Summer Board Games For Those Hot Nights
Whether you’re spending the summer inside or in the great outdoors, you can play these summer board games with your camp (or indoor) buds.
It’s almost summer! And while for me that doesn’t mean much of a schedule change at all, your summer may be full of vacations, waterparks, summer camp, the great outdoors, or anything else that’s hard to get to when things are cold and people are in school. If summertime is your favorite time of the year, these board games will keep you celebrating the warm weather and potential time off. And if it’s not, they’re still some pretty fun games.
Summer Camp
If you ever went to summer camp—or even day camp—you know that there could be a certain level of competitiveness to the scheduled fun. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun in my camper days, and I recognize that being able to spend my summers there with friends was a privilege. But it wasn’t all fun. Some days were winnable (or losable). And Summer Camp bakes that essence into a deck-building game. Find your cabin assignment and earn merit badges. The most merit badges.
Happy Bee
Maybe you don’t like bees. Maybe you’re even allergic. But personally, I love seeing a big round bubble bee in the garden. And in Happy Bee you command a bee army with t he goal to pollinate as many flowers as possible. Players learn about bees as they play, but the game is very cute and the art is beautiful, so you’ll probably barely notice that the game is trying to teach you things.
Everdell Farshore
Take an epic seafaring adventure. Search for riches, find the best island locations, and watch out for high tide. This is more of a treasure-finding adventure game than a relaxing tropical vacation game. But sometimes you want a little adventure in your summer.
Alice’s Garden
This is a flower filled gardening game with an Alice-y twist. The Queen demands the most exquisite garden and the Royal Gardeners need your help. Build up the garden with tiles to earn points. And at the end you’ll either win the game and be crowned best gardener and victor. Or, y’know, off with your head.
Dive
This is the board game equivalent of throwing sinking toys into a pool and seeing who can dive deepest and get them first. In Dive players will try to retrieve gems from the bottom of the ocean. But you’ll have to pay attention to your oxygen and make sure you avoid disturbing sharks and other sea life.
Santa Monica
This game takes you to Santa Monica, where your job is to create a beautiful, appealing neighborhood. But will you focus on a quiet, nature-focused beach? What about a busy tourist attraction? Or maybe your neighborhood will be a hidden gem that the locals frequent. Draft cards and piece together your little piece of paradise.
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