Celebrate Dads with East End Father's Day Experiences, Eats & Objects
The East End has a bounty of good times, great eats and quality treasures for your dad or the dads in your life this Father’s Day. There’s a little something for every kind of papa in this curated list of experiences, objects and food and wine ideas across the Hamptons and North Fork. Line up something good in time for Sunday, June 18!
EAST END FATHER’S DAY FUN & GIFTS
FOOD & WINE
East End Clambakes
One of Long Island’s oldest and most successful companies specializing in clambakes, East End Clambakes will give your dad the ultimate, delicious beach party. Authentic bayman Captain Phil Gay and his crew prepare lobsters, swordfish, yellowfin tuna, clams, oysters, corn on the cob and more summer eats any father will love.
Reach out for a large takeout order or do it right and order a simple clambake on the beach! Call 631-726-6351, email captphilgay@aol.com or visit eastendclambakes.com
Wölffer Wine Club
Get your father’s hands on bottles from one of the East End’s finest wineries by buying him a membership to Wölffer Estate Winery’s fantastic wine clubs. He’ll sip limited edition wines, attend unforgettable events and enjoy special discounts.
The Rosé Club will make sure Dad never runs out of the pink stuff — it ships direct to him with the release of each vintage, four to six wines per shipment, quarterly in March, June, September and December. If rosé isn’t his bag, subscribe to one of the other options, such as the Grand Prix, the Premier Cru Club or the Hunt Club. And make sure he knows he gets member treatment at the tasting room.
What could be better for a local wine fan? Wölffer is located at 139 Sagg Road, Sagaponack. Call 631-537-5106 or visit wolffer.com/club.
Tasty Doughnuts
Encourage the father in your life to indulge in a bit of sweet decadence for Father’s Day. The East End has a panoply of delicious doughnuts that will make any pastry fan swoon. Sure, Dunkin and Krispy Kreme are good, but why not go for something truly local and artisanal?
In the Hamptons, Grindstone Coffee & Donuts at 7 Main Street in Sag Harbor will make a great dozen for Dad — call 631-808-3370, grindstonedonuts.com. Or try The Milk Pail in Water Mill (1346 Montauk Highway) for an irresistible apple cider doughnut. 631-537-2565, milk-pail.com
On the North Fork, it has to be the epic North Fork Doughnut Company, aka NoFoDoCo, which has a wide array of creative flavors made beautifully and sold to you at 100 Love Lane in Mattituck. 631-298-7941, nofodoco.com
GUY STUFF
Play Catch
A good ol’ game of catch can be a perfect way to spend some time with your father and maybe get some conversation going, and really get to know him better. Try keeping count of how many successful passes you get, or just enjoy the moment.
You can use a tennis ball and bare hands, but there’s something special and nostalgic about an actual baseball and a pair of mitts. A nice, high-quality leather football or even a frisbee will also fit the bill, if baseball isn’t your bag.
There are numerous sporting goods stores to choose from, like Skidmore’s Sports & Styles in Hampton Bays (9 East Montauk Highway, 631-728-0066). Or Gubbins in East Hampton (54 Park Place, 631-324-3239) and Southampton (28 Hill Street, 631-287-4945), shopgubbins.com.
Aviator Nation
Adding a new East Hampton shop this season to her list of shops around the country, Paige Mycoskie’s Aviator Nation has all sorts of hip gear for the fathers in your life, as long he’s size XL or smaller. Check out the sweats with colorful set of five retro stripes on camouflage or off-white, or grab the grey tone stripes instead. The shop also has some striking beach towels, branded inflatable raft designs and more. Check out the new East Hampton store at 87 Main Street to see all the stylish gear, or visit aviatornation.com.
DP Knives
East Hampton artisan Dereyk Patterson creates beautiful and powerfully functional handmade knives any father will love, whether he’s a man who loves to cook, or he simply appreciates fine craftsmanship. Often made with beautiful Damascus steel, each kitchen knife comes from a “long and laborious process requiring expertise throughout every step,” including being tempered in high heat to harden the blade.
Handles are made of a wide range of fine materials, such as rare woods, bone and, even more special, fossilized woolly mammoth tooth or black bog-oak found beneath the mud of European swamps where it has been preserved for thousands of years.
