Oh, dad, poor dad, how he’d love to get out of the house on Father’s Day!

By Laura Longley

Remember Father’s Day, June 21, 2020? No Major League Baseball. “Spring training” didn’t start until July 1. Barbecues remained masked occasions with social distancing and limitations on numbers of guests. Off limits completely were visits to amusement parks and carnivals (which dad probably didn’t miss all that much).

What a difference a year and vaccines make.

Of course, it’s still wise to check a venue before you visit for any changes in operations, masking, and distancing requirements. But as of June 1, it’s a fair bet you can treat dad to a day out of the house on Sunday, June 20.

Maybe he’d enjoy a journey through the countryside. You can now take a drive through Hillsboro. All done are the two roundabouts, traffic calming measures, and sidewalks, so residents and visitors can actually stroll from the Hill Tom Market to the Old Stone School without fearing for their lives.

Here in one of the Commonwealth’s best preserved Early American towns you can shop at Stoneybrook Farm Market and stake dad to hearty sandwiches, fresh produce, and baked goods, or head next door to pick up a gourmet picnic that you can pre-order from the Virginia Picnic Basket Company.

From Hillsboro, drive dad west to visit the wineries, breweries, and historic sites along Charles Town Pike and Harpers Ferry Road.

Stop off at Hillsborough Vineyards & Brewery, for example, and with your wine tasting, take in the breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge. Then head up Harpers Ferry Road where you’ll find 868 Estate Vineyards, Breaux Vineyards, and more.

If your dad is up for more vigorous activity, continue north to Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, formerly BTI Whitewater/Butts Tubes, for a day of whitewater rafting, tubing, ziplining, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and hiking.

Boulder Crest Warrior Trail Run: Sign up your father and join him for this 5k run or a 1-mile run/walk that starts and ends at Purcellville’s Franklin Park. Time: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event benefits Boulder Crest Foundation, which is non-profit organization training combat veterans, first responders, and their families to live great lives in the aftermath of trauma through post-traumatic growth.

You might also consider:

• Father’s Day Fish-a-Rama at Great Country Farms in Bluemont: Enjoy barbecue and catch-and-release fishing for bass and bluegill in the stocked ponds. Bring your own pole and gear to fish (no drag hooks).

• The area’s breweries and wineries: Check out their websites for brunch menus, barbecues, and entertainment by local bands.

• Wegmeyer’s Home Farm near Lincoln or its second location at Oatlands Historic Mansion south of Leesburg: Spend a day picking luscious, ripe strawberries.

• <a href="http://<!– wp:list –> <ul><li>Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, a 286-acre working farm on Limestone Road north of Leesburg: Take dad on a free tour or search the park on a scavenger hunt for different farm animal breeds. <a href="https://novaparks.com/parks/temple-hall-farm-regional-park">https://novaparks.com/parks/temple-hall-farm-regional-park</a>.</li></ul> Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, a 286-acre working farm on Limestone Road north of Leesburg: Take dad on a free tour or search the park on a scavenger hunt for different farm animal breeds.

• W&OD Trail: Cycle on the trail. Start out at Paeonian Springs and bike 5.5 miles westward to Purcellville. The payoff for all that exercise? Ice cream at Tipped Cow Creamery or Gruto’s soft serve, both just short rides from the Purcellville Train Station at trail’s end.

• Go to a movie—at a real movie theater. (Masks are not required for fully vaccinated moviegoers unless the theater or a local mandate requires them.).

• Take a walk—and leave dad at home. Of course, he wants to spend time with you on Father’s Day. But after a year of family confinement, wouldn’t he appreciate having the house to himself for a few hours?