Gift-giving is sometimes challenging, especially with varying tastes and preferences in fashion styles, music, and scents – and the list could go on, but you understand. Not to mention, you never know if the person already has the item you're considering as a gift. While planning for my son's 17th birthday recently, I decided to go with an experience gift. Because of his interest in true crime, I knew he would enjoy The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show.

So I checked the available dates and purchased tickets for our family and a friend of his on the date closest to his birthday recently. It was an unforgettable experience and one that I enthusiastically recommend to anyone looking for a fun, unique gift idea or to do outside of a special occasion just because.

The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show offers an entertaining, highly interactive experience in more than 80 locations around the country. It's available in three locations in South Carolina, including Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston. We attended a Columbia event held at the Cambria Hotel downtown in The Vista.

After purchasing our Dinner Detective show tickets, we received an email confirmation and pre-show details, which included some brief important information that helped us prepare for the show, such as selecting a code name to go by during the show.

The show takes three hours and check-in begins at the show's starting time. During this process, they asked for the ages of the teenagers with us and made sure we understood their guidelines regarding age limitations. Teenagers are allowed to attend with adult supervision. Younger children are not permitted to attend due to "mild content, loud noises, and adult humor" involved during the show. I would consider this a PG-13 level experience.

After checking in, we went to sit at our table and began familiarizing ourselves with the interrogation form as we began eating a delicious salad. There are several choices for the main entree with two sides, which we selected when purchasing our tickets. A dessert is also included.

A few minutes after everyone was seated, the murder mystery show began!

(As you can see on his name tag in this image, Peter was the code name for this individual.)

Act 1 of our show happened while we were eating the salad, with Act 2 during the entree, and Act 3 during dessert. There were two detectives who led the evening and investigation as various events unfolded.

I was impressed with how well most of the Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show cast was integrated into the crowd of participants. At the end of the show, it was revealed which individuals were cast members.

Different people within the crowd were interrogated throughout the murder investigation.

When purchasing show tickets, the option is presented to upgrade a ticket of someone in the party to be a prime suspect – without their knowledge, of course! I did this with my son, and it was such a blast. I only wish I had captured the look on his face when the investigator pulled his photo out, found in the "deceased person's" belongings, and questioned him.

At the end of each act, you can access the information about the clues that were uncovered by scanning a QR code provided at your table. You review the clues to see if you can figure out who the murderer is!

The ticket cost includes the meal, waitstaff gratuity, and a prize package for the top sleuth of the evening. As you can see here, there's an option when you scan the QR code for tipping the cast.

The cast was surprised and excited to announce at the end of our show that my daughter, the youngest attendee of the evening (13 years old), won the top sleuth prize!

Tip: To increase your chances of winning, along with the accuracy of your pick for who the murderer is you want to provide as much detail as possible in your explanation of how you reached your conclusion. They were impressed at the amount of detail my daughter provided in her answer!

The themes for the show are changed every quarter, so if you'd like to attend again in the future, it will be a new script in subsequent cycles. It was a wonderful, fun, and different experience for our family and one that we plan to enjoy again sometime! Check for a location near you and buy your tickets at The Dinner Detective website for your own memorable evening. Book a room right at the Cambria Hotel for an overnight stay just after the dinner, or if you prefer the Airbnb-type accommodation, check out this super cute home called The Wren in one of Columbia's most popular neighborhoods.

Looking for other creative adventures for your family? Check out this interactive ghost hunter experience in Charleston. If you need more experience gift ideas, whether for Christmas, a birthday, or another special occasion, check out our list with 8 experience gifts in South Carolina to choose from!