Cottage Life

The go-to source for cottagers, the award-winning Cottage Life offers valuable advice as well as profiles, how-to articles, recipes, essays, issues pieces, and lifestyle stories that help readers look after their cottages, entertain guests and, of course, kick back and have fun.

S'more stuff • How you can read, watch, stream, share, and visit—Cottage Life is everywhere!

Cottage Life

Contributors

Don't sweat entertaining at the cottage

Your letters

Waterfront • Grab your floaty, sunglasses, and flip-flops, and dive right in! (We mean read.)

Cottage tree signs • “Looking for something to do at the cottage is as easy as one, two, tree,” says Wollaston Lake, Ont., cottager Victoria Pusiak.

Book review: Every Summer After

Ask the Magic 8 Ball what the summer holds • WHAT DOES THE summer of entertaining hold for you this year? We asked the famed psychic some common host questions.*

Insects you should or shouldn't squash • Stop the knee-jerk reaction! These are the creepy crawlies that you don’t want to squish. Here’s why:

Fruit mouse deterrent; Rondeau cottagers in limbo, and wildfire prevention with cows

A pandemic puzzle business

Find out about the Indigenous land your cottage is on

Fun fact about the inventor of the Caesar cocktail

An estate sale bargain

Workshop • Much like any 007 movie, this section features very high bond strength.

How to craft a butterfly bowtie

Why you need epoxy in your cottage toolkit

A simple hack for fixing a cane chair

Should I use pressure-treated wood for my tinny?

The right way to store your power cords

How to fix that annoying door hinge

Tip for cutting a round pipe

Why you should consider an electric vehicle for the cottage • Think EVs won’t work for your weekend drive? Think again

What should I do if I hate board games and my family loves them? • So you’re not a fan of Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, or anything else in the old cottage cupboard. Change the game, says Zim

Why do I get brain freeze from eating ice cream; portable sauna rules, and attracting bees

Reasons to consider a green roof for your cottage • Consider these innovative options for a greener cottage lid

A 1950s relic gets a retro upgrade • Inspired by her family history on the lake and years of collecting, this cottager gave a ’50s relic a retro-meets-modern restoration

Take a peek at our features in this issue

Four indulgent dishes to enjoy at the lake • These four totally indulgent dishes are mind-blowingly delicious

An epic volleyball tournament in cottage country • Each year, John Hogue hosts an epic volleyball tournament on Cordova Lake. 24 guys, 17 games, two days, and 15 years of history. This is the Cordova Cup

Simple cottage games that require little equipment • Have a bucket? Plastic cups? Or even an empty tissue box? You don't need much to play these simple (and silly) games that’ll crack up your cottage crew

The complicated history of feathers • Lightweight but flexible, strong while beautiful, history-making and meaningful—feathers are so much more than a bird’s costume

Look for this show-stopping flower in cottage country • The show-stopping cardinal flower counts on a cottage-country bird for pollination after summer sets in

A unique guest book idea