Other uses for a cottage may include...

November 13, 2005 3:11 AM

My family is buying a cottage in the woods. Help suggest some fun activities to keep things interesting!

My parents recently finalized the plans to purchase a cottage (read: 1,200 sq/ft 3-br) about an hour and a half from their primary residence. (Strawberry, Arizona.) The area is right against a National Forest, so hiking and the basic exploring is definitely in the mix.

We also plan on getting a couple of ATVs, so any suggestions on makes and models and what to look for with these would be fantastic.

Some other things we're tentatively planning for include the standard board games, card games, a fire pit, a telescope and horseshoes. So far, so good, but what other activities or hobbies might we want to invest in for this weekend getaway? We'll be there throughout the year, and assume that we'd be willing to invest a few hundred into something that makes the trip even more worthwhile.

Thanks in advance for your help and cottage-esque experiences!

posted by disillusioned to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

How about cooking? One of the things I love to do when taking a break with family is taking the time to plan a lovely meal and then spending the afternoon preparing it. Great for conversation (to be followed by the evening's Scrabble game).

I'm not familiar with this area, but I can't help but imagine that there are herbs and fungi growing around the region that could add to the cooking experience?
posted by michswiss at 3:19 AM on November 13, 2005

Don't bring a TV/DVD/VCR. We never had one in our cottage growing up and recently one has been added (as the older generation retires and spends weeks at a time there...). Now I find that the small kids are less inclined to go exploring, play cards, read books, etc.

But get some good coffeetable books - they are always on sale at the big chains - atlases, etc.
posted by k8t at 4:02 AM on November 13, 2005

Board Game Geek

Amazing richness of data. Comprehensive reviews, and "geeklists" with titles like "Games to play with my non-gamer family at our cabin" complete with informed suggestions. It is the matrix of games.
posted by mecran01 at 6:47 AM on November 13, 2005

I'd recommend good binoculars over a telescope. Telescopes are fiddly, especially the low end ones.
posted by mecran01 at 6:48 AM on November 13, 2005

Best answer: You should get some guidebooks. I would suggest a local or southwestern bird guidebook (a quick amazon search for "birds Arizona" came up with a lot of AZ-specific books), a guide to flora and fauna (together or separate) and a stargazing guidebook to start.

I have the New England version of this guidebook...it gets used constantly.

National Audubon Regional Guide to the Southwestern States
posted by nekton at 7:08 AM on November 13, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for your suggestions thus far. They're really great.

Keep them coming!
posted by disillusioned at 7:44 AM on November 13, 2005

Best answer: Bring an acoustic guitar and tune it to an open tuning (or learn to play). Make sure there's always a journal and paper where everybody knows where it is. Don't be afraid of telling guests that there's a journal and that they're invited (but not required) to write in it.
posted by substrate at 8:10 AM on November 13, 2005

bad weather = puzzles. our family dining table at home and at the cottage was more often than not occupied by one puzzle or another while i was growing up.
posted by heather at 8:11 AM on November 13, 2005

A stack of National Geographics or Smithsonian magazines. You'll find the time to read them and they are mulit-generational, great for discussions. Any thrift store should have plenty.
posted by what-i-found at 9:51 AM on November 13, 2005

i'm not sure what the rules are in National Forest for wood collecting/chopping but, if it's fairly relaxed, i'd get a wood stove. the proverb about wood collecting warming you three times (collecting and carrying, chopping & then burning) is true. when i go i get to have a good hike, see things aound my cottage that i might not otherwise see - plus it satisfies the innate arsonist in me.

oh, and forget the atv and get a good quality mountain bike.
posted by tnai at 9:53 AM on November 13, 2005

A hammock.
posted by hortense at 10:45 AM on November 13, 2005

If there are young children, start some traditions. We made fairy houses out of bits of bark and twigs, and the kids were enchanted and started making their own. One year in bad weather, knowing we'd all be in different places by December, we had Christmas in July with homemade and silly gifts. Badminton. Craft supplies. Make fimo clay beads, or learn to sketch. Bring a variety of music. We used to dance to swing music out on the screen porch. Play charades, trivial pursuit, etc. In Maine there's a law that the bathroom of a cottage must be well-stocked with old Reader's Digests. At night, read aloud, not from Reader's Digest.
posted by theora55 at 1:40 PM on November 13, 2005

Response by poster: The open journal idea is fantastic—my parents have been discussing allowing a lot of our family friends to stay throughout the year, so even on weekend's we don't join them, that will be great.

Crafts and a hammock, also great ideas, along with puzzles.

Thanks again! Any more ideas? (No young children, but my mother still sees fit to drag us through crafts and we end up having more fun anyway because of it.)
posted by disillusioned at 2:49 PM on November 13, 2005

Dollar stores are good resources for lots of fun stuff: crafts, games, toys, etc. Even not so fun stuff: kitchen (glasses, plates, pots, pans, utensils), cleaning supplies, tools, etc.
posted by deborah at 1:18 PM on November 14, 2005

Bird bingo.
If you've been to the cottage before and you know what birds can be spotted at certain times of the year, then make a list appropriate to whatever time of the year your group is going. Hand out bingo cards listing the birds, and first one to complete wins!

This is more fun if the list-maker (who of course is not competing as she's seen them all already to make the list) shouts out things like "Goldfinch over near the tree!" (or whatever unusual bird you can think of on the list, whether it is near the tree or not). Participants will rush to the window and go "Where? I don't see it!". You can't do this too often of course :-)
posted by SharonC at 9:42 AM on January 3, 2006