Celebrate Father’s Day in Ditmas Park
I asked a number of dads and people buying gifts for dads, “What are you doing for Father’s Day?” Four themes kept reoccurring: BBQ, family activity day, date night, and dad’s solo adventure time. Below are places in and around the neighborhood you can visit to give the dad in your life the perfect Father’s Day this Sunday, June 17.
Recreating the poll here, which would you pick?
[poll id=”17″]
BBQ–Stroll through the Greenmarket Sunday morning to pick out BBQ meat. Arcadian Farms will walk you through their extensive grass- and grain-fed collection matching you with the perfect steak, or perhaps a more impulsive buy. Beef heart, anyone? If you want to stay away from red meat, Blue Moon Fish is the stall for scallops and mussels. Steam them in a can of Bud instead of white wine—delicious! If you’re a vegetarian but still want to indulge in the Father’s Day BBQ ritual, snag a plump portobello mushroom from Madura Farms.
Family Activities–Prospect Park is full of Father’s Day fun:
Father’s Day Sing-A-Long, 3pm, Lefferts Historic House
Treat Dad to something special. Come to Lefferts and celebrate with musician Rory Dineen. Enjoy fresh New York strawberries with cream you whip the old-fashioned way!
Father’s Day at the Audubon Center, 1pm, Audubon Center
Spend Father’s Day at the Audubon Center. Make a Father’s Day card out of recycled materials at our craft station from 1 to 3pm, then take a walk with Pops on a Discover Tour.
Food Truck Rally, 11 am to 5pm: Recharge after a day in the park with delicious pickings at Grand Army Plaza.
Date Night–Eating close to home lowers the babysitting bill. Ox Cart will serve up their famous soft pretzel to the man in your life. The Castello Plan, The Farm, Purple Yam, Mimi’s Hummus, and Picket Fence will all be open for brunch and dinner. Enjoy Sycamore’s backyard on Sunday afternoon, if you want to be home in time to put the kiddos to bed. Or, gift dad a ticket to Sycamore’s Cyclones Tailgate party.
Celebrate Brooklyn! on Fathers Day eve. With or without the wee ones. Balkan Beat Box, Chico Trujillo, and Nation Beat will perform.
Adventure–Is dad a baseball fanatic? Surprise him with tickets to the Brooklyn Cyclones which open on Father’s Day Monday. Perhaps he misses lazy fishing days? New Golden Sunshine offers half-day trips in the salty air. For the environmentally minded adventurer, consider kayaking down the beautiful “superfund” Gowanus Canal.
The Old Fallback—gift card
You can always run into Almac Hardware at Newkirk Plaza for a gift card. Dad can buy what he wants.