At the risk of sounding saccharine, let us all acknowledge the one thing your old man actually wants for Father’s Day:
To spend some time with his favorite knucklehead.
And we don’t mean swapping stock tips over brunch.
This is the dawning of the age of experience, and we’ve got 10 immersive offerings that every father and son will love, from supercar test drives to a summer grilling school to hiking a craft beer trail.
Editor’s Note: Prefer something material? Try our Father’s Day Gift Guide, packed with 30 cliché-free gifts for makin’ your pops proud.
The Gearhead
Englewood, NJ
Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Bentleys, Corvettes and more. Gotham Car’s Dream Tour is the chance to get behind the wheel of six different exotics steeds and hit the open country roads.
The Oh Captain, My Captain
Manhattan
For any man that has dreamt of taking to the sea. The legendary Offshore Sailing School offers two-, three- and five-day accelerated sailing certification courses and a race-ready course for the experienced mariner.
The ‘Tending-to-Business
New York
If the big guy’s a spirit hound, here’s the ticket. For polishing up his mixing skills, hook him up with an in-home consultation, custom shopping list and bartending lessons with an award-winning mixologist.
The Grillmaster
Manhattan
Even if he already fancies himself a burger-flipping expert, cooking with the pros is a damn good time. The Culinary Institute is hosting classes like The Whiskey Steakhouse, Wings!, Grill Technique and Summer Seafood all season long.
The Literary Lunch
Manhattan
At one time or another, everyone’s been guilty of flipping through the New Yorker to read all the cartoons first. With good reason — they’re the droll, ironic poets laureate of the funnies world. This experience takes a tour behind the scenes of the New Yorker office followed by a lunch with cartoon editor Bob Mankoff. Pro tip: ask him about the cartoons that didn’t get published. You won’t be disappointed.
The Spin Around Town
Brooklyn, New York
With Get Up and Ride, you’ve got everything you need for spending some easy-going catch-up time together. They’ll provide bikes, a route map and picnic supplies for a guaranteed epic day outdoors.
The Sky’s the Limit
Westchester, NY
In a day’s time, you’ll go from ground instruction to grabbing the reins yourself with Wing Air’s helicopter flight lessons along the NYC skyline. No prior experience necessary, and includes a gratis passenger.
The Speed Demon
New York
Those with heart conditions: go ahead and skip this one. Because you and dad are going to be fighter pilots for the day. Suit up, strap in and take a deep breath. With Air Combat’s Training Program, you’ll learn basic show-off maneuvers within the first flight session. By round two, you’ll be encountering real-life tactical situations.
The Trailblazer
St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL
Take a jaunt down to Florida for some sand, surf and (liquid) sunshine. There’s plenty of speed boating, kite surfing and paddleboarding (even at night, with glow-in-the-dark boards), but we recommend the Clearwater Craft Beer Trail, stopping by 27 small-batch breweries … in a row.
The Bucket List
Antarctica
Take a trip to Antarctica, where you’ll be heli-skiing on unexplored slopes with Himalayan Heliski Guides. It’s 12 nights and 11 days of adventure from Argentina to the polar zone and back. Calling it a bonding experience would be an understatement. Only serious thrillseekers need apply.
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