The Best Virtual Gifts for Father’s Day

MasterClass covers lots of topics your dad might be interested in, like bread baking, photography, and mixology. Each class is taught by an expert (often a famous one), so he can jump from a lesson on comedy taught by Steve Martin to the art of negotiation by Chris Voss to a gardening how-to led by noted urban gardener Ron Finley. Plus, until June 19, MasterClass is running a Father’s Day promotion that offers up to 35 percent off an annual membership.

Coursera collaborates with top universities and companies, including Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, and IBM, to bring on-demand academic lessons home. Priced as low as $39 (with most costing closer to $49), courses are typically four to six weeks long and include homework exercises, discussion forums, quizzes, projects, and a certificate of completion. There’s also the option to enroll in Coursera Plus for $399 a year, which gets you unlimited access to over 3,000 courses, specializations, and professional certificates.

Skillshare’s website offers thousands of low-commitment classes (some are as short as 20 minutes) on everything from how to use Photoshop to the basics of e-commerce to writing creative nonfiction with acclaimed journalist Susan Orlean.

Murray’s Cheese offers a ton of classes to increase your dad’s cheese appreciation. Whether he prefers to pair his cheese with wine, meat, honey, hard seltzer, beer, or all of the above, there’s a class offered by Murray’s that will help him take his knowledge du fromage to the next level.

Driftaway’s virtual coffee tastings are perfect for the dad who has a caffeine addiction but turns up his nose at Starbucks. For $50 per person (with up to two people per screen), participants will receive a kit containing four pre-weighed and freshly roasted coffees. 2013 World Brewer’s champion James McCarthy will then shepherd participants through the process of expanding their palates and discerning the nuances of coffee from around the world. (And if you want to ensure your dad can keep practicing his new cupping skills, Driftaway is offering Strategist readers an exclusive 50 percent discount on the first delivery of a subscription of coffee beans or cold brew with code STRAT50, now through May 31.)

A virtual pasta-making class with actual Italian grandmothers. Your dad will have the chance to learn from different nonnas from all over Italy who specialize in different dishes. Classes include gnocchi with pesto, spinach-and-ricotta ravioli, and pasta with meatballs.

Help him get a head start on his buongiornos and ciaos with Rosetta Stone, which has been awarded the best language-learning software for seven years in a row by PCMag. A three-month subscription starts at $12 per month, but if he’s determined to improve (or maintain) his fluency, an unlimited lifetime subscription is $179.

The Chef & the Dish’s one-on-one virtual cooking classes allow your dad to go on a culinary adventure from the comfort of his own kitchen. Led by chefs from Spain, Japan, Thailand, Hungary, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, and Vietnam, classes are held via Skype and cost $299 for a two-and-a-half-hour session (for two people, in case he wants to invite you or someone else to join) that typically yields a three-course meal. He’ll receive a shopping list before the class, as well as access to a personal kitchen assistant to help answer any questions in advance of the lesson.

Priority Wine’s virtual tastings promise “no crowded Zoom calls with people you don’t know,” and allow your dad to choose bottles from nine participating wineries in Napa Valley, Oregon, and Virginia. To book, choose a package of wines to order directly from a vineyard, then schedule a tasting for your dad to sip through the selections once they arrive.

Or if your dad is more content to swipe around on his phone while waiting at the dentist’s office, he might be interested in a subscription to Apple Arcade. It offers a selection of high-quality games that are more curated and streamlined than the larger assortment available on the App store. “I honestly find myself reaching more for my phone when it comes to playing games,” says Sophie Orchard, a gaming YouTuber. “Right now, there is a much larger variety of games for mobile. It’s more convenient to carry around (even if you are just carrying it around your house at the moment). And let’s be honest, it’s much nicer on your wallet.”

If he just can’t stop talking about how much he loved Brian Cox on Succession or how funny Leslie David Baker is on The Office, make his day with a personalized message from his favorite actor, athlete, comedian, or musician (with the price dependent on their level of fame). One word of warning: Different celebrities offer different turnaround times, so double-check that your shout-out will arrive in time for Father’s Day before you place your order.

A virtual class from the infamous improv and sketch comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade will help him polish up his humorous presentation. Classes focus on a variety of different comedy skills, from improv to stand-up to pitching and producing.

He’ll be enthralled by magician Dan White’s interactive virtual show, which takes place entirely over a live video stream. White has creatively consulted for famed illusionist David Copperfield and Kanye West, so the show is sure to be a magical time. Tickets are $135 per person; included in the ticket cost is the delivery of a physical box containing important materials that audience members will need during the performance.

Dads who have never seen a Marvel movie but have watched Citizen Kane multiple times will likely get more use out of a subscription to the Criterion Channel rather than Netflix or Hulu. Its curated collection contains over 1,000 classic, international, and art-house films made between 1910 and the present day.

If your dad is getting tired of YouTube fitness training videos, you can give him something more personal and professional. Fyt connects him with a local personal trainer for a virtual one-on-one session. Packages typically start at $116 for four sessions, but Strategist readers can get $50 off their first purchase for virtual (or in-person) subscriptions with the code STRAT50.

The Peloton Digital Membership doesn’t include the incredibly expensive bike, but your dad will get to exercise with the brand’s trainers through his gifted subscription to the Peloton app. The classes — which can be streamed on demand from a phone, tablet, or TV — cover more than ten different disciplines, including outdoor running, strength training, yoga, cycling, and boot camp.

Send a video of your dad’s swing to South Carolina–based golf coach Jonathan Yarwood, and he’ll give your dad personalized feedback. A single lesson costs $50, while $299 gets you a six-month membership that gives your dad two lessons per month, a long-term improvement plan, and access to a members’ lounge that includes behind-the-scenes tour footage and insight into past competitions.

If there’s really, truly nothing he wants to receive for Father’s Day, why not gift him a heartfelt video message from the people who love him? Even if you have no editing experience, VidDay’s templates make it easy to cut together multiple clips submitted by multiple users, and you can personalize the final product with themes, background music, and text cards. Pricing is based on the video length time, starting at $5 for three minutes or less, $12 for ten minutes or less, and an additional $12 for every extra ten minutes.