Utah’s Bryce Canyon: Play board games around the clock at BryceCon

Gaming is coming to southern Utah, but it’s not what you think. BryceCon 2015, a board game convention, is set to debut this month at a hotel near Bryce Canyon National Park.

What does the park have to do with playing board games? Nothing really, except it’s a great place to explore in winter when you’re not facing down opponents at the game tables.

BryceCon is billed as a family event in which participants can play card games, role-playing games and board games, from classics to new releases, according to a statement from organizers. It’s also to feature vendors who’ll be displaying new games that haven’t yet been released.

Anyone ready for a little digital detox from Angry Birds or Temple Run can switch to games such as the train-themed Ticket to Ride, Dominion or 150 others that will be available during the event.

BryceCon has to be one of the most inexpensive conventions around. Admission is $30 for adults and $20 for children.

Game-playing spaces will be available 24 hours a day starting at 4 p.m. Jan. 16 and continuing until 11 a.m. Jan. 19.

It to be held at Ruby’s Inn, a hotel outside the park in Bryce Canyon City that’s been around since 1916. Rooms for gamers start at $45 a night at Ruby’s Inn and $65 a night at the nearby Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel.

An added perk: You can visit the park for free on Jan. 19, when fees are waived in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Info: BryceCon and Ruby’s Inn, (866) 866-6616