It’s not hard to get your hands on a Scrabble board, the latest edition of Cranium, or one of the newer specialty versions of Monopoly. But when you want to expand your game night horizons and learn more about the increasingly popular European imports, modern strategy games and other game options outside the mainstream, hit an independent neighborhood game store like these below.

Most, if not all, of these game stores offer these amenities: board game and other themed game nights for drop-in play, sample games on hand to try before you buy, hundreds of games to choose from (if not a thousand or more), and supremely knowledgeable staff who can help steer you to just the right game for your collection. They all stock a broad range of games from classics and party games for the casual game player, to specialty and collectable games for the hard-core game enthusiast.

This is just a sampling. If you have a favorite game store not in this list, let me know about it. And should you be unable to find a game store in your area, many of these stores offer online sales as well.

All Fun & Games
958 US Highway 64
Apex, North Carolina 27523
919-468-6322
Year established: 1999

Blue Highway Games
2203 Queen Anne Avenue North
Seattle, Washington 98109
206-282-0540
Year established: 2007

Critical Hit Games
89 Second Street
Coralville, Iowa 52241
319-338-4263
Year established: 2005

Game Night Games
2030 South 900 East, Suite E
Salt Lake City, Utah 84105
801-467-2400
Year established: 2004

Game Seeker
537 State Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
805-564-6611

GameDaze
Multiple locations
Phoenix area and Tucson, Arizona
800-396-8511
Year established: 1994

Games of Berkeley
2151 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, California 94704
510-540-7822
Year established: 1980

Great Hall of Games
5501 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78751
512-505-0055
Year established: 2000

Myriad Games
8 Stiles Road
Salem, New Hampshire 03079
888-869-7423
Year established: 1999

Rainy Day Games
18105 SW Tualatin Valley Highway
Aloha, Oregon 97006
503-642-4100
Year established: 1998

The Family Game Store
Historic Savage Mill
8600 Foundry Street
Savage, Maryland 20763
888-776-5980
Year established: 2005

The Game Preserve
Multiple locations
Indiana
800-414-2637
Year established: 1980

The Games People Play
1100 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
888-492-0711
Year established: 1974

The Haunted Game Cafe
3307 South College Avenue
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
970-402-2466