Depending on where you live, there is a high chance that summer is the best season. For so many of us, summer will always be steeped in childhood nostalgia. Even when work doesn’t quite stop for three months, summer remains vacation season in my mind, and I find myself looking for any excuse to make the most of the season—getting out of the city for a bit, grabbing a box of popsicles on every visit to the grocery store, and soaking up sun at the beach whenever I can.

Summer Fridays, impromptu ice cream trips, and pool parties are just a few aspects of the season that serve as reminders to slow down, cool off, and prioritize fun. If you’re looking for summer plans, here are ten activities to do solo or with your loved ones this season:

1) Take a class

School may be out for summer, but you can still learn a quick skill. Take a pottery class, a pasta-making class, or even a paint and sip sort of thing. Or, take a dance class and fit a workout in.

2) Go on an ice cream date

One of my favorite things to do over the summer as a kid was to get ice cream late a night. My mom would pack me and my brother in the car and we’d meet up with my best friend, her mom, and her brother—all six of us in our PJs. We’d sit on the trunks of our cars, all eating ice cream. Now as an adult, an impromptu ice cream trip is one of my favorite things to do, regardless of the season. Ice cream trips on summer evenings are something else, though.

3) Take a night drive

Post-ice cream, I’d highly recommend driving somewhere you can properly see the stars: an overlook or the beach maybe. It can also be nice just to drive—windows down, favorite music playing, breeze blowing through your hair.

4) Pack a picnic

What’s nicer than going to the park with friends and packing fruit, sandwiches, and wine? Bonus points if you commute there on bikes and bring books + a Bluetooth speaker.

5) Stop by a food festival or farmer’s market

Check what’s in season, and cook accordingly. Or avoid the heat of the kitchen altogether and find a local food festival. Going from stand to stand and trying to fit in as many different kinds of foods as you can is a great way to spend an afternoon.

6) Find an outdoor movie

Many cities host outdoor movies nights in the summer months. Curl up on the lawn and watch one of your favorite classics (or a film that’s new to you entirely) under the stars. Bring your own snacks.

7) Visit a local museum or library

When it’s hot AF outside, it can be nice to escape to a place where you know there’ll be AC. Local libraries host all sorts of great events, and museums can be great, fascinating places to spend a few hours, too.

8) Go on a road trip

Whether it’s just an hour or two away or a trip spanning several days, getting away for a bit can be the rest from routine you need. Are you camping? In search of a new bookstore to explore? Just trying to find a really good cocktail at a bar you’ve never visited? The world is your oyster. 

9) Have your very own movie marathon

When it was hot as hell over the summer, my best friend and I used to kill a few hours going from one movie to the next in the theater, usually maxing out at three films back-to-back. Was it excessive? Yes. Indulgent? For sure. But that’s what summer feels like to me—doing things because they’re fun and because you can; focusing on being lazy and happy rather than productive. 

10) Soak up some sun

Vitamin D is good for the soul, folks. Spend a day at the beach, hiking, or going horseback riding.

Virali Dave

Virali Dave is a writer in Los Angeles. Born in Mumbai, she has always considered the west coast to be the best coast. She can be found chronicling encounters with burritos on Instagram @virali and on Twitter @viralidave.