7. PARKS

In this episode, I’m changing things up a bit and recommending a great board game for couples: PARKS by Keymaster Games.

I’m a big fan of the US National Parks, ever since I took my kids out west on what we called the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Tour. We saw the largest of each: we went whale-watching off the coast of San Francisco, we saw redwoods and sequoias in California, and we visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We visited three National Parks during that trip—Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia—and each of them provided amazing sights and experiences.

The board game PARKS, designed by Henry Audubon, does a great job of capturing the beauty and wonder of the US National Parks. It is the prettiest game I own, with stunning artwork from the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series. In the game, you take on the role of hikers, exploring the great outdoors and visiting as many National Parks as you can.

We have two special guests in this episode. My wife Emily stops by for some color commentary and thoughts on why she enjoys playing PARKS. Also, Matt Aiken from Keymaster Games joins us to talk about the origin of the game and why he thinks it’s a great game for couples and to tell some stories of people playing PARKS in the great outdoors.