Celebrate Father's Day in Style

Father's Day has to start off perfectly and that means dad sleeps in while mom (and maybe some willing kids?) make him breakfast with market fresh eggs and bread from a local farmers' market. This is a fantastic time of year to shop for local food - Farmers' Markets are plentiful on Saturday mornings in Cobourg, Port Hope, Hastings, Codrington and Campbellford. Sunny side up with whole grain toast sounds like a great way to start the day.

The next question is, what will dad be opening as a special gift on Father's Day? We definitely want something unique (just like him) but useful and memorable too. A little research on unique places to shop in Northumberland County brings up plenty of options to start the search:

• Kirkpatrick Leather Shop in Port Hope (formerly the sporting goods store at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto) creates men's belts, briefcases and wallets - each one beautiful and unique.
• Primitive Designs, also in Port Hope, is wall-to-wall eye candy with musical instruments, garden sculptures and home decor. Get a picture of dad outside beside a gigantic t-rex, dragon, transformer, or crocodile made from recycled parts.
• It's that time of year when we need to get dad some new golf shirts and summer dress clothes too - we could pop into Brocanier's in downtown Cobourg to check out their summer line.

Add to that some local craft beer from Church-Key Brewing in Campbellford, William Street Beer in Cobourg or just take your pick using our Cheers Tour Google map.

There's also the option of giving him an experience - with kids or without, it's up to him. What dad wouldn't want to:

• zip through the trees of the Ganaraska Forest thanks to Treetop Trekking? Get him to take the ultra-challenging Timberwolf course.
• go for an exhilarating mountain bike ride in the Northumberland Forest.
• take a gorgeous short, looped hike through Peter's Woods, one of Northumberland County's true sweet spots. A few kms east is Schoolhouse Gardens with 4 acres to stroll through for free from 12-4pm. At this time, 400 varieties of peonies should be in bloom.
• experience fishing at it's finest with a gift certificate from Mike McNaught Fishing. Mike teaches fly fishing enthusiasts to tie their own flies and shows them some of the best places to fish in Northumberland County.  
• overnight at Golden Beach Resort on Rice Lake and spend a day swimming in the outdoor pool or in the lake, then a meal at the Boat House Cafe.

There really are so many options, but our guaranteed "ace in the hole" (no pun intended) is a day of golfing. The question is - which course to send him to?

• The Cobourg Creek Golf Course in Cobourg is a beautiful 9-hole course with The Mill Restaurant and Pub on site serving local brews that can be enjoyed after the game.
• The Shelter Valley Pines Golf Club in Grafton features 18 holes at a reasonable rate.
• There's also the Port Hope Golf Club with lake views and a challenging design. 
• Brighton is the home of Timber Ridge Golf Club and the Keystroke Golf Academy - a few lessons might make a great Father's Day gift.

Whatever option we go with, when the day is done we will definitely want to regroup and enjoy a family meal. Some great options are:

• The Whistling Duck in Brighton with a great selection of burgers, some seafood and local, craft, domestic and imported draught beers.
• The Railside in Port Hope is perfect for the "steak guy" in your life but they also offer a delicious selection of Greek food.
• Rhino's Restaurant in Bewdley is an any-mealtime popular spot to enjoy anything from wraps to ribs. Get a window seat for a view of Rice Lake.
• Olympus Burger in Port Hope is our "go-to" for a delicious, fresh, one-of-a-kind burger - it's a good bet we'll be there enjoying a hamburger - Greek style - and some fabulous fries. 

The dads in our lives are pretty special - celebrate them by checking out one of Northumberland County's 85 Unique Experiences.

By Angela Johnson

*Article written based on experiences prior to COVID-19.