The Board Gamer's Guide to Gaming Getaways

Traveling is not my thing.

I love the time off, and the time spent with my amazing family. I love the opportunity to get out and do something different, and to come back with the opportunity to have a fresh start (or sometimes a re-start) on the habits and routines I’ve established.

Wait a minute. It’s not that I dislike travel. I like everything about travel except for sightseeing.

There’s nothing wrong with going out into nature and going on that hike to see some waterfalls, or heading over to look out at the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s fun in the moment, and a good opportunity to take a few excellent family photos, but it’s not the ideal way to spend my time.

The way I like to spend my time is gaming.

So as I’m busy planning our next summer vacation, it occurred to me to investigate some opportunities to do the whole travel thing, with a little bit of sightseeing and culture, but with a bit more gaming opportunities in the middle.

Board Game Conventions

Yep, the obvious one right?

A convention is more than just a chance to see new releases. It is a vacation that is completely dedicated to the hobby you love. Unadulterated gaming time at its finest. You’ll stay, you’ll play, and you will probably do nothing else before heading home.

Looking at North America alone, there are dozens of major conventions that people around the world come to each year. Gen Con, held annually over the summer in Indianapolis, is the king, but a number of them happen throughout the year. Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio is also a major attraction, as are PAX Unplugged, Geekway to the West, and more.

This is a common vacation for our family that never disappoints. Our twelve-year-old is just starting to get a little too “cool” for board games, but finds plenty to do with the social deduction games that cater to teens, or the arts and crafts demos we can enroll her in. Either that, or she’ll be painting a mini in the Paint-and-Take area.

We’ve written a few articles about attending conventions, including our board game convention packing list and what to wear at a board game convention.

• Best for: Best for: gamers who want to make the entire vacation one big board game extravaganza
• Family Friendly? Yes, depending on the convention. If your kids are old enough to explore a bit on their own, they’ll have a blast.
• Best time: Conventions happen year-round, but Gen Con and Origins Game Fair occur in late spring or summer.
• Non-Gaming Adventures: Few – there are crafts, but limited other options unless you leave the convention hall.
• Budget Considerations: hotels around convention season are expensive, and most are in the heart of downtown, making food and parking additional concerns. Also, no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you will buy games

Board Game Cruises

The Dice Tower Cruise rents out a block of rooms on a cruise ship annually in Winter (usually January/February) for a cruise that features board gaming as a primary attraction. In general, these are cruises throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, but destinations change annually. For 2027, the scheduled stops are Costa Maya, Roatán, Cozumel and CocoCay (a private island destination with a beach, theme park and other attractions).

While I’ve never been able to make this event personally, this sounds like the perfect opportunity to get a little sunshine in on a board game themed vacation.

• Best for: Gamers traveling with people who may not want to spend seven straight days playing board games.
• Family Friendly? Definitely. Most cruise lines have supervised kid play areas and activities for both younger kids and teens.
• Best time: Winter – it’s hot, but not too hot.
• Non-Gaming Adventures: Tons – not only is it a cruise ship, but there are ports to stop in as well.
• Budget Considerations: Most cruises will include a food and beverage package and onboard entertainment package that is perfect for most travelers, but you can supplement with paid dining and alcohol packages as well. Keep in mind that you need to get to and from the cruise, so add some extra airfare, and maybe an overnight stay depending on the time your flight arrives.
  

Stay at a Board Game B&B: Tabletop Inn

Located in Marion, North Carolina, the Tabletop Inn is a bed and breakfast dedicated to board gaming. They have a library of 800+ games to play, along with board game-themed rooms and custom art. The hosts are published game designers, and design the experience of staying there to reflect every part of board game culture – from public and private gaming spaces, to helping teach games, and even joining in when you need another person to make the minimum player count.

If you’re a hiker, their location is close to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and has a number of scenic hikes nearby featuring waterfalls and views along the Linville Gorge. They’re also close to a scenic rural downtown market with shops and restaurants, as well as local festivals, making this a great multi-faceted vacation experience (with a lot of board game fun!).

Tabletop Inn was nice enough to send me some additional photos of their property and amenities which you can see here: 

• Best for: Adult Gamers
• Family Friendly? Yes. The inn welcomes children of all ages, although the surrounding attractions lean more toward gaming, hiking and small-town exploring than traditional kid-focused tourist attractions.
• Non-Gaming Adventures: Mostly adult-oriented – hikes and downtown shopping.
• Budget Considerations: Between the Inn’s substantial game library and the nearby nature activities, you can build a full itinerary without adding too many extra attractions.

Day Trip to The Strong National Museum of Play

This is perhaps not as great of a place to sit down and play board games as some of these others, but it is definitely a destination that focuses on the history and culture of gaming. The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York has multiple exhibits featuring board games, including exhibits on Hasbro’s board games, featuring a very large version of Chutes and Ladders, and a jumbo Perplexus, and a timeline tracing the history of board, card and role-playing games.

(I know, you were hoping for an extra-large Agricola, weren’t you?)

They also have arcade and electronic games, dolls, pinball, comic books and an aquarium.

The feature of the Strong that our family spent the most time with was an extensive indoor playground and an indoor butterfly garden that caters to the youngest members of your family game group.

• Best for: a one-day board-game-adjacent education destination.
• Family Friendly? Definitely. It’s literally a toy museum with places to run, things to touch, and LEGO.
• Best time: Year-round
• Non-Gaming Adventures: There’s plenty to see and do here, but it isn’t the best game-playing destination on the list.
• Budget Considerations: this is best done as part of a grander vacation plan.

Maybe I’ve Been Planning Vacations Wrong...

I started this exercise thinking that setting up our next travel destination might be a bit of a chore. But the more I search, the more I’m finding that maybe I just wasn’t searching for the right kind of travel destination.

There are tons of awesome opportunities out there that blend our love of travel with our love of gaming.

And I’m still going to go see that waterfall. I just probably won’t spend all day staring at it. I’ll trek down the path, snap a few quick photos with the kid, and then hurry back to enjoy a quiet evening with my favorite people, doing my favorite thing.

Now that sounds like a vacation.