Planning a vacation in Broken Bow means you’ll find no shortage of fun for you to get into. From hiking to fishing to lounging on the lake, you and your crew will have no trouble packing your itinerary to the brim. It’s possible that you might even wear yourself out halfway through your trip!

That’s why we believe you should plan a night in. After all, you’ve rented a beautiful luxury cabin outfitted with all of the amenities you need for a comfortable stay– why not get the most out of it? In this blog, we’ll walk you through our tips for planning the ultimate cabin night during your stay in Broken Bow. 

1. Put Together a Playlist

The perfect night-in needs a soundtrack! Depending on what vibe you’re going for, the right music can make or break the night. 

If you’re going for a laid-back, low-energy kind of night, put together a playlist of smooth jax and soft piano tunes to play in the background while you and your group hang out. For more energetic, dance party vibes, pass the phone around and let everyone add their favorite hits to the playlist! 

2. Make Dinner a Group Activity

• Personal pizzas: Buy (or make) a pizza crust for everyone, sauce, cheese, and a variety of toppings. Everyone gets to assemble their own pizza with as little or as many toppings as they like! This option is quick, easy, and ensures that everyone gets something they like! 

• Tacos: Give each person in your group a task: one person cooks the meat, another sauteés bell peppers and onions, another chops up lettuce and tomato, and so forth. You can also get people involved by having them make guacamole, set the table, or make rice and beans. 

• Fancy dinner: If you’re vacationing with other adults, add some fun to the night by planning out a dinner with multiple courses! One or two people each choose a course- appetizers, an entree, sides, and dessert- to make for the rest of the group. If you have confident cooks in your group, this can be a fun way to show off your culinary skills with your friends or family!

For fresh, local ingredients, stop by Local 259! This local market carries delicious local meats, cheeses, and other great items for you to incorporate into your meals. 

3. Bring Plenty of Movies and Games 

For a successful night in, you have to plan something fun to do together! Nothing brings people together like movies and games. 

Movies

With the popularity of streaming services, having a movie night has never been easier! Some cabins provide FREE access to a multitude of streaming services, or you can log in to your own accounts from a Roku or Amazon TV setup. 

To elevate your movie-watching experience, bring along a projector for your own DIY theater experience! This smart projector on Amazon allows you to log in to any of your streaming services straight from the projector. To set up:

1. Find a blank, white wall in your cabin. If there aren’t any, take a plain white sheet and tape it up on the wall as tightly as you can (NOTE: please check in with your cabin owner before you do this to avoid damaging the walls or upsetting your hosts)

2. Position the projector to play on the blank wall or sheet.

3. Kick back, relax, and enjoy your movie!

Games

You could pick from a variety of classic board games… or, you can mix things up a little! There are a ton of party games you can play with a large group that are guaranteed to make your game night one from the books. Some of our suggestions include: 

Jackbox Games

This company offers a variety of party game packs– and all you need to play is your mobile device! Players will head to jackbox.tv and, once a game starts, they will input the code on the screen. Most games can support up to 8 players, but if you have more, players can still join and participate as audience members!

Choose a silly topic, and have everyone create and present a PowerPoint presentation! This is a lighthearted way to get to know the people in your crew and to let everyone show off their creativity. Have fun with it, and don’t take it too seriously!

Mafia

For this game to go smoothly, it helps to have someone in your group with a flair for the dramatic to be the Mayor. 

To play, the Mayor must anonymously choose roles for everyone in the group. The Mafia are tasked with picking someone to kill every round, the Doctor can choose to save someone, and the Detective can choose to investigate someone each round.

The goal of this game is for the group to discover who the Mafia members are before the end of the game. For Murderers, your goal is to make it to the end of the game undetected. For a more detailed gameplay description, check out this guide!

Fishbowl

Split into two teams. Everyone gets three slips of paper, on which they write three separate nouns that correlate to a theme. Collect all of the paper into a bowl, and have everyone sit in a circle with team member alternating spots. 

