logo
Father's Day Gift Guide 2025: 12 Ways To Gift Quality Time Together

Father's Day Gift Guide 2025: 12 Ways To Gift Quality Time Together

Forbes06-06-2025
A father and his two boys fishing at Abbott Lake. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
When it comes to Father's Day, the most valuable gift you can give might not come in a box—it's time. Time to unwind. Time to connect. Time to create new stories together. For busy dads, carving out space for memorable experiences is more meaningful than any material thing.
These gifts go beyond socks and scotch. They are built around doing, not just giving—offering everything from hands-on workshops and hiking adventures to luxury retreats and customizable global tours. Whether you're planning a day with just the kids, a weekend getaway with extended family, or a bold bucket-list bonding moment, each idea here is designed to inspire connection, laughter, learning and exploration.
Turn an ordinary day into a luxury getaway with ResortPass, which lets families enjoy high-end hotel amenities without booking an overnight stay. Dad can spend the day poolside at a five-star resort, unwind in a cabana, or recharge with spa access—all at properties he's always wanted to visit. It's an ideal option for families who want a mini-escape without the full vacation commitment. With hundreds of participating hotels across the U.S., the only hard part is choosing where to go next. Price: Varies by location and amenities.
Ready to upgrade family game night? Activate is the world's first active gaming facility, combining high-energy physical challenges with immersive digital gameplay. With over 40 locations across North America, this screen-meets-sweat experience is like an escape room crossed with a laser maze—perfect for dads who want to move, laugh and compete with their crew. It's bonding with a heart rate boost. Price: Varies by location; typically around $25 per person.
For a gift that's as entertaining as it is unexpected, take Dad back in time—chainmail and all. Medieval Times' dinner and tournament show combines jousting, feasting and cheering in a full theatrical setting, available at 10 castles across the U.S. For Father's Day 2025, upgrade to the Beer Package, which includes a 25 oz. drinking horn filled with his favorite brew. Expect laughs, competition and family bonding with a healthy dose of spectacle. Price: Varies by location; available for shows June 2 to 15, 2025.
Can't decide on just one experience? Giftory makes it easy to let Dad choose his own adventure—whether it's a hot air balloon ride, dinner cruise, stock car thrill ride or wine tasting tour. The site offers flexible, book-now-or-later options that don't expire, so he can schedule when it fits his calendar. Whether he's craving adrenaline or relaxation, Giftory covers it all with one seamless gift. Price: Varies by experience; gift cards available.
If Dad dreams of hitting the open road in style, RV Overnights offers the ultimate access pass. With a network of over 1,000 host locations—including wineries, golf courses, farms and historic sites—it's a curated way to experience the U.S. in a luxury RV or camper. The $49.99 annual membership unlocks exclusive locations, zero campsite fees and over $3,500 in partner discounts. It's road-tripping with none of the guesswork and all the perks. Price: $49.99/year.
Give Dad a break from the screen and a reason to lace up his hiking boots with the whole family with a premium AllTrails subscription. The app makes it easy to find and navigate beautiful trails across the U.S.—whether it's a beach stroll, forest escape or desert adventure. AllTrails+ offers offline maps and real-time alerts, while the new AllTrails Peak tier adds even more features for hardcore hikers. Price: AllTrails+: $35.99/year; AllTrails Peak: $80/year.
Swap another tie for a toast with one of Total Wine & More's in-store classes, offered at 270+ locations nationwide. Whether Dad prefers a bourbon deep-dive, a wine tasting tour through South America or a spirits-with-a-twist session, these guided experiences make for an affordable and enriching night out. Classes are approachable and expertly led. Price: Typically $20 per class; varies by location.
For the dad who's impossible to shop for, let Tinggly do the heavy lifting. This curated experience gift box includes access to over 14,000 adventures in 100+ countries, from shark cage diving to exotic car racing. He can redeem it anytime, anywhere—and choose what kind of memory he wants to make. It's the most personalized gift you can give without picking an actual item. Price: Varies by gift box.
Few things are more meaningful than building something with your own hands—and Rockler's woodworking classes let Dad do just that. With more than 40 stores nationwide, Rockler offers in-person experiences where families can make cribbage boards, beer mugs, charcuterie boards and more. It's a great multi-generational activity that results in a tangible keepsake. Price: In-store classes typically $80–$250+.
For the dad who wants deep connection without the logistics headache, Wanderwild delivers luxury family retreats designed to include everyone—yes, even the kids. These multigenerational escapes place wellness, nature and quality time at the center. It's a rare combination of upscale hospitality and family inclusiveness that's as thoughtful as it is restorative. Price: Varies by retreat type and location.
Boatsetter makes it easy to gift a nautical escape—whether it's sailing past city skylines, reeling in trophy catches or wakeboarding with the kids. With thousands of rental options across the U.S., Boatsetter offers everything from laid-back cruises to adrenaline-packed days on the lake. Booking is instant, captains are optional and the memories? Guaranteed. Price: Varies by location and vessel type.
For world-traveling dads—or those planning their next big trip—ToursByLocals offers curated, private tours led by hand-picked guides in 176 countries. These aren't group excursions or cookie-cutter itineraries. Each experience is built around what Dad wants to see, taste and learn, whether it's a street food crawl in Tokyo or sailing the Aegean with his crew. It's cultural immersion with concierge-level care. Price: Varies by destination and tour customization.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Teens increasingly turning to AI for friendship as national loneliness crisis deepens
Teens increasingly turning to AI for friendship as national loneliness crisis deepens

