Exploring New York City is a fantastic opportunity for a father and son to bond while exploring new cultures, seeing amazing sites, learning some history, and eating some iconic foods. Here's some of the best places to explore on a Father and Son getaway in New York.

Vancouver is the gem of Canada's west coast, with tons of unique experiences to offer any travelers who come through. There's the beauty of the coast and the mountains, and the big city life, but there are also a lot of local subcultures and communities that are more unique to Vancouver. If unique local experiences are more your flavor, you absolutely have to seek out these lesser-known charms of Vancouver.

Puerto Vallarta was popularized in the 1960's as a top destination for the Hollywood elite but, over the years faded a bit as it was eclipsed by other parts of Mexico where fancy mega resorts were built (including Riviera Nayarit... just a few miles north). My visit was hosted by Puerto Vallarta Tourism and Casa Velas resort, but after spending a week here and exploring it a bit, I was impressed since unlike other "tourist towns". Unlike other places that I've visited in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta is more than just mega resorts with all-inclusive packages designed for rich Americans. Instead, it's a real city with great culture and tons of opportunities for guys to have fun. Here are some of the top reasons why it makes a fantastic destination for your next guys getaway.

I learned more about the dynamics of a performance automobile in three hours at the BMW Performance Center than I think I have in the past 20 years of simply driving on my own. Once you pass "drivers ed" in high school, most guys simply learn from trial and error. Unfortunately, that can be a very expensive and painful way to learn - and most likely you still will not have proper techniques. I am on a mission to break that pattern, so BMW invited me out to their school for the day. What I discovered there was far more than just the "driving experience" that I expected.

While most casinos want to keep you trapped inside their giant resorts, there's much much more to Las Vegas than the modern glitz and glam. While these air conditioned resorts might be the perfect spot to hang out in the summer, come fall, late winter and early spring Las Vegas has a wealth of outdoor adventures that are perfect for a guys trip. Let's purge a bit of the glitz and glamour and head off strip to see what we can find.

Sitting at the far south end of the strip, Mandalay Bay Resort seems like more of a conference hotel than a destination for a guys weekend, but over several visits it has become one of my favorite properties in Las Vegas. Simply put, it's got great bars and restaurants, fantastic entertainment, a great gaming floor, good rooms, easy parking, and it's about to get even better once the Las Vegas Raiders open their new stadium across the street in 2020.

Puerto Rico is a fantastic place to visit and one that is shockingly close to the mainland United States... but feels like it is a world away. Aside from the fact that it has all the great things that make the Caribbean so wonderful, since it is part of the United States there is no need for a passport if you want to visit. From rum tours to diving, hiking in the rain forest or paddling through bioluminescent waters this island is absolutely one you need to visit this year!

Reno has been at the butt of a lot of jokes for as long as I can remember and unfortunately, it's always been "Nevada's Other Casino City". In reality, while the comparisons are easy to make, it's more than just another Vegas and in fact has a ton of personality that is all its own. 

San Diego is the craft beer capital of the country as far as I am concerned. While there are many towns across the country where there are fine people brewing great beer, no town has a culture of beer quite like San Diego. With more than 100 breweries in the county, there is something for everyone from large breweries like Stone, Ballast Point, and Green Flash to tiny ones like Intergalactic you are sure to find one that matches your personality. While I dream of one day having been to every brewery in San Diego, last weekend I took two friends on a whirlwind tour of five of my favorites.

When it comes to visiting Las Vegas, you can't help but be drawn into the glitz and uber luxury resorts of the strip or the quirky fun of downtown but there's a lot more to this city than gambling resorts. Luckily, I'm here to help you explore that "other side" of Las Vegas and we're kicked it off with a visit to The Range 702, Las Vegas's largest indoor shooting range!

When I visit Disney World, one of my favorite parts is their resort hotels. While this is considered an afterthought at many attractions, Disney takes as much care and planning with where you sleep as they do with how you spend your day. Luckily, while there are some incredibly expensive hotel options at Disney World there are also plenty that are affordable and just as fun. A couple years ago I stayed at Pop Century and this year I decided to check out Disney's All Star Sports Resort during a quick stop at the park.

