Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Does Dad like to speed a little? Maybe alot? Well let him go for it with a day on the track. Treat him to a Nascar driving experience. Even if your Dad isn’t into Nascar, he won’t say no to being able to actually drive a real race car. He’ll also be able to ride along with a professional driver at race speeds sure to excite. Just find the track closest to you, the Richard Petty Driving Experience is at our track here in Daytona, and at many other locations around the country. There’s also the Nascar Racing Experience and the Dale Jarret Racing School. Check their sites for more information. Prices average just under $500 for an experience Dad won’t soon forget.

If Dad can’t handle the speed, choose any other outing at a local theme park, water park, museum, a state park, or even a favorite fishing spot. But keep everything a secret. Just give Dad a card in the morning telling him what he’ll need for his surprise adventure day. For instance, bring a towel, your swim trunks, and some sunglasses. Then just drive and let him figure it out when he sees the signs. It’ll be a fun adventure for the whole family!

Here’s a great little gadget you’ll be glad Dad has. It is the Zippo Candle lighter. Its perfect for more than just lighting candles. Its a great tool to light the grill, campfires, pilot lights, whatever. It also has a great child safety feature. These great lighters retail for under $15. Give him this lighter and some wood planks for a great grill gift.

If you want to treat him to a more manly lighter, browse the many styles at Zippo. You don’t have to be a smoker to have an quality lighter. Forget the matches and keep a good lighter around the house. Zippo has had a lifetime guarantee and all their metal products since 1933. I have a couple from my Dad and they still work great. You can even find a lighter like one his grandpa may have owned. Take the lighter to your jewelry store to be engraved with his name. This Zippo lighter is a 1935 replica. Stop by your local cigar shop and ask for a sampler, if Dad enjoys a good cigar, and give this beautiful personalized lighter with a few good cigars for him.

Here is a great new invention for chilling good whiskey. These are Vermont soapstone whiskey stones that you freeze and add to your favorite whiskey to chill. They are handcrafted in some of the oldest soapstone workshops in the USA. They are non-porous and add no flavor to the whiskey. The price is about $20 for a set of nine. Give these little stones and nice bottle of single malt or a good bourbon to Dad for a great gift.

For your grilling Dad, go by Steak Brands and pick up one of these cute branders. They have so many styles. There are collegiate branders, funny ones, like “Road Kill,” and the list goes on and on. They even have personalized ones that you can put Dad’s initials on. The price starts at about $20 for a single initial and goes up from there.

Here is an indispensable tool I recently got as a gift that I can’t believe I didn’t have before. It’s a wine aerator. No more waiting for your wine to breathe. Simply pour it through this aerator, into a carafe and drink immediately. Pair this nifty tool with a carafe and a nice red and your good to go. You can get this at Target and other retailers for about $30.

Does Dad love a good brew? Why not get him an easy kit so he can brew his own. You could alternatively get him Alton Brown’s home brew kit, but why run around to several stores putting various parts together? Mr. Beer has everything in one box. Mr. Beer has many brewing sets to get you started. I got my husband one of these kits for Christmas last year, and he loved it. He has requested a refill kit for it for Father’s Day. The best part about this gift is these kits are widely available and they start at about $40. If Dad is not into beer, they also have cider, wine, and even root beer making kits.

Brookstone has this great grilling tool. It’s an instant read thermometer fork. Take the guess work out of grilling meat. I wouldn’t recommend this for steak, you should still use the method where you feel your hand then the steak.  You might lose some steak juices, but this tool is essential for grilling chicken and pork. The display on this thermometer is even back-lit, so its easy to use at night. This great little gadget retails for about $30.

Sick of all those power charging cords for his cell phone and other wireless devices? Get this sleek wireless charging mat from Powermat. Simply drop your phone on the map, and it instantly charges. No more plugging and unplugging, no more cord chargers that break, no more messy cords on your counters. You can even plug in the wireless mat by USB into your computer instead of a wall outlet. These go for about $100.

Does Dad need an iPhone upgrade? The new iPhone 4 has it all. A great built-in camera, HD video recording, and a host of other new features. It won’t be available for Dad to hold on father’s day, but believe me, he won’t mind the wait. You can pre-order starting June 15th and they are available June 24. The new iPhone is around $200, with contract, of course.

Kobalt 53″ Stainless Steel 16-Drawer Tool Chest is the mother of all tool chests. I first spotted this one at a trip to Lowe’s about a year ago. This tool box has a mini fridge and a Pioneer sound system. Not only is it a radio, but also a CD player and it’s also Sirius/XM ready. The only thing it doesn’t come with is the beer. This would be a great gift if there’s several adult kids going in together for one big gift. This one will set you back about $100.

Are you still stumped as what to get Dad this father’s day. Does Dad have it all? Not to worry, just get him a loving or funny Hallmark card and donate the money you would have spent on a gift to his favorite charity in his name. Any Dad would be happy with that.

Have a wonderful Father’s Day!

(All of the products listed here, we own, own an older version of, like the iPhone, or they are on our wish list to purchase.)