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10 Father’s Day Ideas for the not-so-usual celebration

10 Ideas for Father's Day

Dad deserves a great day and with a little planning there’s lots of ways you could celebrate your favorite guy!

We’ve put together 10 great options:

Get Fancy with Breakfast.

By fancy, we mean one with attention to detail and lots of choices. Set the table in a way that compliments your meal. For example, white linens for Eggs Benedict; a picnic cloth for eggs, biscuits and bacon; or maybe craft paper hand-decorated with dads-the-best slogans for the bagel smorgasbord. Bring out the options: coffee AND juice, bacon AND ham, jam AND honey. The little extras go a long way in saying “We love you.”

Pitch a Tent in the Backyard.

Surprise dad by pitching a tent or even making a fabulous outdoor pallet. Grill outside, pack an ice chest and create the perfect outdoor environment to enjoy with dad. Think lots of pillows and blankets, flashlights, s’mores, camp songs and storytelling.

If he’s the can’t-sit-still type, supply additional entertainment, like a good game of bocci, corn hole, or a deck of cards. The idea is create a memorable evening and enjoy each other’s company.

Take a Day Trip.

If you stick within the state, Alabama has many within-a-drive gorgeous outdoor destinations: Cathedral Caverns, Bankhead National Forest, DeSoto Caverns, Little River Canyon National Reserve, Mt. Cheaha State park. Here’s a great list of 25 Day Trips for the whole family.

Increase his Dad Knowlege.

Introduce dad to the app Seek by inaturalist. This super cool app helps you identify all sorts of living things, from birds, amphibians, insects; to grass, shrubs, trees and beyond. It uses recognition technology via your cell phone’s in-app camera to identify living things. You don’t have to venture far to enjoy it together. A stroll around the neighborhood or hike on local trails should give you plenty to explore.

There’s lots of ways to actively use the app: set up a scavenger hunt, compete to earn badges, or just point, scan and learn.

Curate a Mac-n-cheese Tasting.

A mac-n-cheese tasting at home could be a pretty novel and appreciated event. Plus it’s unlikely that dad has ordered mac-n-cheese any time recently. The opportunity to sample a few different versions could be educational and fun. The good news is that many Alabama restaurants offer signature versions of the dish. When organizing the tasting, procure a variety that includes different cheeses or add-ins such as pimentos or jalapenos. You’ll help dad find a new favorite and support local business at the same time.

Pump up the Adreneline.

What dad doesn’t like fast cars? There’s a little dare-devil in us all and some high energy excitement might be the best gift considering the monotony the heat of summer can bring. In Alabama, the Porsche Track Experience at Barber Motor Sports in Birmingham  offers driving courses that range from half-day, one-day, and two-day.

Feed his Sweet Tooth.

Cake, cookies, ice cream, puddings? Chocolate-covered strawberries? Really the options here are limitless. You can go two routes: whip up time-tested favorites, or try something new. Better yet, both! A taste testing of the family cookie recipe as well as some new ones. Another fun idea, go all-out on a theme. For example, a chocolate “room.” Might be fun to convert the dining room into a buffet of many things chocolate: cake, cookies, candies, pie, pudding…

Roll Up your Sleeves.

Completing a project can be satisfying; when the whole family works together, it becomes memorable. Is there an herb garden, woodshed, zip line, fish pond, fire pit that dad’s mentioned more than once? The extra time at home has surely inspired a few ideas, and if dad is a project guy, embracing his vision might be the best gift of all.

Gift him with a Sock Collection.

Buck the Father’s Day tradition of the new tie. This year, gift him with an extraordinary collection of socks. These days, whimsical socks are trending and there’s a multitude of fun, patterned socks to make dad’s day more colorful.

Plus socks aren’t terribly expensive so you can curate a collection for the year, or opt-in for a sock-of-the-moth club. Here’s a comprehensive list of some of the best socks available

Best sites for a classic, yet bold sock.

 

Queue Up the Entertainment.

If the forecast calls for rain, or the man of honor needs to prop his feet up for the afternoon. Consider developing and queueing up a list of great shows to watch: a marathon of the greatest sports events, action-packed movies, or even stand-up comedy.

Add some popcorn, home-cooked t.v. dinner and his favorite drink to complete the ambiance.

Fatherhood: being the best dad you can be.

Becoming a parent can be the most exciting, wonderful, joyous and frightening experience you may ever have. Although the prospect of fatherhood is exhilarating it can also bring with it many confusing feelings. If you have fears about becoming a father, relax. All new fathers feel somewhat inadequate at first.

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