Follow @dpknives on Instagram to keep up with his latest creations, or visit dpknives.com for more info and orders.
MANLY EXPERIENCES
The East End is home to all kinds of fantastic fishing excursions to enjoy with your old man, or the father of your kids, from private trips to party boats, North Fork or Hamptons.
Captain Mario’s Lady Grace Fishing Charters out of Montauk will get you, Dad and up to four more guests into bass, sharks, bluefish, tuna or fluke during an intimate full or half day of sport fishing out of West Lake Marina. Call 631-842-0237 or visit ladygracecharters.com.
For a party boat atmosphere with lots of people and new friends, try a full day on Miss Montauk II with Captain Jamie Quaresimo and catch a wide variety of fish. Call 631-668-1545 or visit missmontauk.com.
Another adventure out of Montauk, head out on the Sea Turtle dive charter to experience sharks face to face with just some aluminum cage bars between you and the undersea predators. Captain Chuck Wade and his crew make sure everything is safe and secure, and they’ve got a great record for successfully getting guests in with the sharks. You might even see some other creatures while you’re on the water.
They provide all the equipment you need for a 7–8-hour excursion or the 10–11-hour extended trips, which will likely result in more variety of species above and below the surface. What could be better for bonding with Dad than shared fear and hours and hours on a boat together!
Call 631-335-6323 or visit sharkdivemontauk.com for info and booking.
Share a canoe or kayak, or get a pair of stand-up paddleboards and ask your pop to join you for a cruise along the Peconic River in Riverhead. It’s a great way to get some exercise, appreciate nature and spend quality time without screens or distractions. Visit Peconic Paddler at 89 Peconic Avenue in Riverhead for all kinds of watercraft for rent and sale. Call 631-727-9895 or visit thepeconicpaddler.com
Hit the Links
Golf was famously called “a good walk spoiled” by the great Mark Twain, and while it’s stereotypical Dad stuff, and clearly not for everyone, the game is in keeping with the theme that’s taking shape: quality time for one-on-one interaction and conversation. Let’s face it, whether you like golf or not, it makes for a nice day out for fathers and sons, especially here on the beautiful East End.
If you’re not a member of Maidstone or The Bridge, we suggest playing a public course.
Montauk Downs State Golf Course offers 18 holes of challenging golf to anyone who wants to play, blue blood be damned. Book your tee time, head down to 50 South Fairview Avenue in Montauk and you’ll be hitting balls in no time. After you’re done, have a drink at the 19th Hole or a meal at the restaurant. Call 631-668-5000 for general info, or visit parks.ny.gov/golf/8/details.aspx for everything you need to know, including additional phone numbers for the restaurant, pro shop and more.
Another state-owned course a bit farther west, the Sag Harbor State Golf Course offers nine holes on just shy of 50 acres in the Barcelona Neck Natural Resources Management Area. Visit parks.ny.gov/golf/17/details.aspx or call 631-725-2503 for booking and info.
On the North Fork, folks without a club membership can play at Cedars Golf Club, a nine-hole, par-three course with four ponds and a lot of lost balls if you’re not so skilled. Find it at 305 Cases Lane in Cutchogue. 631-734-6363, cedarsgolfclub.com
Take Dad Out to the Ball Game
If your favorite father is a baseball fan, get out and enjoy a local game from one of two East End leagues — or go see them both! The Hamptons Adult Hardball League and Hamptons Collegiate Baseball both offer teams to cheer on in a nice selection of towns.
The 2023 Hamptons Adult Hardball season features the Harbor Kraken (2022’s champion), Southampton Brewers, Sag Harbor Royals and East End Ospreys playing in Bridgehampton and Southampton. Regular-season games are scheduled through mid-July. Visit hamptonsadulthardball.com to learn more or register to play!
The Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League features top college ball players spread across six teams. The Sag Harbor Whalers, North Fork Ospreys, Shelter Island Bucks, South Shore Clippers, Southampton Breakers and Westhampton Aviators play in their respective towns. Regular-season games run through late July. Learn more at pointstreaksites.com/view/hamptonsbaseball.
Vetted Hamptons Resources
