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The five best beach vacation games

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) on Jul 20th 2009 at 5:00PM

A day at the beach is always fun. I personally like to barbecue and play games -- but if you're traveling, you probably don't have a grill with you, much less a cooler, a bunch of friends, or even so much as a pail and shovel. Here are five great beach games that don't require tons of people, don't wreck the beach (or disturb others), and which require under $20 in props.

1. Kite flying. Kites are awesome, easy to pack in that outer suitcase pocket, and they're usually cheap to buy on location if you didn't plan ahead. They have some great, cheap kites on Amazon.com, like this one. Make it a competition by timing who can keep it in the air the longest, or fly it the highest.

2. Sandcastles. I mean, duh, right? But this list would be incomplete without the building of sandcastles, a time honored tradition. Make sure you collect lots of flair from all over the beach to decorate, and if you want a little competition in your beach day, try timed sandcastles with a friend -- you each get half an hour to make the most impressive sandcastle. If you don't want to spend money, use the coffee mugs from your hotel room for building -- a butter knife will also come in handy.

3. Digging to China (unless you're in China; then it would be Digging to America). This is a simple, but really fun game. You and a friend go to just where the water is coming up on the shore, and dig as far down as you can in five minutes. Whoever's hole is the deepest wins. You may find the ocean does you a favor -- or completely ruins your effort. Consider it the universe deciding whether it likes you or your friend better.

4. Sand darts. Draw a "dartboard" in the sand, or perhaps just a basic concentric circle target. Make an X where participants should stand. Each player tosses a quarter, or a room key, or a rock, or whatever you have, and tries to hit the center of the target.

5. The quiet game. This is excellent when traveling with children. Everyone lies down on their towels, side by side, and the first person to say something loses. Ah, sweet silence.
Don't forget to put on suntan lotion ... and return those cups to the hotel!