Best Places to Take Dad for Father’s Day in Abilene – Our Top 5

What are you getting dad this Father’s Day? Another tie? Seriously, he doesn’t even wear a suit, why does he need another tie that you gave no effort in buying? Granted, he and mom may want to role play and pretend he’s Donald Trump and she’s some European chick, but other than that, the tie is useless and cliche.  Take a gander at the list we put together. The finest minds in all of the great land have put together a list of the top 5 places to take dad for Father’s Day.

OK, you’re right, we are nowhere close to the finest minds in the land, but we are dads.

In no particular, here’s our Top 5:

1. Local Steak House

You won’t find a dad on this planet that won’t include a steak house in his top 5 favorite places to spend on Father’s Day.

Looking for a good steak? You can’t go wrong with these places:

The Beehive · Outback Steakhouse · Texas Roadhouse · Perini Ranch Steak House · Lytle Land & Cattle

2. The Living Room

Take your dad to the living room and leave him there. Unattended. For hours. Trust me, all dad’s want a good stretch of peace and quiet. Let him have that peace and quiet while he’s in his favorite recliner or stretched out on the couch and you’ll have the happiest dad on the planet.

3. Miniature Golf

The idea that every dad loves to play golf and wants to do that on Father’s Day is preposterous, but I don’t know a dad that won’t enjoy an afternoon of miniature golf with his kid(s).

So, if you’re looking for a little miniature golf kind of fun for Father’s Day, then yell “Fore!” and check out one of the following places:

Primetime Family Entertainment Center · Putt-Putt Golf and Games · Play Faire Park

4. The Movies

All right, kids (young and old), dad has taken you to “your” movies for years. Let him pick this time. Who knows? You might be surprised to find out he wants to see one of your movies.

Regardless, this will give him a chance to stop saying, “The only movies I go to are kid’s movies, I never see adult movies until they hit DVD”.

Make sure you turn cell phones off and enjoy a movie.

Century 12/Cinemark · Premiere Cineman 10 (Mall of Abilene) · Town & Country Drive-In · Carmike Park Central 6

5. The Park

I have to admit, some of the greatest memories I have of time with my daughter are those spent at the park, on the swings. Yeah, there are plenty of things to do at any local park, but swinging with (or pushing) my daughter really puts a smile on my face. I guess it’s the rhythm you get into on the swings, it’s just spiritual.

According to Chaz (and his research), “Abilene has 27 parks that cover over 1,000 acres in Abilene, so you have a plethora of parks to choose from.”

My favorite is Redbud Park, because of the huge playground, YMCA, and prairie dog field, but if you want to find out about all of the parks in this area, then check out #4 on Chaz’s post.

I asked some of my co-workers about their past Father’s Day experiences and here’s what they had to say.

Randy Jones – True Oldies 100.7

I remember many Summer Sunday mornings, including Father’s Day, in which my Dad and I would go fishing at Lake Fort Phantom.  Before and after Dad retired from teaching, he loved to fish.

Dad was an early riser, usually waking up at 3:30 in the morning.  So when we planned to fish, it was always a 5AM lift off.  By the time I arrived at Hawley, Texas at the family home, Dad would already have the boat hooked up and all the tackle loaded.  We would get to the lake and launch the boat at 5:30AM while it was still dark.

We fished by trolling.  We would drag lures about 100 feet behind the boat, moving along at 2 or 3 miles per hour.  At Lake Phantom, the hybrid striped bass run in schools.  So when you drag across one of these schools, you usually get two bites.  It was great fun reeling those fish in and putting them on the stringer.

The best part of those fishing excursions were the conversations.  My Dad was known to be fairly stoic and didn’t waste words; high School Principals are often wired that way. But on these trips, we got to talk about so many things that would have never come up in family conversations.  Those lake trips were how I really got to know and understand my father.

As with most West Texas days, Lake Phantom starts to get choppy as the wind kicks up mid-morning.  We would wrap it up around 9:30AM and pull out of the lake by 10AM.  When we arrived back at Hawley, we cleaned the fish.  It timed out just about right to have a home cooked Sunday meal.  Mom didn’t want anything to do with the cleaning, but she sure could cook those fish fillets.  She would have the entire meal ready to go, except for the fish frying.

Time spent with Dad on Father’s Day is priceless, and the memories last a lifetime.  If you’ve still got your Dad, make it a point to stop down, if just for a while on this special Sunday, and spend some quality time.  Build those memories, and never take them for granted.  Years get behind us pretty quickly.  And Dads have a lot of wisdom to offer, now, and for the future.

If you want to fish at Lake Fort Phantom, there is a wealth of information here at the Texas Parks And Wildlife website.

Shay Hill – KEAN 105.1

I would take my dad fishing for Father’s Day. We have a farm with a small tank that is stocked with bass, but you could also go to a few small lakes around Abilene, as well. I’m thinking Lake Kirby; it’s small and easy to get to. I wouldn’t take a boat, just fish from the bank. Take some sandwiches and snacks and just sit in your lawn chair and fish. You can “cuss and discuss” everything, as my dad likes to say. It doesn’t cost a lot of money, but you will remember it far longer than buying him a gift or taking him to a restaurant to eat. After losing some family members recently, I realized it’s those memories that are so precious.

Stay cool and Happy Father’s Day.

While you’re figuring out what to do with that tie you know you’ll get, enjoy Louis CK talking about being a dad.