Best Places to Take Dad on Father’s Day in Victoria

If there’s one man in this world you should respect, it would be your father. If you don’t respect him, well, hey, that’s your business. If you’re interested in getting on his good side come this Father’s Day, however, I’ve got a few suggestions for you that could help you out in that department at the very least.

Face it, dads get some of the crappiest jobs in the world when it comes to raising kids. That gross thing you did to make a gross mess when you were five? He cleaned it up. That time you decided to try and cut your own hair when you were seven? He was the one who had to either fix it or find a barber that wouldn’t laugh at you while he fixed it so as to not bruise your fragile little seven –year-old ego. That cat you said you’d love forever and clean up after always? He’s the one who had to clean up the gross hairballs and feed after you locked it in the closet and said it had run away.

Face it, your dad’s been there this whole time for you. Why not take a little time this Father’s Day and make his month just a little bit better by showing him how much you love him.

Golf:

If you can get an early start, and your dad likes golf, hit up the Riverside Golf Course. If he’s not that big of a fan or if he’s not that keen on spending the day out in the heat chasing little white balls, make a trip to the Northside Golf Range and hit a bucket or two with him.

Even if he’s not a fan, there’s very little in this world that’s more therapeutic than hitting things. Make it the golf balls so when you bring up that time you wrecked his car, he has something handy to hit besides you.

Northside Golf Range is an easy way to get in some swings without breaking the bank. You can get a couple of large buckets of balls for under twenty dollars. There’s an onsite golf pro if you’re interested in setting up some lessons or just getting an opinion other than your dad’s as to whether or not you swing like a girl.

Bowling:

It’s a sport. It’s on TV. You get to throw things (kinda) and no one can yell at you, especially your dad since he’s doing the same thing.

Century Lanes is a great place to get in a few frames. It’s clean, comfortable, and well lit so your dad can’t claim he couldn’t see the pins when you beat him in the tenth frame. Reasonably priced, it’s an easy way to spend some time with your pops without emptying your wallet completely.

If you and your dad want to kick back and have a cold one afterwards, there’s a full service bar inside and regardless of who won at bowling, you can at least have him tell you how it’s too bad you didn’t get into professional sports while you watch a game on the TV. Or “let” him win at a quick game of pool.

However you choose to spend your time at Century Lanes, make sure to help dad reminisce about the old days by asking him for some quarters so you can play games in the arcade while he waits in the car. Dads love to reminisce.

Fishing:

Maybe your dad is more of the outdoors-y type. It’s the perfect time of the year for some fishing. Nothing says Happy Father’s Day like sitting out with your dad with some fishing poles while he reminds you how successful he was when he was your age. Yup, nothing beats that kind of love.

The Coleto Creek Reservoir is a great place to spend your day fishing either from the shore or off your dad’s boat that he bought instead of getting you braces when you were twelve. There’s plenty of places to hide yourself and his keys when he’s ready to leave and hiking trails that are perfect for storming off down after you tell him how much you wanted to be a musician growing up but he wouldn’t support you.

If your father is more of a saltwater angler, Port Lavaca is just up the road and has plenty of piers to fish off of if you don’t have a boat available. If you do have a boat available, just make sure you can see the shore. Dad won’t say it but there’s plenty of ways to get rid of a body at sea. Play it safe.

Movies:

I’m lucky. Taking my dad to the movies is a win-win. We both like popcorn without butter, sci-fi flicks, and not talking to one another for two hours at a time.

Cinemark is a great place to see a movie. Having upgraded several of their theaters with 3-D capability, there’s no reason not to throw down a couple of extra bucks to watch your dad flinch when something flies off the screen. Try to avoid the conversation where he tells you 3-D is nothing new and how he watched movies in 3-D back when it cost a nickel to get into the theater. There’s absolutely no way to win that particular debate. Trust me.

Another opportunity to help your dad reminisce will come up when you’re leaving the movies. There’s a fairly well stocked arcade built into the theater. Depending on how badly you irked him during the movie by telling him how they screwed up the Green Lantern timeline (that launches on June 17th, just in time to make dad share your obsession with comic books!!), I’d avoid the air hockey table.

If you’re not in the mood to go to the theater, or if your dad has a deep seated hatred of Ryan Reynolds, try picking up a DVD for him. True Grit, The Adjustment Bureau, and a bunch of other movies (that your dad can use to point out how much more manly you’d be if you wore a proper hat instead of that stupid ball cap you’re always wearing) come out in June. As a bonus, you can alphabetize his DVD collection. He’ll thank you and then promptly begin re-organizing as soon as you leave but hey, you were there for him when he needed it.

Dinner:

I don’t know about your father but mine is convinced that people like vegans are a dead end in the evolutionary chain. Put a properly cooked steak in front of him and he’ll forgive you for that time you broke the coffee table when you were going through your super hero phase and were jumping off everything convinced you could fly.

Entertain the carnivore in him and take him to the Texas Roadhouse. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much of a steak you can get without breaking the bank. The plus here is that this is a steakhouse that actually knows how to cook a steak so the odds of your father having to point out how much better he makes steaks is fairly slim.

Texas Roadhouse is definitely a dinner location unless you’re going on the weekend. Open only for dinner Monday through Friday, they are open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Even if the place is packed with other kids trying to get in their dad’s good graces, the wait staff is friendly and won’t ever point out to your dad that you’re rolling your eyes every time he turns his back. If that’s not worth a tip, I don’t know what is.

It should be noted that there is a considerable amount of good natured humor when I talk about my father in this post. He is not a grumpy old man and he has most certainly never told me I swing like a girl. Except the one time I did swing like a girl but that's another story.

I love and admire my father very much. He was good natured and good humored enough to take a funny picture and I want it noted that I would never fear being killed at sea while on a boat with him. My father taught me how to hunt, fish, and be a man and I love him very much. To my father, Stephen Gritta, Happy Early Father's Day!