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Most of the time, sitting outside at the cottage with an ice-cold beer is more than enough. Other times though, you might be looking for something a little more involved to alleviate the boredom. Here is a list of our favourite fun activities to do at the cottage if you're bored!
Spikeball
As far as lawn games go, Spikeball ticks all the right boxes for a perfect cottage activity. It's extremely fun, super easy to set up, and brings out just the right amount of competitive spirit. If you've never played it before, think tennis meets volleyball on a micro-scale. There's even a floating version, so you can play in the water!
Try A Local Brewery
We are extremely spoiled in Ontario when it comes to amazing local beer so wherever your cottage happens to be, you can be sure there's a craft brewery pretty close by. Collingwood Brewery, Lake of Bays, Muskoka Brewery, and Canvas Brewing Co are just the start so assign a designated driver and visit one!
Invent Chip Combos
If you anything like our cottage, it's usually stocked full of all sorts of chips. If so, a fun (and delicious) activity can be grabbing a few bags (party mix bags work really well) and combining different chips into a single bite to invent a new flavour! Sour Cream & Onion and All Dressed? Why not. BBQ and Cheetos? We'll try anything once. Get creative and maybe you'll get a call from Ruffles.
Stargaze
If it's too hot to spend the day outside, a cool night under the stars might be just what you need. Without the light pollution of the city, the night sky comes alive with a dazzling glow. If you don't want to just sit back and see what you can find, we recommend trying Star Walk 2, an augmented reality app that will show you star maps, constellations, and can even show you where the Internation Space Station is in real-time!
Geocaching
While you can start Geocaching pretty much anywhere, cottage country is a really fun place to go looking for them. If you don't know what it is, Geocaching is the world's largest treasure hunt! Use the app to find them hidden all over the world (some of them are super inventive and tricky to spot) and once you do you fill in your name and date that you found it. Some of the bigger ones even have little trinkets people like to leave for other Geocachers to keep.
Board Games
Having a closet full of board games is a must when it comes to cottages and pulling out the all-time bests like Life, Monopoly, and Operation will always have a few people on board (pun intended). There are also a couple of newer board games we highly recommend like Exploding Kittens, which is super easy to learn with just the right balance of skill and luck, or Betrayal at House on the Hill, a game that starts off cooperative until one person has to become the monster!
Brush Up On Your Survival Skills
Along with being fun, this one be can actually be pretty useful too! Turn your kids into little survivalists by teaching them how to fish, build a fire, treat small wounds, find safe drinking water, and spot poison ivy. Chances are, they'll never have to use them, but they'll take pride in learning! If you haven't practiced in a while either, no time like the present.
Read Something
Whether it's some classic fiction, small novelas, or your favourite magazine, reading at the cottage just feels different when the sun is shining and there's a nice breeze coming off the water. Alternatively, if it's a rainy afternoon, curling up to read next to the fireplace with raindrops lightly rapping away on the roof is hard to beat.
Watch A Movie
If it's just too hot to handle outside (or you've spent the entire day in the heat) take a break with your favourite movie. If you can't decide what to watch we have a few recommendations: Stay on theme with probably the best cottage movie ever, The Great Outdoors, or if you're watching at night and don't mind a little scare, Cabin in the Woods or The Evil Dead will have you keeping the lights on when you head to bed!
Featured image courtesy of Maria Orlova via pexels.com
