Houston Bay Area, Texas
Dad friends in Clear Lake, Houston.
Dadurday is a free iPhone app that helps dads in Clear Lake, Houston meet other dads with kids the same age. You tell it when you're usually off. It shows you dads nearby, what you have in common and when you're both free, plus small hangouts other dads are hosting.
It's launching here first, across Clear Lake, League City and Webster, including Kemah and Seabrook.
How it works in Clear Lake
Three steps, and none of them is small talk with a stranger at a birthday party.
01
Tell it about your days off
Your kids' ages (a baby on the way through grown kids), a few things you're into, and when you're usually off: weekday mornings, weeknights, weekends, or "It changes week to week" if you work shifts.
02
Wave at one thing he said
Browse dads nearby and wave at a line on a profile or one of his photos. When he waves back, a chat opens with that line pinned at the top. No cold messages: a one-on-one chat only opens once you've both waved.
03
Show up
Join a small hangout another dad is hosting, or post one yourself, any day you're off. You see the area and who's going; the exact spot goes to the dads who are in, on the morning of.
Where Clear Lake dads can meet up
Hosts pick the spot, and most pick somewhere easy with kids in tow. A few local places that suit a couple of hours off:
Clear Lake Park
A big county park right on the water. Room for the kids to run, a breeze off the lake, and a bench for two coffees.
Space Center Houston
The answer for a rainy day or a 100-degree one: indoors, air-conditioned, and nobody is too old for the rockets.
Challenger Seven Memorial Park
Shady trails through the woods and a memorial to the Challenger crew. Long enough for a real conversation, short enough for little legs.
These are public places, not partners. Dadurday isn't connected to any of them, and a hangout's exact spot is only shared with the dads who've joined it.
Who counts as Clear Lake
Clear Lake is the part of Houston around Johnson Space Center, along with the small cities on the lake: Nassau Bay, El Lago and Taylor Lake Village. A lot of dads around here work shifts or odd hours, which is why Dadurday never assumes your day off is a Saturday.
Next door? See League City and Webster, Kemah and Seabrook. It's all one launch area.
The app goes by where you are, not by a zip code: the launch area is a circle about 9 miles (14 km) around Clear Lake. It takes in Clear Lake, League City, Webster, Kemah, Seabrook and the towns around the lake. Live farther out? Install it anyway. You'll wait in line inside the app and get a notification the day your area opens.
Launching now
Be one of the first dads in.
An app like this only works if there are dads nearby, so Dadurday opens one area at a time and stays put until there's a real crew. Clear Lake, League City and Webster are first. The dads who join now are the ones who set the tone: the first hangouts, the first groups, the regular Tuesday-morning coffee.
See how the launch works, or text this page to a dad you know.
Other ways to meet dads around Clear Lake
Dadurday isn't the only way, and it works best alongside the others. If you're starting from zero, all of these are worth a try.
Your kids' activities
Swim lessons, soccer, Scouts, the same playground every Saturday. Same dads every week, which is half the job.
Church men's groups
Plenty of Bay Area churches run a weekly men's group or breakfast. Worth asking at yours, or at a friend's.
F3 workouts
Free, peer-led outdoor workouts for men, usually early in the morning. A good fit if you'd rather sweat than chat.
Meetup, Facebook groups and Nextdoor
Parent and dad groups come and go, and how lively they are varies a lot. More in our honest look at apps to meet other dads.
Clear Lake questions
Is there a dad group in Clear Lake?
Dadurday is built to be one that runs on your schedule. Inside the app there are groups like Toddler dads, Outdoors and fishing, Game day and New to Houston, a Community board for questions, and small hangouts dads host around Clear Lake. It's new here, so the first crew is forming now.
Does it cover Nassau Bay, El Lago and Taylor Lake Village?
Yes. The launch area is a circle about 9 miles (14 km) around Clear Lake, so Nassau Bay, El Lago and Taylor Lake Village are in, along with League City, Webster, Kemah and Seabrook.
I work shifts. Will it work for me?
Yes. Pick "It changes week to week", or the weekday slots you're usually off. A Tuesday morning counts as much as a Saturday. Every day off is a Dadurday.
Can I bring my kids?
Usually. Every hangout says whether kids are welcome, and when you join you say how many you're bringing.
Is Dadurday free?
Yes. There are no ads, no paid tier and no sponsors, and your data isn't for sale.
More answers in the Dadurday FAQ.
See you on your day off.
Every day off is a Dadurday. Free, no ads, sign in with Apple or Google.