17 Father’s Day road trip ideas

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For all those times he tossed a baseball with you or made dinner or drove you to Girl Guides or read you a story—and even those nights he stayed up late to read you the riot act when you missed your curfew—doesn’t Dad deserve great concert tickets, some rib-sticking food or the chance to fire a vintage cannon? Read on for some Father’s Day road trip ideas.

I’ve included lots of ideas for Friday and Saturday, in case your Sunday is already spoken for. And there are tips on a few upcoming events, too, since tickets and gift certificates are always nice surprises inside a Father’s Day card.

For music fans

Does your dad have a wall of CDs or a basement full of musical instruments? How about the first annual All Canadian Roots and Blues Festival in Picton (June 19 and 20)? The headliners are the Jimmy Bowskill Band (Friday) and the 24th Street Wailers (Saturday).

If Dad likes to play as well as listen, the Galop Bluegrass Festival in Iroquois (June 18 to 21) features mandolin, banjo and guitar workshops on Saturday, as well as concerts from Friday night through Sunday afternoon.

All the concerts are free on Sunday at the Montreal Folk Festival on the Canal (June 17 to 21).

Closer to home, the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival opens on Thursday and runs until Canada Day. Hot tickets for dads of a certain age will be Huey Lewis and the News (June 24) and the Steve Miller Band (June 25).

For car aficionados

There are lots of opportunities to admire vehicles of all descriptions this weekend, including the FCA Ottawa Ferrari Festival at Calabogie Motorsports Park and along Preston Street (June 19 to 21). (Note that the video above is from the 2013 festival, so all the activities in it may not be offered this year, but it gives you a good flavour of the event.)

There’s also the Father’s Day Show and Shine at Riverside Park in Kemptville and a Father’s Day Antique Car Show at the Billings Estate National Historic Site (both June 21).

For active dads

Fun for the whole family at the Healthy Smiths Falls Festival (June 20) includes a rock-climbing wall and a basketball tournament.

For dads who have their own kilts (or know where to buy or borrow one), there’s the Perth Kilt Run (June 20)—the world’s largest 8K kilt run. (The organizers will also happily sell you a kilt, but you had to order it back in March.) Check out the video above from 2012 to see just how big this event is!

For history buffs

This definitely beats a tie: Give Dad the chance to fire an actual 19th-century cannon at Fort Wellington in Prescott, while dressed in in a reproduction period uniform! You can do this throughout the summer (I suspect Father’s Day is already pretty busy), so why not make it your Father’s Day present? Advance reservations required.

Or perhaps he’d like to try his hand at blacksmithing or woodworking at Pinhey’s Point Historic Site or the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum (both June 21)?

At the Diefenbunker, Operation Father’s Day on June 20 features a display of rare military vehicles and tours of the quirky Cold War bunker.

For the lunch and brunch bunch

Whiskey pulled pork and barbecued ribs are among the dishes being served up at the Father’s Day Sunday Brunch at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa (June 21). Reservations would probably be wise.

Speaking of ribs, Ottawa Ribfest is rocking the Sparks Street Mall this week (June 17 to 21). And family games like tug-of-war and barrel racing are on the menu, along with hot dogs and hamburgers, at the Father’s Day BBQ at the Nepean Museum (June 21).

Meanwhile, 1000 Islands Cruises is offering a three-hour Father’s Day Lunch Cruise from Kingston (June 21).

Want more tips on road trips from Ottawa—including info on hotel discounts, contests, festivals and other cool news? Subscribe to my free weekly e-newsletter! I will never spam you—promise.

Disclosure: I participated in the cannon program at Fort Wellington as a guest of Parks Canada, which neither reviewed nor approved this post.