Eight bachelor party ideas for grown-up grooms

Eight bachelor party ideas for grown-up grooms

Saying goodbye to bachelorhood doesn’t have to mean brass rails and getting blotto. Here are eight fun—and perfectly respectable—ways to celebrate

The Backyard Axe Throwing League. Photo courtesy of BATL
Throw (or smash) something

Pull on your best plaid flannel, unleash your inner Paul Bunyan and haul axe at the Backyard Axe Throwing League. Experienced instructors will guide you and your pals through a lesson and practice round before letting you go head to head. There’s no booze allowed (for obvious reasons) but you can BYO-food. From $35 per person. Various locations, batlgrounds.com

At Stryke Target Range, you can launch a plethora of projectiles. Their Tour de Stryke package lets you toss a trio of things (from a selection of axes, knives, arrows and automatic air guns) for a whole three hours, under the gaze of professional coaches, of course. You can bring your own food and drink—they’ll even provide ice for your cooler—but there’s an onsite snack bar, too. 240 Clarence St., Brampton, 905-999-5765, stryke.ca

Battle Sports’ Rage Room is less about precision, more about destruction. Their Super Smash Party Package lets you and three of your best men de-stress by bashing a bunch of things (dishes, chairs, computer printers) to smithereens in a safe environment. Note: this would also make for a great post-divorce party, too. 26 Ashwarren Rd., Toronto, 647-800-6977, battlesports.ca

Wings and Slicks. Photo by Hans Wolter
Burn some rubber

Remember doing doughnuts with your beat-up Civic in empty mall parking lots? Well, Wings and Slicks’ four-hour Stunt Driving 101 course is like that—but with a much cooler car. The staff will teach you how to maneuver through pylons like a pro, perform J-Turns (that’s where you whip the car around using only the handbrake) and Reverse 180s (which are exactly what they sound like) in a BMW 328 IS coupe. Driver’s license not required. Seriously. Various locations, wingsandslicks.com

Set sail

Bond with your bros on a chartered yacht. You’ll learn navigation and sailing techniques from the Gone Sailing Adventures crew before racing each other in a team-building exercise, but—if that sounds too much like work—you can also tour the Toronto Islands before dropping anchor at Woodbine Beach for a full day of sun and sand (and beverage service). Don’t forget your captain’s hat. The Spadina Wave Deck, 415 Queens Quay, Toronto, 416-529-4361, gonesailingadventures.com

One Axe Pursuits’ Mission Impossible challenge Photo by Frederick Schuett
Play some spy games

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is a visit to Elora’s One Axe Pursuits, where you and your (hopefully nimble) friends will have to navigate through the dark to evade a laser field, break code, hack a vault and deactivate a bomb—before the timer runs out. 24 Henderson St., Elora, 519-846-8888, oneaxepursuits.com

Get dirty

Back Country’s Adventure Mud Tour takes you and your crew on a rough and tumble ATV ride through the wilderness of northern Ontario, where you’ll get to splash around in a river before cooking lunch over a campfire. (Bonus: grooms ride free with eight or more people!) The tour ends back in civilization on a patio—where the groom is also treated to a free beer. Various locations, 1-888-955-9076, backcountrytours.ca

The owner, Jeff James, on his own wedding day. Photo by Dexter Chew Photography
Get clean

Getting your hair cut with your best friends isn’t a party. But getting your hair cut with your friends at the Junction’s Rod, Gun and Barbers’ gentlemen’s lounge is: there’s a dart board, a stocked bar, beer on tap, taxidermy on the walls and live music on weekend nights. (Their soon-to-open Parkdale location even has a pool table and a private dressing room for grooms and their men). A special occasion like this calls for The King package, which includes a cut, a Cuban cigar and a glass of single malt. Because you’re a grown-up now. 2877 Dundas St. W., Toronto, 647-350-6446, rodgunandbarbers.com