Games Night

Gathering with friends or family for an old-fashioned games or craft night (or weekend) is the perfect winter activity. 

Add in a wood fire, a few cozy throws and a mug of hot cocoa and your competitive spirit can really start to flow. If you are a white knuckler, down to the last Monopoly dollar game player or a laid back, content to roll the dice player, you can make memories with these family-friendly ideas.

Old Fashioned Game Weekend

Grab up to 12 friends and/or family and book an old fashioned weekend of laughter, hot chocolate and euchre at the Almonte Old Mill Manor in Lanark County where you can book the entire inn for exclusive use. They offer a catered dinner that makes for the perfect themed event, like a “Whodunnit” mystery night where everyone is a suspect. At Hush Lodge in Barry’s Bay you can book an entire cottage for you and your friends to play games deep into the night.

Puzzle it Out

Purchase a locally made puzzle from Haliburton’s The Occurrence, and learn more about science or recreate beautiful works of art at the same time. Establish a home base for your puzzle and work away at it a few pieces at a time for days or weeks at a time. These folks use local spots for their custom puzzle inspiration – check out their Perth Brewery puzzle or one of their Lanark County or Haliburton County road trip puzzles.

Geocaching: Gaming in Real Life

Playing games doesn’t need to be an indoor activity, you can take the fun on the road with a geocaching adventure. Geocaching gets you out and about where you can learn how to navigate using GPS, maps, or compasses, it’s treasure hunting for all ages!

To get started, download the Geocaching app to find a geocache near you and get started hunting for treasure. If you’re in the Haliburton area (which also just happens to be the Geocaching Capital of Canada) check out this story for more info on getting started with geocaching.

G-Rated Fun

Get on board with what co-operative games are all about by trying some of the fun games from Family Pastimes. These games are great for kids and teach the basics of co-operative play in a fun and educational way. Family Pastimes is located in Lanark County and they make games that teach strategy, and cater to various age ranges. Order from their extensive online catalogue to have it shipped straight to your door.