7 ideas for a fun Bay Area Father's Day

It seems that dads fall into a few different categories when Father’s Day comes along. Some dads make a point to expend as little energy on Father’s Day, staying put in a favorite chair, occasionally muttering “king for a day.” Some dads use it as an excuse to sneak away from the family for a few hours to do something special for themselves – a bike ride, a round of golf. And then, there are dads who insist that the whole family comes along for their activity of their choosing. I fall into this last category. Here’s what I want to do for Father’s Day 2012.

1. MOMA, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard Streets)
San Francisco, California

Comment:

Parenthood for me has meant a shortage in “culture,” high and low. I can probably count on my fingers (and a few toes) the number of times I’ve been to an art museum or the movies since my kids were born. More than once over the last five years I’ve chosen SFMOMA as my Father’s Day destination. I think the whole family would enjoy the current Parra exhibition.

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2. Tomales Bay State Park

1208 Pierce Point Road
The Star Route Inverness, California

Comment:

Take a hike, or go to the beach. Better yet, take a hike to the beach. Perfect spot: Tomales Bay State Park in Inverness. Stinson beach doesn’t have hiking trails but it’s a little closer to us and is really nice.

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3. San Francisco Chinatown

750 Kearney Street
San Francisco, California

Comment:

Dim sum in SF Chinatown. Sometimes it’s hard to convince my wife and kids to eat certain restaurants. Today’s my day. Hong Kong Lounge was recently named best Dim Sum in the city. That’s what’s up.

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4. Old Sacramento

1002 Second Street
Sacramento, California

Comment:

Amtrak to Old Sacramento. I’d love to grab breakfast at Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland, catch an early train from Emeryville to Old Sacramento. In Old Sacramento we could check out the train museum, get lunch and get back on the train for naptime!

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5. Pacific Pinball Museum

1510 Webster St
(between Santa Clara Ave & Haight Ave) Alameda, California

Comment:

The Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda is fun for the whole family. My dad taught me how to play pinball when I was a kid. I want to relive this with my boys.

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6. Golden Tee Golfland

2533 Castro Valley Blvd
Castro Valley, California

Comment:

I just mapped Golfland. I'm surprised Castro Valley is only 11 miles from Alameda. We're going.

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7. Bay Area Bikes

427 Water Street
Oakland, California

Comment:

I love bikes. We have lots of them. My kids can't ride two wheelers yet and we don't own a bike trailer so family rides don't happen. Bay Area Bikes rents tandems, trailers, Surley Big Dummys, and these cool three person bikes made by Zigo. We'll throw my wife's bike in the car, pick up food at the Jack London Square farmers market, rent a Zigo and ride the back streets to Lake Merritt.

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