Bonefishing in the Bahamas
Forget the new slippers. Dad certainly won’t want another tie. And he can choose his own books.
This Father’s Day, get Dad something he’s guaranteed to love–a special experience on your next vacation. Here are five we think are guaranteed to please:
FOR THE NASCAR FAN: Sign dad up for the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Orlando, Las Vegas, Indianapolis and more. Starting at just $59,He can ride shotgun in a 2-seat NASCAR race car that will go up to 165 mph. There are tracks around the country where he can get behind the wheel too.
FOR THE GOLFER: Sign him up for a lesson at a golf academy. Check websites like the US Golf School Guide. Orlando, for example, has 23 golf academies. You’ll find plenty in places like Scottsdale too.
FOR THE FISHERMAN: Sign him up for a fly fishing excursion in Colorado or deep sea fishing if you are going to the Caribbean—maybe bone fishing in the Bahamas? My husband loved that when we were at Fowl Cay in the Exumas. In Aspen, for example, there’s a new whiskey fly fishing package! You float down the Roaring Fork River to the new Woody Creek Distillery in Basalt. After a tasting and tour, you then head back for a whiskey-themed dinner at element 47 at The Little Nell with dishes like whiskey bread pudding and Colorado whiskey cocktails—all for $1100 for two. On the other end of the spectrum, From April through June, Orvis will offer free fly fishing lessons nationwide through Orvis retail stores and participating dealers.
FOR THE OUTDOORS LOVER: Send him white water rafting for the day. You’ll find kayak tours at many beach locales—We had a lot of fun one trip kayaking everywhere from Yellowstone Lake to Puerto Rico to Alaska) – as well as just kayaks for rent. You can even go white water rafting at Yellowstone National Park. Here’s what I wrote about our experience on the Yellowstone River. L.L. Bean offers outdoor discovery schools for everything from stand-up paddle boarding to archery and fly casting in Maine; REI Outdoor School has programs around the country that teach everything from climbing to road biking to paddling.
FOR THE WINE or BEER LOVER: Arrange a special winery tour wherever you are going to be—NY’s Finger Lakes, Washington state or of course Napa . If dad is a beer lover, arrange a tour of a beer brewery where you are visiting, like the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston or the Coors Brewery in Denver. There are plenty of craft brewery tours too—from Brooklyn to LA.
FOR THE CHEF –Even cruise ships have demonstration kitchens—like Holland America’s Culinary Arts Center with signature cooking classes. My husband honed his crab cake-making skills with the chef aboard a Windstar ship. You’ll find these days at many resorts, chefs are inviting guests to visit their organic garden and then cook with them.
FOR THE WORLD TRAVELER: According to a new survey from homeaway.com Seventy-two percent of dads said they’d prefer a trip or vacation over any other gift for father’s day (including new golf clubs, electronics, luxury watch, etc). When asked about taking a family vacation vs. a romantic getaway, women assumed their husbands would want the romantic escape, but the dads actually said they’d prefer to go with the family (61%)!
Much better than a tie, don’t you think?