Sioux Falls man introduces dads’ club with monthly kid-friendly meetups

Parenting can be isolating – especially for dads.

That’s what one Sioux Falls dad is trying to change after he launched the Sioux Falls Stroll Club this spring.

Elliot Nathan said finding community and friendship, for parents separately, can be challenging and even more so when you’re not originally from the area.

Nathan has two boys, 5-year-old Beckett and 2-year-old Hayes, with his wife, Brittney.

“Moms have done a great job of creating their own community through fitness or things like book clubs, wine clubs or moms’ night out,” Nathan said. “On the other hand, it’s not common to see a group of dads out walking or something, and if they are, maybe they’re drinking beer in garages without their kids.”

While scrolling on Instagram in mid-2024, Nathan spotted the Brooklyn Stroll Club in New York, which is where the inspiration for creating a similar community in Sioux Falls was born.

“Before I had kids, I had never been around babies before – and moms just seem like naturals – so I feel like a lot of dads go through a similar period learning and figuring it out,” Nathan said.

And with what he considers a generational shift to the more present and active millennial dad, Nathan is out to build community by celebrating that and creating friendships through fatherhood.

“Earlier this year, I decided to go for it,” he said. “I started with a social media page to begin building a presence and work from the ground up.”

With its very first outing in April, Nathan has organized monthly Sioux Falls Stroll Club meetups around town for all dads where kids are welcome.

July’s event featured activities at the Outdoor Campus in collaboration with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. Nathan is planning an event Saturday around the new Jacobson Plaza downtown.

The club has sponsorship collaborations, including Flyboy Donuts providing coffee and donuts, and Common Dad – a lifestyle streetwear brand out of Boston – to provide some clothing gear.

Similar to what local mom content creator Kelsey Whitesel has built with the Sioux Falls Mom Community, Nathan wants to offer community in the dads’ corner.

And through organic marketing, social media and word of mouth, attendance at each event is steadily on the rise.

“I’m a dreamer, and I see this as something that could establish roots in our city and grow as the city does,” he said.

“On Sioux Falls Stroll Club walks, people still give us strange looks like, ‘What are six dads doing pushing strollers together?’ and that’s OK,” he laughed.

“Changing that narrative is definitely one of the long-term goals.”

Follow the Sioux Falls Stroll Club on Instagram and Facebook.