Sammamish Families: Looking for Great Father’s Day Gifts? Click Here.

This year, avoid giving the “default man gift” for Father’s Day -- the gift card to his local home and building supply store, unless that's what he really wants. As it implies to many men: “Happy Father’s Day, now get to work on your home honey-do list.” Instead, here are some great tips from local dads, plus some suggestions from local retailers, for some great Father’s Day gifts.

Bellevue’s Paul Schmid is a husband, father of three girls, avid kayaker and marketing consultant. He said a great Father’s Day gift (or any gift for your partner for that matter) “should start with trying to figure out what your man really wants. A wily woman can use both indirect and direct means.”

If you prefer the indirect approach, Schmid advised, “Ask yourself, 'What are his hobbies? Does he golf, bike, fish, build model airplanes or really enjoy doing something else?' You can never go wrong with something for his pastime. Or think about what kind of events he likes to attend including baseball, theater, the opera, skiing or something else. Think about getting tickets for him and his best buds or the two of you to a future event he would really enjoy. Or ask one of his friends, 'What do you think my husband would enjoy receiving as a gift?'”

For a more direct approach Schmid urged, “Ask him! Nothing wrong with asking your spouse what they want for Father’s Day, a birthday or Christmas. More economic value is destroyed every year in this country on unwanted and unappreciated gifts.”

Schmid added: “I love to bike so a new commuter bike or bike clothing or accessories are always welcome. Or, for free, what about a well-planned picnic at  to watch Shakespeare in the park. I enjoy building boat models. Two of my favorite companies are--for someone just starting out--Midwest Products, or for a more expensive sophisticated model kit, try Dumas Models. If the sky's the limit and your hubby has skill or expressed an interest in woodworking, you can buy him a kayak kit from companies like Pygmy Kayaks, Redfish Kayaks or Chesapeake Light Craft.”

Getting a gift certificate to take a class is another great gift idea for a dad, Schmid said. “Consider signing him up for any class that he has a latent interest in, like photography or painting. Whatever it is that he has always wanted to do, but couldn’t find the time to do.” There are classes for every interest, Schmid pointed out. “You can send him to the Center for Wooden Boats for a nine-day class to learn to build a Baidarka: A seal skin on wood frame boat built by the Aletians to hunt for otter. Most men have a primal interest in woodworking. If he's got tools and skill, you can never go wrong in buying him more tools or signing him up for an advanced woodworking class. If he's a novice, register him for a basic woodworking class.”

Schmid said if you just can’t figure out a good gift, “iTunes or iBooks gift certificates are a sure fire win - he can get exactly what he wants and enjoy it over and over again.” 

And most dads would love a gift of your time and personal attention, without your beloved children in tow. So a great gift can be to arrange for a babysitter or overnight stay for the kids at the grandparents and plan a special dinner date or an overnight stay for just the two of you. Schmid said to remember that dads still like to be “dated.” “I think most men still want to be seduced, like when you first dated. So put on (a) favorite dress with some heels and take him for a candlelight dinner and cash in some miles. This is a win-win,” he said.

David Volk is a local dad and author of The Cheap Bastards Guide to Seattle: Secrets of Living the Good Life – For Less! He said: “Great Father's Day presents could be a GPS that's good for geo-caching (not all are). Anything electronic, the iGrill, a gadget and iPhone app that allow you to monitor the temperature of the meat you're grilling without actually having to stand in front of the grill the entire cookout. Or tickets to the Seattle Mist Lingerie Football League games down in Kent.”

For Eastside moms and daughters hunting for exceptional Father’s Day gifts, there are some great choices locally. Redmond’s  offers meat-loving dads a bounty of tasty treats including the Rufus Teague line of BBQ sauces and mouth-watering, carved to order steaks and ribeye. Scott Molyneaux is the butcher for the Redmond store. He said if you would like to make a great Father’s Day meal for a dad but usually leave the grilling up to him, “our Chef-Butchers can coach a wife, mother or child on how to prepare the most delicious steak for dad.”

Got a husband that constantly talks about the great tree house he had as a kid? Help him build a new one for your kids with a gift certificate to the Tree House Workshop. The Workshop is held several times a year in Fall City, including this fall, with nationally recognized tree house designer Pete Nelson and his team of expert builders. More information is available online. 

A family portrait session is a great Father’s Day gift. Eastside photographer Misty Kuo is offering a special Father's Day package. For $75, you'll receive 45-minute session either outdoors at your favorite park or at your Eastside home, and you get a disk and a link with all the edited images (maximum of 20 images). View Kuo's acclaimed work online and contact her at 206-601-8680 to book your appointment. Or purchase a gift certificate that can be used for a portrait of the whole family.

Managers of Half Price Books recommend these dad-pleasing titles, many of which can be found – for half price – at the and stores. The children’s classics My Father's Dragonby Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett and At The Back of the North Wind  by George MacDonald. For boat fans, The Marlinspike Sailor by Hervey Garrett Smith. Timeless humor abounds in My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber. Engineers and would-be inventors will appreciate The New Way Things Workby David Macaulay and Neil Ardley. Tales of adventures in the Old West are featured in the Frontier Anthology by Zane Grey, which includes the books, Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border and The Last Trail. And if your dad loves to cook outdoors, he might enjoy Cooking the Cowboy Way, Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons, and Ranch Kitchens by Grady Spears and June Taylor.

Is dad a music or movie lover?  new store location in Bellevue at offers gift certificates. The new location has a huge array of the latest music and movie offerings and a smart staff who are happy to help you find a great gift based on what he already listens to or loves to watch.

 in Bellevue is a great resource for gifts for avid cyclist dads. You can bring his bike in for a basic tune up for $75 which includes checks that will help keep him safe including adjusting the brakes. To schedule, call the Bellevue store at 425-462-1900. He might like the Innovation Deluxe Tire Repair Kit for $20 or a gift card, which can be used at any of the three Gregg’s store locations or

Other great sources on the Eastside for dad-pleasing gifts include the at  and the Apple Retail Store in .  in Redmond and Issaquah has a great selection of gifts for dads who like to camp, hike, bike or fish. Big Five Sporting Goods stores in Issaquah and the in  and Issaquah also offer a wide array of gear for any sport a dad loves to play.