who visit Los Angeles have hiking the Runyon Canyon on their list of desired activities while they’re staying in the area, so if you’re an animal lover, there’s not a much more fun way to get the job done than to carry a pack of furry, friendly faces with you. Who knows, you might just be tempted into adopting one for yourself by the end of the hike!
When planning your California itinerary, make sure to include a visit to the majestic Redwoods of California, an awe-inspiring destination that showcases nature’s grandeur
Notes: 2-hour tour, up to 10 people, moderate activity level, water included
(For more Airbnb experiences in California, see this article.)
Have you always had a fear of bees? A field trip to the local apiary in Salisbury, Maryland, can teach you and your sightseeing party all about these fascinating little creatures and how they are used to collect honey for human consumption.
Here are some of the things you can expect from the beekeeping experience at Baybees Honey Farm:
- A two-hour tour of the apiary complete with hands-on experience handling the beehives, including wearing full beekeeping suits and operating the smokers
- A photo-op with the bees, so visitors have plenty of chances to take lots of selfies for mementos of their unique tour experience
- A detailed explanation of bee hierarchy and behavior, with a hunt for the queen of the hive
- A honey tasting experience so that you and your traveling party can taste the nuanced and complex differences in honey and beeswax depending on where it is produced in the hive and which flowers are used in its production
This tour does not only teach you about bees and how bee colonies work, but it also teaches you about the greater beekeeping community and how raising bees is vital to American agriculture, especially in the face of global environmental catastrophes that have threatened their way of life.
Bees are one of the most important pollinators globally, and few people know much about these intrepid little insects. Since there aren’t many sightseeing activities in rural Maryland compared to some other parts of the US, a beekeeping tour on a working honey farm is one of the more unique experiences you’re able to partake in when you’re in this part of the world.
Notes: Up to 8 people, 2-hour tour, includes refreshments
The Easiest Way to Find Airbnb Experiences
Finding Airbnb Experiences has been made very simple by the intuitive interface of the Airbnb website. The website gives you a whole range of options for filtering search results to narrow down Airbnb experiences by a variety of factors, including the following:
- Category (Experiences are categorized by subjects such as food and wine, animal encounters, walking tours, etc.)
- Number of guests that can be accommodated
- Price
- Location
- Dates of travel
How you choose to look for an Airbnb Experience depends largely on your travel plans. Those who are making a special trip just to take in an Airbnb adventure may have a lot more flexibility in their choices than someone who is trying to fit an Airbnb Experience into a pre-planned vacation.
Because the Airbnb database is so extensive, it’s the most comprehensive source for finding new and existing Airbnb Experiences. The great thing about booking tours and experiences through Airbnb is that all of the guides involved are verified experts who are held to a high standard of hospitality and behavior, both with guests and animal interactions.
Another great way to choose an Airbnb Experience is to look through the website to find some of the experiences that call out to you, then read through the user reviews that have been left on the tours. This can give potential visitors a much more in-depth look at how the tours work and how entertaining they are. The more positive reviews an Airbnb Experience has, the more likely it will be worth the time and money to go.
When Did Airbnb Experiences Start?
While Airbnb has been around for over ten years (founded in 2008), the Airbnb Experiences sector was only founded in 2016, making it a fairly recent addition to the company’s hospitality offerings. Since Airbnb’s Experiences tour line was founded, the bookings for the service have grown more than 2500% percent. (Source: CNET)
Airbnb Experiences were limited to major city hubs when the program was first launched in 2016. However, since its wild success over the past four years, Airbnb has done a major expansion of the Experiences program to include over 1,000 cities across the world. So, while you used to only be able to book Experiences in major hubs such as Los Angeles or New York City, you can now arrange entertaining activities in places as obscure as Cajun country or rural New England.
Are Airbnb Experiences Worth It?
For many people, Airbnb Experiences are definitely worth checking into, especially if you’ve got plans to visit a major travel hub but are overwhelmed at the options available for tours and sightseeing attractions. Airbnb’s system will pair you up with a local guide, so you’ll always feel comfortable during your Airbnb experience no matter how far you are from home.
Here are some of the advantages of going on an Airbnb Experience:
- Diversity: Airbnb Experiences can provide a wide array of different activities for visitors to take part in. Choose from exotic animal interactions, cooking classes, historical walking tours, and unique arts and crafts (among others). You’re sure to find plenty of diverse Experiences that can be catered to fit any preferences or vacation style.
- Affordability: Many Airbnb Experiences are reasonably priced and can be a good option, even for those with moderate travel budgets. While some of the Experiences can run a few thousand dollars, other shorter tours are usually a hundred dollars or less per person. This makes them a great choice for entertaining large travel groups, too.
- Souvenirs: Many Airbnb Experiences act as terrific photo ops for the vacation pictures of a lifetime, and many of the more arts and crafts-based experiences also offer take-home souvenirs such as paintings, stained glass pieces, pottery, and more.
- Novelty: Ever wanted to ride in a sidecar? Jump out of an airplane? Hang out with a jazz band? Pet a wolf? Hike with a llama? There are Airbnb Experiences that allow you to participate in all these once-in-a-lifetime activities and more. There are activities provided through Airbnb that you won’t experience through any other kind of sightseeing tour.
- Ease of use: Airbnb is one of the most modern and intuitive travel planning suites online. Between their accommodations and their Experiences, this company makes it easy to plan an entire trip from the time you land at the airport until the time you wave goodbye. Its simplistic booking system and website design also make it easy for adventurers to browse through and choose new destinations based on the activities and locations they’re interested in.
There are so many different kinds of Airbnb Experiences available that it’s pretty safe to say that almost everyone could find one that they would enjoy and get something memorable out of.
For tourists who have limited mobility, there are low impact experiences, like trying the new online experience (check out how AirBNB experiences work in that article). For more adventurous travelers, there are also extreme options available. It’s so easy to cater an Airbnb vacation to your personal preferences that it’s worth checking out the site to see if anything catches your eye. This is especially true if you already have a vacation booked in the area.
When it comes to sightseeing tours, the different preferences of individual tourists can vary greatly, so tours and local experiences are very much a “your mileage may vary” kind of thing. But no matter what your interests and travel limitations are, there is something to enjoy at Airbnb.
Airbnb Experiences Are a Great Option for Vacationing off the Beaten Path
If you want to go to a new city in the United States but are unsure what local activities there are to do there that are worth the time and the money, Airbnb Experiences offers a great overview of the specialty tours and activities that are available in each area of the United States, not just the most famous parts of it.
Even if you’re not sure where you want to travel next, checking out the Experiences at Airbnb can act as an inspiration to build your next great travel adventure around. There’s a tour and an experience at Airbnb for just about everyone.