Are you looking to find the perfect gift for the dad in your life? Ditch the traditional gifts and choose experience gifts for dad instead!
We have consciously shifted gift-giving experiences in our house lately toward experience gifts. Our family is very fortunate, so we have everything we need. Experiences, though, are what life is made of. You can’t have too many experiences!
If you’re struggling to come up with physical gifts your dad needs, consider gifting him an experience the next time you need a gift for him. Not sure what sorts of experiences make good gifts? I brainstormed with my husband to come up with a list of a ton of experience gifts for dad. These make great Father’s Day, birthday, Christmas, or anything gifts! This is going to be a bit of a rapid-fire post, so strap in!
Experience Gifts for Dad
Food & drink
If your dad enjoys trying new food and/or drinks, this category of experience gifts for dad is for you (and him!).
Brewery
If the dad in your life likes beer and wants some low-key fun, spending an afternoon at a brewery with the family is a great experience gift. Many breweries are extremely family-friendly, they require a low level of commitment, and they’re just plain fun! So, fire up the old Google machine and find your nearest brewery so you can spend the day with dad trying all sorts of beer!
Cooking or grilling glass
Is your dad the cook of the family? Cooking or grilling classes make great experience gifts for dad! Of course, check your local area to find in-person classes that might be up his alley, but if you can’t find anything that strikes his fancy near you, there are virtual options too! Weber presents small-group virtual classes with experts that teach grilling techniques to everyone from the beginner to the pitmaster!
Tour
If you have a local food or beverage manufacturer near you (spoiler alert: you likely do!), you can probably book a tour to see how they make what they make. Pasta, chocolate, whiskey – food manufacturing tours make great experience gifts for dad! Especially if you get a sample at the end.
Meal out
A meal out is always a great experience gift. But, if you’re leaning toward gifting dad a meal out, I recommend thinking outside the box. Taking him to your local watering hole is fun, sure, but a meal out that’s out of the ordinary is what takes a meal out and makes it an experience gift.
New restaurant
The easiest way to spice up a meal out is to try a new restaurant. It doesn’t need to be fancy, trendy, or brand-spanking new, just new to you!
Meal with a show
Jazz up your meal out by choosing a meal with a show. Look for somewhere that offers live music at a minimum!
Fancy meal
Make your meal out gift really memorable by choosing a fancy restaurant that requires everyone to get dressed up. I mean, it’s not every day you have to wear a cocktail dress or a jacket to eat a meal.
Active
If the dad in your life enjoys an active lifestyle, lean into that when you’re planning which experience gifts for dad to choose.
Sports
Many dads like to play sports. This is a good thing, because sports-related experience gifts for dad are super accessible pretty much anywhere you live.
Golf
Send dad to play golf, either solo, with his buds, or with the family! You can choose to gift him with a traditional round of golf (18 holes), time at the driving range (TopGolf, anyone?), putt-putt (we loved our Puttshack experience), or a game at a golf simulator. There are lots of ways to gift dad with the experience of golf!
Car racing
Does dad have a need for speed? There are many NASCAR-style racing experiences you can gift him.
Lessons
Give dad the opportunity to try a new-to-him sport with your gift! Let him try his hand at surfing during your next beach vacation, find a local pickleball instructor to give him an introduction, or teach him your sport of choice yourself!
Games
Is dad into games that aren’t necessarily sports? Taking him to play games is another great experience gift for dad!
Bowling
Is bowling a sport? I went with no, but it’s probably up for debate. Try regular bowling or duckpin bowling for a fun family competition!
Lawn games
I really like the idea of setting up a bunch of lawn games in the backyard, inviting a bunch of dad’s friends over, and cycling through the games while you eat and drink yummy food. I’m thinking bocce, cornhole, croquet, badminton, giant connect four, and whatever other lawn games the dads in your life like to play.
Arcade
If dad is a gamer, you can’t come up with a better experience gift for him than a trip to the arcade!
Hike
Get dad into the great outdoors and gift him with a hike you’ve planned. There are hikes out there for any dad, so this one is a great all-purpose experience gift for dads!
Bike ride
Does your family like to take bike rides? Pack up the bikes and plan a ride that isn’t in your neighborhood. Dad will really enjoy the new sights and terrain that a bike ride through on a new path will bring.
Amusement park
Is dad an adrenaline junkie? Take him for a spin on some roller coasters! Seriously, who doesn’t enjoy a fun day at an amusement park (besides my dad, of course)? This is an experience gift for dad that the whole family will enjoy!
Everything else
Let’s not forget the experience gifts for dad that don’t fit nicely into any specific category. These are great options too!
Sporting event
Tickets to a sporting event are a great experience gift for the dad who likes sports, but is more into spectating than participating. Major leagues, minor leagues, college, high school – whatever sports are accessible to you are great! It’s not necessarily about the team, it’s more about the experience.
Local attraction
Taking dad out to spend time at a local attraction is a great experience gift! Spend the day with him at a local museum, zoo, or anywhere else that can keep him interested for a day. The weirder the better!
Concert
Is dad a music lover? Concerts make great experience gifts for dad! Dig the throw-back concert tee out of the drawer and set him up to party on. Depending on his age, you might want to buy him some earplugs and ibuprofen to go with his concert tickets. I know I’d probably need at least the ibuprofen!
Boat ride
If dad lives anywhere close to any body of water (ocean, lake, or river), send him out on a boat trip. Relaxation mandatory, fishing poles optional!
Self-care
Most people think of self-care experience gifts for moms, but dads need some pampering too! Most dads I know would love a little time to themselves, so don’t be shy! Gift certificates for a massage, an old fashioned shave, or a float spa all sound like winners!
Class
Every dad I know is interested in learning something new. I think curiosity just comes with the territory. Indulge dad’s curiosity and sign him up for a class. Find some obscure thing you think he would like to learn more about. Glassblowing, metal working, and comedy are all classes that spring to mind when I think of experience gifts for dad. If you think your dad would rather learn in the comfort of his own home, there’s always Masterclass.
Day trip
Another great experience gift that most dads would love is a day trip. Plan it all, let him know what day you’re going, and whisk him away somewhere cool. Explore an underground cavern, visit the home of a former President, or check out the world’s largest ball of yarn. Wherever you chose to go should give him plenty of memories.
Vacation
If you really want to spoil dad, give him the gift of a vacation. This vacation can be as simple as a weekend at a cabin 2 hours away with all his grandkids or as grandiose as a two week long Europe trip. Whatever you decide, make sure you’re crossing something off his bucket list – he’ll be psyched!
Other posts
It’s almost Father’s Day! If you want to supplement your experience gifts for dad with other gifts or activities, you might want to check out these posts:
I hope you now have tons of great ideas for experience gifts for dad this Father’s Day. What experiences are you gifting to your dad this year? What about your husband? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.