Another neck tie or a pirate festival? A pair of socks or a beer cruise on the Bay? If you want to really wow the dad in your life, take a look at our list of 16 incredible adventures to embark on this Father’s Day weekend. From berry picking to roller skating to a bug festival, there’s not a sock or a tie in sight.
photo: bob_dmyt via pixabay
San Francisco
Presidio Picnic
Unfold your blanket for Father’s Day and enjoy games and arts and crafts for kids. Over 25 food trucks will be in attendance, offering up tasty food cart nibbles. There are yoga classes and cool staff-led, nature-based arts and crafts activities featuring materials found at the Presidio, too. Riding your bike? There is free bike valet!
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m
Cost: Free
Main Post Lawn
Lincoln Blvd. and Anza Street
San Francisco, CA
Online: redtri.com
Father’s Day Beer Brunch Cruise
Gather the whole family for Hornblower’s Father’s Day Beer Brunch Cruise. Treat dad to an enticing buffet, free-flowing beer and a keepsake pint glass on this two hour yacht cruise. There’s also champagne and mimosas, soda, OJ, coffee and tea along with the brunch, live entertainment, and breathtaking SF views. Seats are assigned and you even get a keepsake photo.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cost: $91/adult; $55.40/child 4-12; children 3 and under are free
Departs from Pier 3
Embarcadero at Washington St.
San Francisco, CA
Online: redtri.com
Family Fun Day: Tattoos in Japanese Print
Head to the Asian Art Museum for kid-friendly gallery tours, creative art projects and immersive storytelling make art appreciation a lively, family-friendly event. Themes and projects change regularly, so visit again and again. Explore the special exhibition Tattoos in Japanese Prints and learn about the influence of Japan’s floating world on tattoo culture.
Date/Time: June 16, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cost: Included with museum admission, kids 12 and under are free
Asian Art Musem
200 Larkin St,
San Francisco, CA
Online: redtri.com
East Bay
Walk the Plank to this Pirate Festival
Let Dad be captain for the day at the Northern California Pirate Festival. Dress in your scallywagging best and ship off to enjoy pirate encampments, gourmet food, four stages of continuous entertainment and a special kid’s area complete with a School of Piracy and a 30-foot slide. Plus you just gave him carte blanche to eat a turkey leg while gazing at mermaids. Epic win, pirate style.
Date/Time: June 15-16, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Cost: $12/general admission; free for children 12 and under
Vallejo Waterfront Park
298 Mare Island Way
Vallejo, CA
Online: redtri.com
Show Dad You’re Grateful
Jam to Grateful Dead hits with your best dad buddy at this concert where kids can be kids (and dads can be kids, too). Using the songs created by the most iconic musicians in rock history, The Rock and Roll Playhouse offers its core audience of babies and kids games, movement and stories and an opportunity to rock out.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, `10:30 a.m.
Cost: $17.50/person
UC Theatre—Taube Family Music Hall
2036 University Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Online: redtri.com
Rockridge Ice Cream & Gelato Tour
Satisfy your sweet tooth with the Rockridge Ice Cream Tour! This one-hour guided walking tour takes kids of all ages through Oakland’s Rockridge area to explore a variety of ice cream desserts—along with a little history as to how we came to enjoy them.
Date: June 16
Cost: $15-20/person
photo: iStock
Dads and Jazz at the Historic Dunsmuir-Hellman Estate
Dad can put one of those annual neckties to good use at this swanky jazz concert located on a beautiful, historic estate and features perks like a BBQ buffet and cigar lounge. Be sure and tour the mansion after the concert and take in the beautiful grounds. This event encourages families with father figures of all kinds—stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, big brothers—so book your spot and enjoy a day with dad.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, 2-6 p.m.
Cost: $30/adults; free/children 12 and under
Dunsmuir Hellman Estate
2960 Peralta Oaks Court
Oakland, CA
Online: redtri.com
Make Like Maverick Open Cockpit Day
Wanna know what it would be like to fly Korean War MiG-15? You can find out at Open Cockpit Day at the Oakland Aviation Museum. Get a glimpse of flight training in a simulator and let the imagination run wild in the Navy A-3 Sky Warrior.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, noon-4 p.m.
Cost: $10/adults; $7/Military & Teens; $5/Kids 6-12. Kids 5 and under are free.
