It’s your turn to host game night, and you should take this opportunity to impress your friends with an old classic: cribbage. The game itself doesn’t have to be the only thing they’re impressed by — why have a boring game board when you can play on a work of art?
With expertly crafted wood cribbage boards, you can celebrate your favorite vacation destination or home city while playing a unique card game. Find your own sentimental cribbage board and combine form with function for a game night you won’t soon forget.
What Is Cribbage?
Cribbage is a card game with an interesting history. This card game was developed in the 1600s in Great Britain by Sir John Suckling, depending on the history you choose to believe. The game can accommodate two to four players and has mostly stayed the same over the years.
The game involves grouping cards in various combinations to score points. Unlike most card games, players need more than just cards to play cribbage.
Necessary cribbage supplies include:
- Cribbage board
- Pegs
- A standard deck of 52 cards
Cribbage is Britain’s national card game, but it is popular worldwide. In the United States, the American Cribbage Congress is one organization that helps educate and gather cribbage players, hosts tournaments, and honors exemplary cribbage players in their hall of fame.
How To Use a Cribbage Board
The cribbage board is used to keep score during gameplay, one of the uncommon features of the game. A player wins when they score 121 points.
Each player has a track on the board and uses two pegs to keep score. When players score points, they count the number of points starting at the rearmost peg. This helps keep track of the overall score and how many points were gained during the last turn.
In addition to keeping score, good-quality wood cribbage boards have a place to store the score-keeping pegs under the playing surface. Having a portable cribbage board to take with you is also helpful as you challenge friends or new opponents.
Why Wood Cribbage Boards?
It’s easy to find a cribbage board to meet your card-playing needs, but why stop at the bare necessities when you can get something extraordinary? Wood cribbage boards are both functional and beautiful.
Wood cribbage boards feature tracks for three players and include skunks, pegs, and storage within the board. Proud of your gorgeous board? Display it on a table or hang it on the wall by the nail hole in the back.
Take time to find a cribbage board that shows off your favorite location, whether you love playing by Lake Tahoe or want to reminisce on your favorite European adventures. The wood cribbage boards feature laser-etched maps displaying landscape details and important points of interest.
3 Impressive Island Cribbage Boards
Wood cribbage boards are a great way to show off an island destination that is important to you. The island itself is lighter in color than the area representing the water, and the depth of the water is notated on the map. Island maps make elegant cribbage boards you’ll want to use and display.
1. Hawaiian Islands Cribbage Board
The Aloha State is a stunning destination, and having a Hawaii cribbage board that reflects its beauty is the perfect way to remember your time on the islands.
The archipelago of Hawaii has a total of 137 isles, making it a diverse vacation spot with beaches, jungles, volcanoes, and historical landmarks.
The Hawaiian Islands map showcases the eight primary islands of Hawaii:
- Hawaii (Big Island)
- Kaho’olawe
- Kaua’i
- Lana’i
- Maui
- Moloka’i
- Ni’ihau
- O’ahu
Other points of interest displayed on the Hawaii wood cribbage boards include Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, and Hilo. Play cribbage on your Hawaiian Islands board to remember your tropical trip.
2. Martha’s Vineyard Cribbage Board
Just seven miles off the Massachusetts coast, you’ll find a radiant retreat at Martha’s Vineyard. This island getaway is popular with the rich and famous, and families, couples, and individuals have found their summer spots at Martha’s Vineyard.
Your Martha’s Vineyard cribbage board would be perfect to hang in your vacation home on the island or to keep around as a memento of a memorable trip there. Because wood cribbage boards make special keepsakes, you could hand this down to future generations as a way to remember special summertime trips to the isle.
The beautiful map shows off the island and special locations such as Katama Bay, Long Point Wildlife Refuge, and Vineyard Haven.
3. Block Island Cribbage Board
With its 17 miles of beautiful beaches, stunning lighthouses, and wonderful wildlife, Block Island is a picturesque paradise for residents and vacationers. The Rhode Island destination provides everything you could want from a delightful island vacation, including restaurants looking out to the ocean and charming shopping options. The trail system on Block Island is a source of pride, and the Block Island Conservancy works to protect the island’s biodiversity.
What better way to remember such a beautiful place than with one of the exquisite Block Island wood cribbage boards that shows off places like the Great Salt Pond, Sachem Pond, and Rodman’s Hollow?
3 Favorite Lake Cribbage Boards
Lake wood maps are inspiring to look at. With the land surrounding the dark wood of the water, these works of art show details of the area’s shoreline, landmarks, and water depths. Especially with the complexity of the shoreline, a lake wood cribbage board is worthy of being displayed at all times.
1. Lake Winnipesaukee Cribbage Board
Lake Winnipesaukee is New Hampshire’s largest lake, covering 72 square miles and providing a vacation destination with something for everyone. The lake has been a destination since the mid-1700s and still offers attractions for nature lovers, fishers, bikers, and more.
The lake’s name comes from a legend of a Native American chief named Wonaton. He saw the sunlight on the water as his daughter rowed away with her husband — whom she had heroically saved, as he was initially an enemy of their tribe. When Chief Wonaton saw the sparkling water, he named the lake Winnipesaukee, meaning “The Smile of the Great Spirit.”
