How to Celebrate Your Dad: Father’s Day Gifts & Activities

With Father’s Day coming up quickly, a lot of people are looking for ways to celebrate the dad in their life. At Hopdoddy, we understand the importance of not just gifts, but experiences and time spent together, so we put together a list of our favorite ideas that you can use for your dad or a dad you know.

When is Father’s Day?

Father’s Day falls on the third Sunday in June each year, which is June 18th in 2023 and June 16th in 2024. Because it’s always on a weekend in June, this holiday is ideal for making plans to spend the day with your dad and enjoying the summer weather.

Father’s Day Gifts

The smallest gifts can make Father’s Day special, so put thought into your choice and go with your gut. This is true even for those dads who are difficult to buy for or want nothing, and the best way to take on this challenge is to look at inspiration and see if anything jumps out. Here are some ideas to help guide you:

Versatile Cookbook

A good cookbook will give you years of different recipes to try and experiment with, and we highly recommend Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. Not only does it cover fancier foods such as escargots aux noix, but also recipes that feel more at home in a backyard party like veal short ribs and steak. This cookbook is sure to upgrade the food he makes, and he (and everyone else eating) will appreciate you for that.

Beer Subscription

For an ongoing gift, Craft Beer Club has a monthly subscription service that delivers 12 (or 24) beers per month from the best independent breweries in the country. In addition to the beers, it also comes with information about each of the featured brewers for the month and recipes to pair with them.

Record Player

For the dads that love music, there’s a good chance they have some records lying around somewhere. Take them back to their younger days with a vinyl turntable like this one from Fluance. The sound quality is unmatched and is sure to bring some nostalgia from those records that he may not have heard in decades.

Grilling Gifts

June is the best time for grilling in the backyard, and there are a bunch of cool gadgets that can make the experience even cooler. The Stingray BBQ Multitool is a huge upgrade to any grillmaster’s arsenal. Perfect for those who work smarter not harder, it combines tongs, a spatula, grill fork, and even a built-in bottle opener for enjoying a beer while grilling.

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If you’re on the go and not grilling from the backyard, combine the new multitool with a portable grill to take tailgates, camping, beach parties, and more to the next level. Made from welded twelve-gauge steel with dual intake dampers on the front and backside to better control airflow, this is something that will be used for years to come.

Bar Gifts

If your dad is the designated bartender of every family or friend gathering, we have some gift ideas to take his bar to the next level. To make sure he always has glasses for whatever drinks are being poured, check out our Bold & Cold schooner and pint glasses. They add just the right amount of sophistication to any home bar, kitchen, or game room.

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Other bar gift ideas include a fruit juicer for making cocktails, an ice bucket for all his drinks, a full barware set, or something a little less conventional like an infusion kit. All of these will make his drinks even better, and could even help uncover a new favorite flavor.

Father’s Day Activities

If the dad in your life doesn’t want any gifts and nothing we mentioned speaks to you, there are still ways to show appreciation. Some dads are “doers” rather than wanting gifts, so we also have some ideas for things you can do together, or he can do if you can’t be there:

Rent His Dream Car

Every dad probably has a dream car, whether classic muscle like a Camaro or Mustang, or the newer Porsches or BMWs. Finding out what his is and renting one to drive for a day is a great way to give a personalized, possibly once-in-a-lifetime gift.

Beer Tasting at a Brewery

An activity not to combine with the previous is to visit a local brewery and spend the afternoon tasting beers. In Texas, there are plenty of great options, including Karbach Brewing Co. in Houston, Peticolas Brewing Company in Dallas, Rahr & Sons Brewing in Fort Worth, and Hops and Grain Brewing in Austin. Spending Father’s Day relaxing, reminiscing, and enjoying beers with each other and friends is a great gift that’s not too expensive and is well worth it.

Make Your Own Burgers Together

One of the best pairings with beers from a brewery or a subscription is burgers. Now you don’t even have to leave your house to make and build your own amazing burgers with Hopdoddy’s Burger Kit. It comes with all the ingredients you need and even has tips from our chef who shows you how to make them if you need guidance. Convenience is the name of the game for the last couple of years, and this is about as easy as it gets without visiting one of our locations.

Topgolf

Whether he has his own clubs or not, Topgolf is another great way to spend Father’s Day eating, drinking, and of course playing golf. You can put his skills to the test and even if they’re not up to par (pun intended), it’s guaranteed to be a blast.

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Explore Nature

For the outdoorsy and adventurous dads out there, exploring is a great way to spend a day, or the whole weekend. Kayaking on the water, hiking through the mountains, or sleeping under the stars will get you out of the house to make some exciting and fun memories.

Game/Movie Night

If you’re looking for something more relaxing and indoors, the classic game or movie night is always a sure hit. Board games, video games, action movies, old movies, and more can all get everyone involved and having fun. You could even combine this with some of our other suggestions like DIY burgers, alcohol infusion kits, and more.

Just Put Thought Into It

No matter what you do or get, just remember that dads will appreciate any gift with thought put into it. Expensive or cheap, going out or staying in, showing that you care and know what they like will make sure they cherish whatever you decide to do, this year and in the future. Have a happy Father’s Day!