Oakland Aviation Museum
5252 Earhart Rd.
Oakland, CA
Online: redtri.com
Bug Day Family Day at the Garden
The UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley presents “Bug Day”, a family-friendly interactive event that explores the world of insects. From plant-eating bugs to bug-eating plants, “good bugs” and “bad bugs,” insects that travel through water, soil or air, the beautiful and the bizarre, there is so much to discover.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
UC Botanical Garden
200 Centinnel Dr.
Berkeley, CA
Online: redtri.com
photo: Kate Loweth
South Bay
Pick the Berry-Best With Dad
It’s berry season in California and Swanton Berry Farm is bursting with strawberries. Make sure to pop into the market to play board games or read stories. Don’t forget to check out the treats including fresh berry pies, strawberry shortcakes, delicious hot soup, strawberry lemonade, strawberry apple cider and more. The farm accepts cash and check only.
Date/Time: Open every day, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Cost: Admission is free; berries per pound
Swanton Berry Farm
25 Swanton Rd.
Davenport, CA
Online: swantonberryfarm.org
Camp at Gilroy Gardens With Dad
Grab your tent and sleeping bags and drive down to Gilroy Gardens for an overnight camp with Dad. Arrive at the Gardens Saturday afternoon, enjoy dinner in the picnic grove, stroll the grounds in the evening, and then spend the next day romping around the park. Price includes three meals (Saturday dinner and breakfast and lunch on Sunday) and unlimited soft drinks and water, a docent tour and education activities on Sunday morning, and access to the theme park. Win!
Date/Time: June 15-16, starting at 4 p.m.
Cost: $70/person
Gilroy Gardens
3050 Hecker Pass Rd.
Gilroy, CA
Online: redtri.com
Get Your Skate On
It’s roller disco time at the Aloha Roller Rink so grab your dad partner and lace up for some retro good fun! Rent skates there (both regular and in-line skates are available) or bring your own. Enjoy music and get dad to teach you how to shoot the duck!
Date/Time: Sat.-Sun., June 15-16, starting at 6 p.m.
Cost: $13/person, $2/roller skate rental, $4/in-line skate rental, $2/spectator
Aloha Roller Rink
Roosevelt Park
901 E. Santa Clara St.
San Jose, CA
Online: redtri.com
Peninsula
Barn Dance and Work Day at Pie Ranch
Give back and live it up at Pie Ranch in Pescadero! Grab your work gloves, gardening tools if you have them, and sturdy shoes and work on the farm tilling soil, pulling weeds, and cutting plants (at 1 p.m.). At 2 p.m. you can join a farm tour to learn about the agriculture of the 27-acre ranch. Visit with cows, goats, chickens, and pigs, too. Then at 6 p.m. trade your work boots for dancing shoes! Bring a dish to share at the potluck dinner and and kick up your heels at the barn dance that follows featuring the Country Line Pickers.
Date/Time: Sat., June 15 at 1 p.m.
Cost: $10-20/per person
Pescadero
Pie Ranch
2080 Cabrillo Hwy.
Pescadero, CA
Online: redtri.com
Palo Alto World Music Day
Take dad on a trip around the world without leaving the Peninsula! Check out musical acts and performers from across genres and around the world at the Palo Alto World Music Day. University Avenue and King Plaza are filled with the sounds of jazz, blues, classical, pop, rock, klezmer, Greek, Balkan, Indian, World Music, choral, dance and more. Musicians of all ages and levels are invited to join in.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16, 3-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
King Plaza
250 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA
Online: redtri.com
photo: iStock
Marin County
Give Dad a Break at the BBQ
It’s Dad’s day, so let someone else flip the burgers. Grab dad’s hand and cruise over to the Marin Country Mart for Off the Grid, a killer gathering of food trucks that offer BBQ, burritos and even BBQ burritos.
Date/Time: Sun., June 16 at 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Marin Country Mart
2257 Larkspur Landing Cir.
Larkspur, CA
Online: redtri.com
Father’s Day at the Schulz Museum
All fathers get free admission in honor of Father’s Day! Check out this cool museum and learn all about Charlie Brown and friends. Then head across the street for some skating at the indoor rink next door.
Date: June 16
Santa Rosa, CA
Pounce like a lion! Join our volunteer Nature Guides on Saturday, June 15th to learn all about our mountain lion neighbors and their role as top predators in our natural communities. Guided hikes and activities at 11am and 2pm, plus kids’ activities and materials to explore more about lions. We’ll share all we’re learning about them through ACR’s Living with Lions project.
—Kate Loweth
