Father's Day Activities for NYC Dads of Every Stripe

6/6/08 - By Anna Fader

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Reader, Brigette, who won our Mother and Child Portrait Session Giveaway and got all spoiled wants us to equally hook her up for Father's Day.

Brigette says:

I need help coming up with ideas of what to do with my kids for my husband on Father's Day. I can come up with gift ideas, but seem to have lost all creative ability to come up with something to do with/for dad that day.

Since I don't know what kind of Baby Daddy Brigette rolls with I figured I'd cover all the bases. Here's our suggestions for Father's Day activities for dads of every stripe. A bunch of these activities are this weekend, in case you actually just want to let dad chill on the day of, as many of our commenters suggested.

Father's Day Activities for NYC Dads of Every Stripe:

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The Sports Enthusiast: This one is easy. There are so many options for a sports fan on Father's Day in New York. You could do miniature or real golf at Randall's Island, biking on Governor's Island, or Father's Day Fishing at Central or Prospect Parks, but for something a little different and fun, how about this line-up of events for Dad for Saturday, June 14th:

Start the day with the NERF Father's Day Football Throwdown at Chelsea Piers, a father-child throwing challenge hosted by Payton, Archie and Eli Manning. After your game of competitive catch, leave with your free NERF football and hopefully some autographs and head downtown to the brand new…

Sports Museum of America. This museum just opened last month and is like a hall of fame for all sports combined. In addition to much memorabilia that you can actually lay hands on (go ahead, wrap those fingers around Wayne Greztky's hockey stick), there are interactive displays where dad (and the kids, and you) can test his mettle against the pros. Can he change a NASCAR tire against the clock or face off a NHL slap shot without wincing? All this comes at a hefty price tag. Entrance is $27 dollars, but it's Father's Day, come on..Just do it! (sorry).

After the museum, it's time to head uptown to a brand new ice cream shop (their Grand Opening isn't even until June 28th) the owners are dubbing a “sports bar for kids.” Last Licks is a sports themed ice cream parlor featuring 16 flavors of ice cream including Giants Super Bowl star Brandon Jacobs’ “Louisiana Pecan Crunch.” Dad and kids can enjoy a sundae, meet major league stars past and present, watch televised games on monitors throughout the store, and fantasize in a simulated Yankees dugout.

The Music Junkie: How about treating dad to a grown up concert. Saturday June 14th is Vampire Weekend at the Central Park SummerStage with an afternoon of indie rock and electro-funk from Kid Sister and Born Ruffians. The concert is from 4-8pm. Perfect for an afternoon of real grown-up music to enjoy with kids in tow. And hey, it's free with a suggested donation of $10, so if everything goes sour, you can always just leave.

The Artiste: Traipse on over to Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue for the Fifth Annual Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk, a self-guided tour of local galleries, artist studios, public art, exhibitions, plus a weekend full of special events. The events are free, you can download an ArtWalk tour map or pick one up along the route, the events are family friendly and local restaurants are offering special discounts and promotions to help turn it into a whole day of fun. The Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk is this weekend, June 7 and 8.

The Naturalist: Our own newest contributor, Leslie Day, who just shared her story about the red-tailed hawks, will be guiding a nature walk through Riverside Park this Sunday, June 8. Along

The Gourmand: I can't think of anything my hubs would like better as an early Father's Day activity than to attend the Big Apple BBQ Block Party this weekend. With free live music and the best barbecue from around the country at $8 a plate, it sounds like hog heaven.

The Big Kid: Let dad play on his own scale at the Come Out and Play Street Games Festival.