Ways to Celebrate Dad This Father’s Day

It’s a little hard to celebrate like normal during a pandemic, but I’ve found that it’s still so important to try to mark important days in our lives. It makes life feel like it hasn’t completely stopped. With Father’s Day coming up, I sat down with Dustin (my husband) and chatted with him about some things that he likes to do around here.

I hope this gives you some ideas for safely celebrating the dads in your life while also enjoying our beautiful area.

Trek to the Williamsport Waterfall

Head to Attica, IN, and enjoy the Portland Arch Nature Preserve, which is a 0.8 mile lightly trafficked loop that features a beautiful river! While you’re there, enjoy the Fall Creek Gorge Nature Preserve, which is one mile out-and-back trail that features a waterfall. (Be prepared to get muddy, too.)

From there, head over to Williamsport, IN and hop on the Williamsport Falls loop hike, which is a 1.6 mile moderately trafficked loop. (Actually, you can see this one from the parking area if you don’t want to hike it!)

Assuming the weather is nice, I recommend taking a picnic lunch and enjoying it somewhere along one of these trails!

Hike at the Tippecanoe County Amphitheater

If the weather is nice, your favorite dad might enjoy a hike in the woods at the Tippecanoe County Amphitheater. This amphitheater is on 166 acres of land that has hiking/biking trails that weave throughout the woods, providing views of Burnett’s Creek and the Wabash River. It also has a soccer field, if you feel like just going and playing around with the kids. Who knows? You might see some wildlife, too!

Gone Fishing

Maybe a quiet afternoon OUT of the house is Dad’s idea of fun. How about some fishing? First things first, you need a fishing license! You can easily buy your license online and print it or save it to your phone. Here are some other resources about fishing in Indiana.

Now, where to go? Munger Park (3- acre pond), Wildcat Park, Granville Bridge (boat ramp with access to Wabash), and Fairfield Park Lakes (4 stocked lakes with 2 handicap-accessible fishing pads) are all good options. When Dad brings home the fish, there’s nothing better than a fresh-fish dinner. Here are some tasty looking ideas from Field & Stream, though some of these might be above my cooking level.

Hit the Golf Course or Driving Range

This is for the dad who wants to be alone… or with HIS dad… or perhaps to teach his children a new skill. We have eight golf courses to choose from in Greater Lafayette.

All of these courses except for Bello Terra Golf Course and West Lafayette Golf and Country Club are currently open with precautions in place. I recommend checking their websites or giving them a call for the latest safety information.

Perhaps 18 holes is too much? How about buying dad a bucket of balls and teeing off at the driving range? If you’ve got a little time, make the trek to Hollow Acres Golf Center in Monticello, IN. When you’re done, enjoy one of their fantastic hand-dipped milk shakes at the snack bar!

Build a Treehouse

Some dads just love projects, especially projects with their kids, so why not work on one together? From extravagant to simple, treehouse plans can easily be found all over the w-w-w. Check out these fun ones right here.

Do a Carryout Brewery Tour

Why not let Dad just kick back and relax? How about a (carryout) brewery tour!? We have six local breweries, all serving their variations of hops and malt. Start on the south end of town at Teays River Brewing & Public House. Then, swing out to Sagamore Parkway to taste Lafayette’s newest brewery, Escape Velocity. From there, head downtown to Thieme & Wagner and Lafayette Brewing Company. Then, head out 9^th Street to People’s Brewing, and up the hill into West Lafayette to end at Brokerage Brewing Company.

If you’re interested in doing a more extensive brewery tour, this is a fantastic guide to everything available in a bigger area round us. I highly recommend checking to see which of these are open during this time.

Get Crafty!

Is your dad more of the crafty type? If so, Painting with a Twist is offering painting kits for purchase. Kits include an instruction sheet and a link to an instructional video, as well as the canvas, paints, and brushes you’ll need to create your masterpiece. This might be a fun activity to do with the entire family on Father’s day!

Despite the strange circumstances, I hope you are able to find a fun way to celebrate Dad on his special day. He deserves it!