25 Fun Things to Do With Dad on Father’s Day
When you were a kid Father’s Day just meant another family night out you didn’t have to pay for or organize. Now that you’re grown the rolls are reversed. Give the old man’s wallet a break by treating him to something on our list of local adventures that’ll have you and him feeling like the old team again.
Ride a Zipline
Release Papa Bear into the woods and watch him fly through the air from 40 feet up. Choose from a series of zip lines and ropes course challenges that’ll get the adrenaline pumping. Spring Mountain, 757 Spring Mount Road, Spring Mount.
Hit a Few Rounds at the Batting Cage
Swing and there it goes! That ball is going, going … GONE! Everybody Hits Philadelphia, West Girard Avenue; Philly Athletics, 2807-09 North 6th Street; Bat-A-Rama, 600 Gateway Boulevard, Westville, New Jersey.
Play Mini Golf
Challenge dad to an 18-hole course flowing with unnaturally blue waterfalls. Franklin Square, 200 North 6th Street; Putt-Putt Fun Center, 510 West Baltimore Avenue, Clifton Heights; Freddy Hill Farms, 1440 Sumneytown Pike, Lansdale; Fox Meadow Golf Center, 2880 Route 73 North Maple Shade, New Jersey.
Aim for the Bucket at the Driving Range
For those too cool for put-put. Burholme Gold Center, 401 Cottman Avenue; The Golf Zone, 1020 Easton Road, Horsham.
Play Frisbee Golf
Frolf is a different kind of 18-hole challenge. It will probably take forever and you may even decide to skip a few targets by the end, but at least you’ll be passing time with dad by your side. Sedgley Woods Disc Gold Course, 33rd and Oxford streets; Tyler State Park, 101 Swamp Road, Newtown; Anson B. Nixon Park, North Walnut Street, Kennet Square.
Cool Off in a Water Park
Dad will be sporting swim trunks and refusing to rub his sunscreen in all the way. “Be careful not to strain your back down those water slides, dad!” Clementon Park and Splash World, 144 Berlin Road, Clementon; Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom, 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown; Water World, 655 Schuykill Road, Phoenixville; Sesame Place, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne.
Eat Out at a Diner
Dad: I’ll take the check.
Me: No, dad I said I got this one!
Dad: [Whispering under his breath] I’ll take the check.
The Melrose Diner, 1501 Snyder Avenue; Mayfair Diner and Dining Room, 7373 Frankford Avenue; Cherry Hill Diner 2341 Route 38.
Share a Beer
Crack some some jokes after you’ve cracked open some bruskies. Hawthorne’s Café, 738 South 11th Street; Pub & Kitchen, 1946 Lombard Street; South Philly Tap Room, 1509 Mifflin Street; or better yet, check out Foobooz’s guide to beer gardens in Philadelphia.
Ride the Bumper Cars
Plot the ultimate revenge against the world’s worst backseat driver. Dutch Wonderland, 2249 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster; The Funplex, 3320-24 Route 38 East, Mount Laurel; Surfside Pier and Mariner’s Landing, the Boardwalk, Wildwood.
Float Down the River in a Canoe, Kayak or River Tube
Me: “But dad, my arms are getting tired!”
Dad: “Suck it up, soldier! We only stop for lunch!”
Delaware River Tubing, 2998 Daniel Bray Highway, Frenchtown; Bucks County River Country, 2 Walters Lane, Point Pleasant; Northbrook Canoe Company, 1810 Beagle Road, West Chester.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
You and pops can work together to figure out the answers to tricky and humorous questions about the intriguing exhibits you come across. Choose from a wide range of corporate public hunts, customized private hunts and haunted house hunts. Watson Adventures, 877-9-GO HUNT.
Fly a Plane
Add a check to your bucket lists. Project Pilot is an outreach initiative that gives locals a chance to experience hands-on aviation. At $59 for the first lesson, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association offers affordable once–in-a-lifetime adventures. Choose from over 20 schools in the area. flighttraining.aopa.org.
Get a Fake Tattoo and Pretend It’s Real
It takes a certain kind of father to appreciate this sort of humor, and a whole other kind to turn around and play the same trick on his own kids. This Father’s Day you and paps can bond over matching fake tats … or get real ones if you so desire. No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo, 610 South 4th Street; Philadelphia Eddie’s Tattoo, 621 South 4th Street; Olde City Tattoo, 44 South 2nd Street.
Go Bowling
Nothing says good times like a bunch of gutter balls and beer! Lucky Strike, 1336 Chestnut Street; South Bowl, 19 East Oregon Avenue; Thunderbird Lanes, 3081 Holme Avenue and 1475 West Street Road, Warminter.
Ride the Coasters
Keep your eyes open and your hands off the handle bar. Six Flags Great Aventure, 1 Six Flags Boulevard, Jackson; Morey’s Piers, 3501 Boardwalk Wildwood; Hershey Park, 100 West Hershey Park Drive, Hershey; Dorney Park, 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown.
Ride Go-Karts
Put the pedal to the medal as you try to surpass pops on an engine-powered kart. Arnold’s Family Fun Center, 2200 West Drive, Oaks.
Hunt and Be Hunted
Give dad a gun and tell him your boyfriend’s out there lurking in the woods. Poco Loco Paintball, 134 Kurtz Road, Limrick; Paintball on the Fly, 4011 Germantown Pike, Collegeville; Paintball Invasion, 192 South Route 73, Winslow Township.
Camp Out Under the Stars
Escape the urban hullabaloo and enjoy the peace and quiet of the wilderness. Dad will play his harmonica while you fend off daddy longlegs. Jim Thorpe Camping Resort, Lentz Trail Jim Thorpe, New Jersey; Timberlane Campgrounds, 117 Timberlane Road, Clarksboro, New Jersey; French Creek State Park, 843 Park Road, Elverson.
Ride Horseback
Giddy-up! The trail is only as relaxing as the horse you’re riding on. Chamounix Equestrian Center, 98 Chamounix Drive; Haycock Stables Inc, 1035 Old Bethlehem Road, Perkasie; Gateway Stables, 949 Merrybell Lane, Kennett Square.
Learn How to Change a Tire
You’re bound to get a flat at least once in your life, and Daddy’s not always going to be around to change it for you. Treat him to a beer and a pretzel afterward. Firestone Tires, 3161 Market Street, Pep Boys.
Jump Around
For the young dads looking to burn calories with the kids, here are some places that offer hours of non-stop jumping fun. Skyzone, 10 Conchester Road, Glen Mills; Skyzone, 45 Runway Road, Levittown; BounceU, 2221 Cabot Boulevard, Suite C, Langhorne.
Practice Target Shooting
You aim and then shoot. The Gun Range, 542 North Percy Street; Philadelphia Archery and Gun Club, 831-33 Ellsworth Street; Firing Line Inc. 1532 S Front Street.
Tour a Vineyard (or Two)
Raise a glass to the world’s No. 1 dad (then hope he’ll spring for a case before you leave). Chaddsford Winery, 632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford; Crossing Vineyards, 1853 Wrightstown Road, Washington Crossing; Renault Winery, 72 North Breman Avenue, Egg Harbor City.
Introduce Dad to the Downward Dog
Drop in yoga class: About $13. Seeing dad strike a Warrior Pose: Priceless! Palo Santo Wellness Boutique, 1707 East Passyunk Avenue; Dhyana Yoga, various locations; Dig Yoga, 410 Monroe Street.