Fox News

time2 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Teens increasingly turning to AI for friendship as national loneliness crisis deepens

A new study shows that a third of American teenagers prefer chatting with artificial intelligence companions over having real friends. Common Sense Media's report, titled "Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions," revealed that the most widespread uses of AI are aged 13-17. The report explained further that the "use of AI companions is not a niche interest, but rather mainstream teen behavior" and that teens "find conversations with AI companions to be as satisfying or more satisfying than those with real-life friends." "AI companions are emerging at a time when kids and teens have never felt more alone," Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer said in the press release. "This isn't just about a new technology — it's about a generation that's replacing human connection with machines, outsourcing empathy to algorithms, and sharing intimate details with companies that don't have kids' best interests at heart. Our research shows that AI companions are far more commonplace than people may have assumed — and that we have a narrow window to educate kids and families about the well-documented dangers of these products." Although nearly half of teens used AI companions as a tool, the report also stated that 33% of teens use AI companions for social interactions and emotional support. For example, teens would use them for living out relationships, emotional support, role-playing, romantic interactions and friendship. A writer at Daze who cited the study raised awareness about the loneliness epidemic among young people and that it could lead to an invasion of privacy. "Some teenagers are telling AI their most intimate problems and secrets, which poses another problem – it's not a good idea to entrust this information to tech companies, some of whom have an extremely lax approach to data privacy. Would you really want Sam Altman or Elon Musk to have access to the contents of your teenage diary?" James Greig wrote in Daze. He added that it underscores a "larger crisis of youth loneliness" as teenagers stopped hanging out at malls and going to the movies, "which has corresponded with rising rates of depression and anxiety." "Being able to speak to an AI companion might alleviate the feeling of loneliness, and some people may find it helpful, but if it's becoming a replacement for socializing in the real world, then it risks entrenching the problem," Greig added.

Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

Associated Press

time2 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom Lehrer, the popular song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death. Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format, without any fee in return. A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. His songs included 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,' 'The Old Dope Peddler' (set to a tune reminiscent of 'The Old Lamplighter'), 'Be Prepared' (in which he mocked the Boy Scouts) and 'The Vatican Rag,' in which Lehrer, an atheist, poked at the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. (Sample lyrics: 'Get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries. Bow your head with great respect, and genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.') Accompanying himself on piano, he performed the songs in a colorful style reminiscent of such musical heroes as Gilbert and Sullivan and Stephen Sondheim, the latter a lifelong friend. Lehrer was often likened to such contemporaries as Allen Sherman and Stan Freberg for his comic riffs on culture and politics and he was cited by Randy Newman and 'Weird Al' Jankovic among others as an influence. He mocked the forms of music he didn't like (modern folk songs, rock 'n' roll and modern jazz), laughed at the threat of nuclear annihilation and denounced discrimination. But he attacked in such an erudite, even polite, manner that almost no one objected. 'Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded,' musicologist Barry Hansen once said. Hansen co-produced the 2000 boxed set of Lehrer's songs, 'The Remains of Tom Lehrer,' and had featured Lehrer's music for decades on his syndicated 'Dr. Demento' radio show. Lehrer's body of work was actually quite small, amounting to about three dozen songs. 'When I got a funny idea for a song, I wrote it. And if I didn't, I didn't,' Lehrer told The Associated Press in 2000 during a rare interview. 'I wasn't like a real writer who would sit down and put a piece of paper in the typewriter. And when I quit writing, I just quit. ... It wasn't like I had writer's block.' He'd gotten into performing accidentally when he began to compose songs in the early 1950s to amuse his friends. Soon he was performing them at coffeehouses around Cambridge, Massachusetts, while he remained at Harvard to teach and obtain a master's degree in math. He cut his first record in 1953, 'Songs by Tom Lehrer,' which included 'I Wanna Go Back to Dixie,' lampooning the attitudes of the Old South, and the 'Fight Fiercely, Harvard,' suggesting how a prissy Harvard blueblood might sing a football fight song. After a two-year stint in the Army, Lehrer began to perform concerts of his material in venues around the world. In 1959, he released another LP called 'More of Tom Lehrer' and a live recording called 'An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer,' nominated for a Grammy for best comedy performance (musical) in 1960. But around the same time, he largely quit touring and returned to teaching math, though he did some writing and performing on the side. Lehrer said he was never comfortable appearing in public. 'I enjoyed it up to a point,' he told The AP in 2000. 'But to me, going out and performing the concert every night when it was all available on record would be like a novelist going out and reading his novel every night.' He did produce a political satire song each week for the 1964 television show 'That Was the Week That Was,' a groundbreaking topical comedy show that anticipated 'Saturday Night Live' a decade later. He released the songs the following year in an album titled 'That Was the Year That Was.' The material included 'Who's Next?' ponders which government will be the next to get the nuclear bomb ... perhaps Alabama? (He didn't need to tell his listeners that it was a bastion of segregation at the time.) 'Pollution' takes a look at the then-new concept that perhaps rivers and lakes should be cleaned up. He also wrote songs for the 1970s educational children's show 'The Electric Company.' He told AP in 2000 that hearing from people who had benefited from them gave him far more satisfaction than praise for any of his satirical works. His songs were revived in the 1980 musical revue 'Tomfoolery' and he made a rare public appearance in London in 1998 at a celebration honoring that musical's producer, Cameron Mackintosh. Lehrer was born in 1928, in New York City, the son of a successful necktie designer. He recalled an idyllic childhood on Manhattan's Upper West Side that included attending Broadway shows with his family and walking through Central Park day or night. After skipping two grades in school, he entered Harvard at 15 and, after receiving his master's degree, he spent several years unsuccessfully pursuing a doctorate. 'I spent many, many years satisfying all the requirements, as many years as possible, and I started on the thesis,' he once said. 'But I just wanted to be a grad student, it's a wonderful life. That's what I wanted to be, and unfortunately, you can't be a Ph.D. and a grad student at the same time.' He began to teach part-time at Santa Cruz in the 1970s, mainly to escape the harsh New England winters. From time to time, he acknowledged, a student would enroll in one of his classes based on knowledge of his songs. 'But it's a real math class,' he said at the time. 'I don't do any funny theorems. So those people go away pretty quickly.' ___ Former Associated Press writer John Rogers contributed to this story. Rogrers retired from The AP in 2021.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store