National Game and Puzzle Week is just around the corner, from November 20 to 26. What better way to celebrate than discovering a new tabletop game to play with friends and family? Whether you’re looking for cooperative, strategy, or party games, Northern Virginia and DC are full of open gaming spaces and board game events. Check out these 17 gaming locations across the region.
Gaming Stores and Game-Friendly Restaurants
The Board Room
This game bar and brewery offers unlimited gaming for a $2 fee during the weekends with a robust food menu and award-winning beers. The bar’s board game library has games for every age from every era, and hosts special events like trivia, bingo, and themed game nights. 925 N. Garfield St., Arlington; 1737 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Creative Pursuit Games, Inc.
Inside this paintball shop and gaming center, there are tons of board and card games for sale. The back of the store has several gaming tables for guests to play with friends, family, and neighbors. Different nights of the week are themed around different games, like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Mondays, Warmachine Wednesdays, and Board Game Night Thursdays. 29 Catoctin Cir. NE, Leesburg
Crossroads Tabletop Tavern
Stop by on Sundays for open gaming night, Tuesdays for advanced strategy games, Thursdays for strategy games, and Fridays for card games at this gaming center, bar, and restaurant. The restaurant also offers different food specials throughout the week, like the Two-Player Tuesday deal of an appetizer, two drinks, two entrées, and a dessert for $55. 9412 Main St., Manassas
Curio Cavern
With tables for free gaming, this store is a great spot to meet new friends and try out games. Each location hosts different events, like Star Wars: Unlimited and Pokémon Trading Card Game weekly tournaments. Multiple area locations
Hashtag Gaming Arena
Inside this gaming center and store is a large selection of board, card, roleplay, and strategy games to browse. The center also hosts casual and competitive gaming events throughout the year, highlighting games like Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and Pokémon. Every Thursday is board game night, where guests can play games from the store library with 10 percent off of food and beverages. 13320 Franklin Farm Rd., Herndon
Huzzah Hobbies
This Loudoun County tabletop gaming venue hosts daily open gaming by reservation with a large selection of in-store games available to use for free. The venue also hosts monthly gaming tournaments, designated gaming nights, and leagues for games like MTG, D&D, Warhammer, and more. 44927 George Washington Blvd. Ste. 165, Ashburn
Labyrinth Games & Puzzles
Register for weekly events for games like MTG, mahjong, Star Wars: Unlimited, and more at this puzzle and game shop. Stop by on Thursdays for open gaming night before browsing hundreds of games, trading cards, and puzzles to bring home. 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC
Paradise Games & Gifts
This gift and gaming shop hosts two board game events a week, along with weekly trading card games and special championship events. Guests can also browse the games and gifts for sale and bring MTG cards for the store’s buy-back program. 10385 Main St., Fairfax
The Parlor Games
Alexandria’s mobile gaming library brings over 200 games to pop-up events at local businesses around the Northern Virginia area. The game collection includes classics like Battleship, UNO, Risk, Scrabble, and Taboo as well as new favorites like What Do You Meme, Codenames, and Illimat. Check the schedule online to find upcoming events. Multiple area locations
Victory Comics
For gaming and comic fans alike, the two locations of this shop offer new comics, trade paperbacks, action figures, board, card, and roleplaying games, and more. The store hosts themed events throughout the week like a Saturday hobby and crafting night, ladies’ nights, and organized game play with games like HeroClix, MTG, Warhammer, and more. Multiple area locations
Libraries
Alexandria Library
In Alexandria, Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library hosts a board game café on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month with open gameplay from the library’s collection of games. The Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library partners with Parlor Games for a pop-up Board Game Bliss event. Several locations, including the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library and the James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library, host D&D events for teens and adults. Multiple area locations
Arlington Public Library
Different libraries across Arlington County host several board game events each month at locations like Aurora Hills Library, Glencarlyn Library, Cherrydale Library, and Shirlington Library. The events include board game evening events, tabletop gaming afternoons, family board game evening events, and D&D one shot events for different age groups. Multiple area locations
Fairfax Library
Several Fairfax public libraries host both virtual and in-person D&D game nights, including the Chantilly Regional Library and the Sherwood Regional Library. The Dulles Area Board Gaming Group also meets regularly at Herndon Fortnightly Library for strategy game nights with “Eurogame” and “Ameritrash” style games. Multiple area locations
Fauquier Public Library
A county-wide event called Beat Your Boredom with Board Games will take place at John Marshall Branch Library, Bealeton Branch Library, and Warrenton Central Library from November 17 to 29. It’s intended for school-aged children and their families to celebrate National Game and Puzzle week. Multiple area locations
Loudoun County Public Library
Across the county, several libraries are hosting D&D gaming sessions for different age groups at different skill levels. The county also hosts regularly scheduled mahjong events for anyone to drop in and learn to play. Multiple area locations
Mary Riley Styles Public Library
This Falls Church public library hosts several gaming events like board game Sundays for adults, which takes place the first Sunday of each month and allows visitors to check out and play various tabletop games in the library’s inventory. The library will also host a library game room event on November 29 with board games, card games, checkers, chess, jigsaw puzzles, and more. 120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church
Prince William Public Libraries
Several county libraries host D&D events for different age groups and skill levels, both online and in-person. There are also several open gaming events like board game afternoon and family funday at locations like Haymarket Gainesville Library and Central Library. Multiple area locations
Feature image courtesy Huzzah Hobbies
