5 Activities for Father-Son Bonding

Father-son relationships, what’s there to say? Filled with glorious memories of mowing the lawn on weekends, attempts at manliness, and the occasional beer before appropriateness.

Dad gives the sex talk, reminding you to “always remember your ‘raincoat.’” He lets you watch the new action flick if you don’t tell mom. And Dad teaches you the nuances behind changing a tire.

All the while, the son rebuttals, ignoring requests to mow the lawn; incorrectly changing a tire, which leads to a lost tire on I-94; and, generally, ignoring life advice until it bites him in the ass.

Well, let’s rekindle that majestic relationship.

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  Rock Climbing

  Discover Outdoors

  Mom’s out of town, and you have a free weekend with pops. Don’t rebel by ordering pizza and watching Bruce Willis flicks. Get out and have an adventure of your own. Climb the Gunks! Just outside of NYC resides some of North America’s best rock climbing. Here, you and dad can enjoy an intensive lesson on how to scale a mountain. And then, you’ll spend a day tackling the cliffs for yourselves. Why stay in the city and order the same recurring weekend? Do something.

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  Surfing - Group Lesson (vendor delisted 7/27/20 NBM)

  Locals Surf School

  A day of R&R never captivated your attention. You remember the days when you and the kid camped upstate, chopped wood, and the times you intentionally threw baseballs a bit too hard at his head during hours of catch. Well, the city’s here and you two only have a day of fun. Why not surf? Ingrained in American culture (it’s even a music genre!), you’ll learn how to paddle, stand, and ride your first wave. As always, it’ll turn into a competition of who rides the better wave. And you’ll win...like always.

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  Fencing Lesson (Vendor offers active free trial through Vimbly FMC 11/30/16)

  Manhattan Fencing

  Competition between father and son? Never. Well, fencing pits the wise words of dad against the rambunctious son. The man who, thirty years ago, claims to have hiked eight miles to school against the kid who spent more time playing video games than he did outside. This is a battle for bragging rights and maybe a steak dinner.

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  West Village Pizza Walk

  Scott's Pizza Tours

  Food brings people together. Pizza brings people love. A pizza tour will fuse pizza, love, and all that’s perfect between your father-son relationship.

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  Stand-Up Comedy Show

  Stand Up NY

  “Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.” Studies show that laughter brings people together, leading to more intimate relationships. A night of raucous comedy may be exactly what you two need to rekindle that old flame.

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