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.

Editor’s Note: When work becomes play

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Cottage Life

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Your Letters: The word around town

Cottage Q&A: Salt for cooking; bird-window collision solutions; extra rental insurance; a grill that won’t light; claiming separate principal residences

Get to work… • There’s always stuff to get done at the lake…and we don’t mind one bit

Workshop • ATVs and UTVs aren’t just here for a good time. They’re ready to work too. But which one is for you?

For work around the cottage, consider a UTV or an ATV

How to stitch heavy-duty repairs

Solutions: Weatherproof receptacle covers

Fix a busted zipper

You can reuse desiccant packs

Six tips for great grouting

How to get community buy-in on environmental issues at the lake • Getting community buy-in—especially on environmental issues—can feel impossible. But you can shift the conversation with a bit of psychology and a whole lot of listening

This historic Georgian Bay gem is a gathering place, a writer’s retreat, and a hallmark of cottage design • This historic Georgian Bay gem performs multiple jobs—it’s a gathering place, a writer’s retreat, and a hallmark of cottage design

Cottage-country creatures are among the hardest workers in the nature biz • Cottage-country creatures are among the hardest workers in the nature biz. Here’s why these 12 deserve way more job accolades

Our playground is their office. Meet a few of the pros who make cottage country work for us • Our playground is their office. Meet a few of the first-class professionals who make cottage country work for us

Time to play! • Now that your chores are done (or not), it’s time to relax, cottage style…

Waterfront • “Where’s the ball? I gotta get that ball! The ball, the ball, the ball!” For more adorbs cottage pups, see p. 64.

Do you have any of these toys or games in your games cupboard? • Do you haveany of these toysor games in your cottage boardgame cupboard? No, you don’t. Because we made them up. Sort of. (Patents pending.)

Reporter: Fine time, clone cloud & centre in the wings

You’ll want to cast away your other fire-starters after reading this

These ladies really love to quilt

Why we need more wildlife overpasses

Meet a technicolour bug

A new cottage cookbook

Who wore it better? • Harley did! We love how the lime green of her doggy lifejacket brings out her eyes. (Oh, fine. Roku looks great too.)

As long as you don’t mind being out in the elements, a centre-console boat may be right for you • As long as you don’t mind being out in the elements, a centre-console boat can get you to the cottage and maximize fun on the water. Here’s how to decide if one is right for you

Pickleball is taking over cottage country. Here’s how to get in on the action • At the Helliwell cottage—and all over cottage country—pickleball is serving up hours of fun. Here’s how to get in on the action

Grill Guide 2025: Make your barbecue work harder so that you can have a grand time • The person on your deck right now, using the grill for every meal and claiming it’s hard work… is actually having a grand time. It’s the barbecue that’s the real workhorse. We knew it all along.

The hoary elfin is one of our smallest butterflies, but it’s also one of the bravest • The hoary elfin may be one of our littlest...