The game is played in three rounds, and each person’s turn lasts one minute per round. The goal of the game is for team members to guess as many words as possible in a given round, but each round has certain caveats. 

In Round 1, explain the term however you can. In Round 2, you must act out each word. In Round 3, you can only use one word to describe your term. If it’s your turn, you keep each slip that your teammates correctly guess, and you tally your points at the end of each round before putting the sheets back in the bowl for the next round. 

Picking the Activity

The bigger your group is, the harder it can be to choose a movie or game that everyone likes. To remedy this, we suggest that everyone in the book suggest a movie to watch or a game to play. Then, write them all down, mix them all up in a bowl, and have someone randomly pick one with their eyes closed. This keeps everything fair, and if you have young kiddos, this prevents potential tantrums or hurt feelings. 

4. Roast S’mores By The Campfire

No matter how old or young you are… everyone loves a s’more! Not only does a s’more make a delicious after-dinner sweet treat, but they are fun to make, too! If your cabin has an outdoor fire pit, head outside and get to roasting! 

S’mores

While we LOVE a traditional s’more, add some excitement to the experience by switching things up a little! You can try creating fun s’mores combinations by making ingredient swaps or by adding more fun ingredients. For example, instead of using milk chocolate, you could try:

• White chocolate

• Peanut butter cups

• Caramel-filled chocolate pieces

• Raspberry dark chocolate

The possibilities are endless! Get creative with your swaps for a fun and tasty group activity that you can do at your cabin!

Campfire Pies

A recent trend we love is making campfire pies, a fun and creative twist on normal campfire snacks. All you need are crescent rolls, a wooden dowel rod, and whatever fillings you may want! The process is simple: 

1. Wrap a crescent roll around the end of your dowel rod in a bowl-like shape

2. Roast the crescent roll until golden brown

3. Fill with whatever fillings you want. 

Simple as that! Some filling suggestions we love include:

• Marshmallows and chocolate (for a traditional s’mores flavor)

• Canned pie filling 

• Fresh fruit and whipped cream

• Peanut butter and jelly

5. Chill Out In the Hot Tub

What better way to unwind than by letting soothing jets and bubbles wash away your worries? To really unwind, you absolutely have to spend some time in your cabin’s hot tub. 

To enhance your hot tub experience, incorporate music or games into your hot tub time! Set up a waterproof bluetooth speaker, put on the playlist you made for your trip, and play a game with a set of waterproof playing cards!

6. Order A Charcuterie Board 

Everyone knows that fun snacking options can truly make or break a night-in. For an option guaranteed to have something everyone will like, put together a charcuterie board! 

• Meat: Cured meats such as pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto last for a long time, and they are easy to layer on top of other snack options. 

• Cheese: A variety of cheeses allows you and your crew to put together different flavor combinations, which makes the charcuterie experience fun! For example, brie and gouda have vastly different textures and flavors. 

• Bread/crackers: Pita bread, crackers, sourdough slices, and pretzels are all great for dipping and layering. 

• Spreads: Jam, hummus, honey, and other dips can easily be added onto a cracker or piece of bread alongside meats and cheeses. 

• Fruit: Fresh fruit adds some color to your board! Strawberries, grapes, sliced apples, and sliced oranges are a great, healthy, and easy-to-eat addition to your board. 

• Nuts: Pistachios, cashews, or peanuts offer something with a nice crunch and healthy fats for your board. 

• Candy: After a salty snack, everyone will be looking to satisfy their sweet tooth. Have one or two candies available for this purpose! We recommend candy pieces that are individually wrapped or portioned out in pieces, such as peanut butter cups, chocolate covered pretzels, or mints. 

Still don’t feel like doing it yourself? Lucky for you, there are businesses in Broken Bow that will come to your cabin and assemble a board or two for you! Check out Two Board Girls for an in-cabin charcuterie service that will knock your socks off!

Kick Back and Relax!

Who says you have to leave your cabin to have a great day in Broken Bow? There’s no better way to really savor the day than by taking it slow and getting the most out of your luxury cabin stay.