Nothing says summer like sunshine and warm temperatures. Are you chilling with backyard barbeques and bonfires? Or are you fired up about fireworks and flip-flops?

Yes, please to all the above. Here’s the scoop (ice cream optional) on all your summertime favorites during the 15 weeks of fun from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Beach Party
Sand between your toes, a sunbaked towel nearby and a walk along a stretch of the shoreline. Accept no substitute. The true beachcomber will find fulfillment lake side or ocean side, and if things get desperate, a pond with a sandy spot will have to do. Cast aside the landlubbers, the siren song of waves on the water speaks most to you.

Float On 
Not afraid to go it alone, you're the master of your watery domain. Solitude and serenity can both be had when you navigate choppy waters or drift silently with the relaxing sounds of a flowing stream. Teaming up with a co-captain adds to the adventures and offers extra muscle to help haul your vessel to shore.

The Great Outdoors 
Who needs civilization when you can live off the land? Roll out the sleeping bags turn your eyes to the night sky for stargazing and dream making. The call of the wild is one you’ll happily answer from the back of an RV or little cabin in the woods. The bond with nature keeps you feeling recharged and ready to take on whatever Mother Nature brings your way – as long as you have mosquito repellent.

Can You Dig It?
People come from miles around to see your impressive and colorful flowerbeds. Your tomatoes are coveted as the juiciest in the county, and you’ve somehow managed to fend off the pack of hungry bunnies that have plundered all the neighbors’ gardens. You’re the envy of the block with your velvety green lawn. What’s your secret? Is it your green thumb, your heirloom plants, or the amount of work you lovingly pour into your yard and garden?

Fore!
Just as scores of golfers who have swung clubs before you, you dream of the nearly mythical places like Pebble Beach, Augusta and the hallowed greens of St. Andrews. With those in mind, you put on your spikes, don your cap and dust off your clubs as you make your 18-hole sojourn. Whether you walk or drive a cart, your time on the course is an outdoor escape from your daily routine.

Gardening, beaches, camping, kayaking and golf, these are just a few fab favorite seasonal things to do during the lazy days of summer.

So tell us: It’s not summer until you do what? What do you love to do to make your summer even more “sun” sational?

Originally published 6/6/2017; Revised 2019, 2022