This August and September so far has seen its fair share of rainy days. You know where it is not fun to be when it is rainy? The cottage! Generally speaking a cottage is a smallish space where you share bedrooms. Unless you are super wealthy and have one of those McMansion cottages that celebrities are always renting in Muskoka, your space is at a premium. The goal is to be outside. Unless you are sleeping, you are outside enjoying the gorgeous beaches, trails and forests.
So what do you do if it rains for hours or even days at the cottage? Well, it helps to have these All Canadian games on hand, or you might just buy them and drop them at the cottage if you own one or even if you rent one out. It is a simple amenity that adds value and implies a highly personal touch to a rental.
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Table of Contents
Plan Ahead
I am a cottage girl through and through. By now, you must all know that. I grew up visiting a rented cottage with my family every single summer of my childhood. From Guelph Ontario, the drive to the Bruce Peninsula and Southampton, Port Elgin, or Sauble Beach is a manageable 2.5 to 3 hours. Basically, an afternoon driving and you are there.
We typically brought many outdoor games along for the week. Most cottages have a stash of board games or something to keep you occupied in all sorts of weather conditions. Canadians just know weather is unpredictable and we want you to all feel welcome and engaged at the cottage. It’s in our nature.
I find it helpful to have a range of ideas planned for most ages and stages, from groups of two or three to a family of four or a group of teens. There are dozens of word games and activities on this site that you can print and take with you whether camping or spending time at a cottage. Obviously this all applies to rental AirBnBs too.
This year my Rainy Days at the cottage post has outdone itself for traffic which means a lot of you are finding it and using that as a guide. I mean over the years as a lifelong cottage renter I have seen my fair share of rainy weather days and I have a few tricks. This year, with ELBOWS all the way UP, I thought I’d share a few of our favourite all Canadian games to play at the cottage on a rainy day.
Canadian Games for Rainy Days at the Cottage
Crokinole
If you ask me, every single cottage and home should have one of these crokinole boards. Canadian through and through. Did you know that? If you don’t want to pay this much for one of these Canadian classic games that will be passed down from generation to generation, hit up a few garage sales. I assure you that you will eventually find one on sale for under $25 Canadian. Ours is wooden and in gorgeous condition and was given to us by Jim’s dad or grandfather, I think. We have had this for many years. I also had one growing up and my own kids, especially my youngest, often ask to play this together. Somehow the flicking of the wooden disks is great feedback for a sensory seeking child.
Origin and Details:
- Player Count: 2 or 4 players (1v1 or 2v2 teams)
- Runtime: 20–30 minutes
- Price: ~$115.00 – $365.00 CAD (depending on board craftsmanship)
- Origin: Sebastopol, Perth County, Ontario, Canada (1876)
- Details & Trivia: A classic dexterity game where players flick wooden discs across a smooth, circular board to land in high-value zones or knock opposing pieces into the outer ditch. The earliest known board was built in 1876 by craftsman Eckhardt Wettlaufer as a fifth birthday present for his son Adam. That original board is preserved at the Joseph Schneider Haus in Kitchener, Ontario.
Trivial Pursuit
If you don’t have this already in your cottage and in your home, then how can you call yourself a Canadian? LOL. Kidding. Anyways, this is the biggest thing to hit the 80s, and a staple of my youth. For those who love trivia and have an entire afternoon to spend exercising your grey matter with long forgotten facts and dates and history.
- Player Count: 2 to 6 players (or unlimited in teams)
- Runtime: 90 minutes MINIMUM. You can play almost all day if you have a big family or group.
- Price: ~$34.99 CAD
- Origin: Montreal, Quebec, Canada (1979)
- Details & Trivia: The world-famous trivia game where players move around a wheel answering general knowledge questions across six distinct categories to collect colored wedges. It was invented on December 15, 1979, by Canadian journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott. While playing Scrabble in Montreal, they realized they were missing pieces to their game and decided to invent their own board game instead.
Canadian Trivia: Family Edition
More trivia but this one is a bit simpler and really rooted in Canadian facts. Trivial Pursuit is a higher age level than this one and demands patience. This is a bit more
- Player Count: 2 to 8 players
- Runtime: 30–45 minutes
- Price: ~$24.95 – $29.99 CAD
- Origin: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (1996)
- Details & Trivia: A dedicated quiz board game featuring double-sided cards with junior and expert questions covering Canadian geography, history, arts, and general culture. Invented in 1996 by University of Victoria student Dave Manga, the game was launched out of his dorm room and grew into Outset Media, now one of Canada’s premier independent game publishers.
Cascadia
To be super clear I have never played this one. But it is Canadian and looks fun and family friendly.
- Player Count: 1 to 4 players
- Runtime: 30–45 minutes
- Price: ~$46.91 CAD
- Origin: Designed by Pacific Northwest game designer Randy Flynn
- Details & Trivia: A tile-laying spatial puzzle game where players build terrain corridors and draft native wildlife tokens (bears, salmon, elk, hawks, and foxes) to construct a balanced ecosystem. Celebrating the geography of Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, it won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) in 2022, considered the highest international honor in board gaming.
Balderdash
Unlike standard trivia games that reward pure memorization, Balderdash is a creativity and psychology game. The goal isn’t just to be smart; it’s to write in a convincing, dry style that mimics the official card, or to craft something so delightfully believable that your friends fall for the trick. Canadian creative teams have played a major role in party game history, including Toronto-invented classics like Balderdash. Fast-paced, Canadian-invented party games like Trivial Pursuit keep large family groups engaged when outdoor plans get rained out.
- Player Count: 2 to 6 players
- Runtime: 60 minutes
- Price: $63
- Origin: by Laura Robinson and Paul Toyne in Toronto.
Canadian Trivia: Family Edition
Created by Victoria, BC-based publisher Outset Media, Canadian Trivia: Family Edition features double-sided cards with junior and expert questions across geography, history, and pop culture. It allows kids, teens, and adults to play together on a rainy day without tricky handicap rules.
A-Maze-ing Canada / Great Canadian Board Games: Educational geography and travel games published locally offer lighthearted family rivalry while testing everyone’s knowledge of provinces, territories, and landmarks.
More All-Canadian Classics for Rainy Days
Right now, when elbows up is literally a lifestyle that demands to be implemented across the board, it seems like we can all provide solutions to support buying Canadian. That’s why I thought this might help. Anyways, happy camping and leave a few of these at the cottage or scout them out at the next neighbourhood garage sale.