There are many places that I am sure you dream of when it comes to planning your next guys weekend, but I bet Milwaukee isn't one of them. It should be though! This city located just north of Chicago has everything that you could possibly want for the ultimate guys weekend. That made it the perfect spot for four awesome bloggers to come together for an epic adventure sponsored by Kia and featuring the Optima, Sorento, and of course - the Kia Racing team. 

Every metropolis has the things which make it specific. If we talk about Toronto, the biggest Canadian city, there are numerous things which can be seen and experienced. Toronto is the Canadian capital of culture, technology and entertainment and truly a world-class city that you should consider visiting. From sports teams like Maple Leafs, Raptors and The Toronto Blue Jays, to the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as fishing, kayaking, and sailing on the lake. There are tons of great activities for guys in this city just over the border.

Extreme experiences like these we found, allow you to escape from your daily grind and be something awesome - even for just a few days. They are also perfect as a father's day or birthday gift and of course - any of these would make an incredible bachelor party idea too! Don't worry if you drive a minivan to work and you sip your light beer during the week, every so often it's time to take that next step and grab the wheel of something bad ass that you can brag to your friends about. That's what this list is all about!

Are you ready? 

If you aren't familiar with Carmel California, I bet you are familiar with it's cousins of Pebble Beach and Monterey. Don't worry though, there's a lot to offer in Carmel itself including a great beach, great food, unparalleled driving experiences in Big Sur, sports, and of course it is one of the most dog friendly cities in America. Oh yeah and many celebrities call Carmel home so don't be surprised if you see them walking around town including Brad Pitt and former mayor of Carmel, Clint Eastwood. 

Perhaps best known for its multitude of office furniture manufacturers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, might not readily come to mind as an exciting and compelling destination for weekend getaway. For despite the huge money that's been sunk into a ton of new construction in a city with a beautifully historic core, I haven't really noticed that the city has done a fantastic job of promoting itself, at least into the Chicago area.

Are you looking for a place where guys can go to get away from all the stresses of home life - spouses, children, weekend projects etc? How about visiting a place not to far away, a place where you can sleep in, play a round of golf or two, take a nap, eat wings, drink beer and enjoy a night of poker or billiards, all while enjoying a big game on the TV.

That's exactly what Carroll Valley Resort offers and it is located in the small Pennsylvania town of Carroll Valley, just outside of Gettysburg.

With gas more than $4 per gallon here in Chicago, I unfortunately had to cut back on my some of my travel plans. Unfortunately my trip to Detroit this weekend to see the Red Bull Air Race is going to have to wait until next year (I hope they return, or better yet, come to Chicago instead!). However, it made me start to think about some great guys weekend / mancation ideas that might not even involve traveling.

The term staycation has become a buzzword recently, mostly in reference to families cutting back on their family vacations … instead of packing everyone up and going to Florida the family will stay at home or near home and have a staycation instead.

But what about us guys?

What is the mancation equivalent of a staycation?

Camping Trip with the Guys:

So you may need a little bit of gas to drive to the campground, but for the most part, no matter where in the country you live there is probably a camp ground within an hour drive. Once at the camp ground, your gas guzzling is over as you celebrate being a guy by hiking, fishing, boating, and generally enjoying the great outdoors.

Bird Watching:

Think of this as hunting with cameras and binoculars! Unlike hunting, there is no open or closed season, and there are great places to find beautiful and unique birds all around the country - even in urban areas.

Help Build a Home:

Since you are now starting to feel the pinch of high gas prices, imagine what it feels like to not be able to afford a home! There are projects all around the country, from Habitat for Humanity and other organizations.

Buy Something Fun and Throw a Guys-only House Party:

Instead of traveling at all, how about buying something cool for the home and throwing a party around it. This could be a new grill, home arcade machine, a margarita machine, kegerator, even an outdoor pool table. The money you could have lost on gas you can now enjoy for years to come. Just remember to buy something made in the USA where possible!