Smiling is just what you’ll do every time you see your Lake Winnipesaukee cribbage board. The wood cribbage boards include details of the sprawling lake, including Mount Major State Forest, Bear Island, and Governors Island.
2. Lake Tahoe Cribbage Board
When it comes to variety, look no further than Lake Tahoe. This freshwater lake boasts beaches, ski resorts, golf courses, spas, and nightlife along the border of California and Nevada.
The Lake Tahoe cribbage board is just as unique as the lake itself. The lake fits right in the middle of the board and is adorned with details like Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, Mount Rose Wilderness, and Eldorado National Forest.
3. The Great Lakes Cribbage Boards
We cannot talk about lakes without making a stop in Michigan. The state is known as the Great Lakes State, with borders along four of the five Great Lakes:
- Lake Erie
- Lake Huron
- Lake Superior
- Lake Michigan
The Great Lakes have a lot to offer vacationers. Plan your trip around late August through September to see the leaves changing, and find stops along each of the Great Lakes for distinct experiences along your journey.
Wood maps of Michigan and its lakes are beautiful works of art, and wood cribbage boards are no exception. A cribbage board of the Great Lakes can be displayed next to wood maps of your favorite lake to visit or form a collection of maps of each lake for a striking display of the region.
3 Wood Cribbage Boards of the Big Cities
Bodies of water are obvious subjects of nautical maps, but islands and lakes aren’t the only locations worth charting. Big cities along the water make intricate wood charts, and owning wood cribbage boards of these areas will make your gameplay much more interesting as you examine the maps’ details.
1. New Orleans Cribbage Board
It’s hard to think about New Orleans without thinking about fun, entertainment, and parties. What could be a better subject for wood cribbage boards? The New Orleans cribbage board will capture your opponent’s attention while you score.
New Orleans is culturally unique with its festivals and celebrations, but it is also geographically unique. Situated right by the Gulf of Mexico with the Mississippi River to the west and Lake Pontchartrain to the north, a map of New Orleans has a lot to look at. And that’s before we add the intricate roadways and landmarks like Alligator Bend and the French Quarter!
2. San Francisco Bay Cribbage Board
San Francisco Bay is a fascinating place to visit and to look at on a map. The lay of the land makes for unique wood cribbage boards that will keep your opponent searching the details for something new.
The Gold Rush led to a population boom in 1848-1849, and San Francisco remains one of the most densely populated cities in the United States today. Yet just outside the city, visitors can see remarkable forests of redwood trees that have been protected for years.
With highlights like Berkeley, Golden Gate Park, and Redwood City, the San Francisco Bay cribbage board encompasses some of the wonders of the region. Following your pegs on the cribbage board track will be easier than climbing the hills of San Francisco, but victory will be just as sweet when you end up on top.
3. Los Angeles to San Diego Cribbage Board
California’s coastline makes for gorgeous wood maps, and the span between Los Angeles and San Diego is 120 miles of beaches, surf, and sun. The cribbage board showcasing Los Angeles to San Diego includes San Juan Capistrano, Santa Monica Bay, the Gulf of Santa Catalina, and Huntington Beach.
Plan a road trip up the coast, stopping in coastal towns along the way. Remember your wood cribbage boards so that you can play with your companions or new friends you meet along the way.
3 European Wood Cribbage Boards
Traveling outside the United States brings new adventures and new maps to explore. European nations and regions make beautiful wood maps, and playing cribbage on a board with one of these maps will remind you of the food, art, music, and experiences you had in Europe.
1. Ireland Cribbage Board
The island of Ireland is home to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. The Emerald Isle is known for its rolling green hills and strong Gaelic culture.
Visiting the island can be a dream trip for people interested in old churches and castles. The history of Ireland is on display throughout the island.
The Ireland cribbage board spotlights important spots such as Dublin, Limerick, and Belfast. And who knows, by using wood cribbage boards made to honor the land, you may be blessed with the luck of the Irish as you play.
2. Italy Cribbage Board
The peninsula nation of Italy is often called “the boot” for its distinctive shape. Another country rich in history and culture, Italy is a tourist destination for people from around the world.
Italy is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea, contributing to its interesting shape. The seas also provide water recreation and exquisite food around the country.
The Italy cribbage board is labeled using the location’s native tongue, including Genova (Genoa), Roma (Rome), and Sardegna (Sardinia). It also includes neighboring countries like Hrvatska (Croatia) and Magyarorszag (Hungary).
3. United Kingdom Cribbage Board
Back to cribbage’s place of origin, the United Kingdom cribbage board is as much a history lesson as it is a piece of art or game board. The wood map distinguishes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, as well as the rest of the Irish isle.
Like on other wood cribbage boards, you’ll be able to locate points of interest like the Celtic Sea, Edinburgh, and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Bring your cribbage board to the pubs in the UK to meet new competitors and wow them with your intricate board. You’ll have the advantage as people get distracted telling you about their hometowns and stomping grounds.
Whether you travel with your cribbage board or keep it at home as a keepsake, you’re bound to stun friends, family, and strangers with your remarkable game piece. Study your map so you’re ready to answer questions, and use your strategy to get to 121.