Five Family Board Games for Columbus Summers

Summer. It is just around the corner! It is one of my favorite times of the year, and I was talking with my friends recently about things to do in Columbus, Ohio, during the summer. In Columbus, summers mean July the 4th, humidity, and long days. It’s the perfect season for families to spend time together!

She answered, “I love to play board games with my children! Do you have any recommendations?”

That got me thinking. I always enjoyed the occasional board game as a child, but I didn’t really have any favorites anymore. Board games sound like a great way to spend time with your children and don’t involve looking at screens (sigh!).

So, I asked around (and thankfully, others aren’t as oblivious to board games as me), and here are five fun board games that families can enjoy together. But first, I must tell you something else I’m just as excited about.

The Best Indoor Activity this Summer

If your Google search history has “Columbus Ohio activity” in it, chances are you must have heard of private chefs for hire. It’s one of the best ways to experience the best food in Columbus.

And no one does private chefs better than CookingGenie. When the days are dry and feel long, nothing can help you unwind more than our personal chef (Genie).

We brand our services as “Quiet Luxury.” We’re not loud and we fit right in your pocket!

For the price you’d typically pay for eating out, we bring the restaurant experience to you. So that’s service, cleanup, ingredients, and an incredibly unique dining experience, all included.

Our chefs (Genies) are independent contractors and professionals who bring any special equipment and the ingredients they need and clean up after themselves.

So, even if you only visit, order a personal chef in Columbus, Ohio. We specialize in cooking at Airbnb and our Genies need a basic kitchen to work. You’ll love it! Now let’s dive into the top board games you can play with your family.

Hanabi

Hanabi means “Fireworks” in Japanese. And fireworks are something we all relate to in summer, right? Because of the Fourth of July, of course!

Hanabi is a simple card game combining cooperation, memory, and strategy elements.

And it makes for one entertaining game. Either everybody wins or everybody loses.

How do you play? Well, it’s like any standard card game. Each card is from a suit and has a number. Players must match numbers and suits to create a pre-set pattern of fireworks.

You must work with your teammates to play out every five on the deck. Sounds simple! What’s the catch?

Well, you can’t see your card. You can see all the cards of your teammates but not your own. It’s like a blind man’s bluff but for children!

Players must exchange information and help all the other players to play successful hands together.

It’s a highly rated board game on many community forums and is popular with teens and families.

Spirit Island

Teamwork, strategy, and the forces of nature! At least that’s what the children in my family tell me. That’s what makes this game so engaging.

But be warned: This game is complex. I still don’t understand it clearly, and I’ve been talking to at least five people I know about it. The plot is deep, and some elements of the storyline are almost philosophical. This might be a good bet if you’re playing with children in their late teens.

Players are “spirits” of a mystical island defending the natives from “invaders.” The gameplay is too complicated to explain well, but here goes: You have a couple of boards to play with, combine cards and turn-based plays, and generate energy to use your spirit powers. (Phew!) It’s not for the faint-headed.

However, it’s one of the highest-rated games on board game forums. A summer day in the park playing Spirit Island won’t be at the top of the list if you search “Columbus, Ohio activities for families” on Google, but it will be fascinating.

Tenpenny Parks

Yes! Here’s something familiar. I always like Monopoly. And, well, Tenpenny Parks is like Monopoly for amusement parks.  It’s the tried-and-true concept of buy, build, and dominate.

It’s an easy game suitable for children ten and over. Theme parks and running a business are both concepts children are comfortable with. Will they like it? Sure! Will it be the most memorable game they have ever played? That depends on whether it makes its way to the list of family traditions or not.

It’s popular and has positive reviews on forums and among board game players, but it is nothing extraordinary. It can, however, offer a familiar board game experience along with a bit of novelty.

Unfair

This game is quite like Tenpenny Parks. It has similar gameplay, plot, and look and feel. However, it came out some time ago and is slightly more popular.

Some say this is much closer to Monopoly than Tenpenny Parks with its options for undercutting rivals. However, theme park building is certainly something the whole family can play and have fun with. No matter who wins!

Wingspan

This board game is beautiful. It’s a combination of turn-based playing and elements of card-based gameplay.

The objective is to populate your “birdhouse” or your board with cards of birds. But the gameplay isn’t what’s unique about this game.

Every bit of this game looks fantastic. Plus, it provides small packets of information about birds. It’s a great way to ensure that children have fun and learn a little about the avian world.

Boardgames Are Delightful

Summers are fun times. For children, summers are filled with memories of time spent outdoors as a family and traditions built up over after-supper game nights. A fun boardgame night can be one of those.

Summers are quite different now than when I was a kid, but there’s no reason board games with the whole family can’t be just as fun. Of course, there are plenty of fun activities in Columbus, Ohio. A board game can be a great way to fill time in between these. So, the next time you plan a day out with your family, maybe you’ll have a Favorite board game you’d like to take along.