The heatwaves this summer have been brutal! If you’re looking for ways to stay cool without being trapped inside all day, there are plenty of activities in Northern Virginia, DC, and nearby that combine summer fun with heat relief. Here are 25 ways you can stay cool this summer.
Make a Splash
1) Delight the kids with a sprayground trip.
Cool off with the little ones at NoVA spraygrounds like Our Special Harbor, a fully accessible and free Chesapeake Bay–themed facility in Franconia Park. The 10,000-square-foot splash pad at Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park in Aldie is a fun option too, featuring a water-squirting spider, water cannons, and a bucket drop.
2) Take the family to a water park.
Let the kids burn off energy on slides, splash pads, and activity pools. Purchase by session or invest in an individual annual water pass to get unlimited access to all five NOVA Parks water parks. New this year at Alexandria’s Great Waves Waterpark, you can rent a semi-private cabana for some shade while taking breaks from the 17,500-square-foot undulating wave pool.
3) Paddle a kayak in the moonlight.
Fairfax County Park Authority hosts evening paddles throughout the summer for a peaceful time in nature. The August 9 event at Riverbend Park even coincides with the full moon.
4) Swim in a luxury hotel’s pool.
No time to get away? Purchase a pool pass for the day at a high-end NoVA hotel via ResortPass. A pass at the Goodstone Inn gives you access to the outdoor heated saltwater pool, hot tub, and showers, plus poolside dining service. Indoor pool passes are available at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner for both adults and kids. And passes at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner include a glass of sparkling wine and sauna access.
Indulge in a Soothing Spa Treatment
5) Get a cooling facial.
Salamander Middleburg’s cooling caviar lime facial includes super berries, snow algae, and caviar lime fruit pearls to treat sun-kissed skin. At Mountcastle Medical Spa and Laser Center in Ashburn, a Fire & Ice facial invigorates the skin with a blend of warming and cooling masks.
6) Chill out with cryotherapy.
Sink into a cold plunge pool at Chantilly’s King Spa, where a day pass gives you leisurely access to cooling treatments. The ice room was designed for full-body cryotherapy, while a cold plunge pool can reduce muscle inflammation and improve circulation, particularly when used after a sauna session.
Embrace your Inner Bookworm
7) Join a silent book club.
With this growing trend, also known as “reading parties,” you can gather for an hour with new friends to read in a café, library, bookstore, brewery, or other public place. Search for your local chapter at silentbook.club or find groups on Eventbrite or social media channels.
8) Start writing your novel.
Enroll in an inspiring Zoom class or workshop from The Writer’s Center and learn tricks of the trade from the comfort of your air-conditioned home. August topics include how to begin, perfecting and publishing your fiction, and writing characters that stick.
9) Meet your favorite authors at the National Book Festival.
The free, all-day September 6 event is entirely indoors at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC. Follow the “Bookmarked” blog at loc.gov for updates on headliners, signings, author talks, and more.
10) Eat novel-inspired ice cream.
Alexandria’s Old Town Books launched Fabled Ice Cream this summer, an ice cream cart with small-batch flavors inspired by literature. Order from “the classics” (vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry) and follow @fabledicecream on Instagram for more details on pop-ups and new flavors.
11) Explore new bookstores.
Get in touch with your mystical side at The Dark, Unbound, a Falls Church bookstore focusing on science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror that’s slated to open this summer. Dog lovers can head to Tales & Tails in Fredericksburg for treats for you and your pup. And romance readers, check out the new permanent location of Friends to Lovers in Old Town Alexandria and fall in love with its spacious setup.
Get Crafty
12) Sharpen your woodworking skills.
Sign up for a “Make and Take” class at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware in Fairfax. Hands-on sessions are designed for all skill levels and include materials. Create a custom charcuterie board, wooden pen, or decorative box.
13) Paint your own pottery.
Sign up for a workshop at area studios like CIY Pottery in Ashburn, where options include making matching ice cream bowls or a square pitcher. At Vienna’s Kiln & Custard, you can walk in any time to paint your own pottery and treat yourself to all-natural frozen custard.
14) Create a custom candle.
Pour your own signature scent at District Candle Lab in the Mosaic District, Paddywax Candle Bar in Reston, or Lumière Candle Studio in Alexandria. Skilled artisans will take you through the process, from selecting oil blends to setting the hot wax.
15) Design an artisanal chocolate bar.
Bring the brood to a “Bean-to-Bar for Kids!” experience at River-Sea Chocolates in Chantilly for an insider look at the chocolate-making process. Or try a chocolate bar–making class and decorate your own milk chocolate creation with natural ingredients including rose petals, coconut flakes, nuts, and fruit.
16) Customize your lipstick.
Venture to Lip Lab at The Wharf and create a cruelty-free vegan lipstick or lip gloss that matches your beauty preferences perfectly. Color experts will guide you in creating the color, scent, formula, and engraving.
Take a Convenient Coolcation
17) Go underground.
Take the fam spelunking at natural wonders like Luray Caverns and Shenandoah Caverns, both typically less than two hours by car from NoVA. The caverns remain 54 to 56 degrees year-round, making for a cool day exploring dramatic stalactites, reflecting pools, and cathedral-sized chambers.
18) Catch a lake breeze.
Drive about three hours to western Maryland for refreshing breezes at Deep Creek Lake, where you can rent a pontoon boat or go paddleboarding. Plus, family-friendly Deep Creek Lake State Park has waterfalls with swimming areas and a sandy beach. Rent a cabin for a vacation without the ocean crowds.
19) Chase the mountain air.
Head to nearby national parks with higher elevation and lush, shaded trails. In Shenandoah National Park, temperatures often dip 10 degrees cooler than in NoVA. Take a picnic to Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where fern-covered trails provide shady hiking opportunities.
Sip a Refreshing Drink
20) Order a boozy slushie.
It’s the season of slushies, and NoVA has them for wine, beer, and spirits enthusiasts. Go to The Wine House in Fairfax for frozen rosé on the patio or try a wine slushie with your favorite pizza at Quattro Goombas in Aldie. Adroit Theory Brewing Company in Purcellville has a rotating selection of beer slushies, and 2 Silos Brewing Co. in Manassas has several slushies, including a nonalcoholic option.
21) Try an agua fresca.
These traditional Mexican drinks are a delicious way to cool off. Head to a Taco Bamba (there are multiple area locations) for a creamy, cinnamony horchata — an agua fresca with grains and nuts instead of fruit as its base — and some tacos. Or get fruity aguas frescas like tamarind or pineapple at spots including Los Chamacos in Arlington.
22) Savor fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Nothing says summer like lemonade from a local farm stand or market. Cox Farms in Centreville makes it fresh daily. Uncle Kebba’s Lemonade, a made-to-order option that also comes in limeade and orangeade, pops up at weekly markets in Arlington’s Met Park on Tuesdays and Saturdays, plus Dulles, Dale City, and Brambleton on Sundays. (Details can be found @unclekebbas on Instagram.)
Snag a Sweet Treat
23) Dig into some Dole Whip.
Carousel Frozen Treats in Warrenton is one of the few local spots with the dairy-free, pineapple-flavored soft serve on its menu. Get the original, a pineapple/vanilla twist, or a Dole Whip float with pineapple juice.
24) Get a shave-ice dessert.
Get a taste of Korean culture and cuisine at Soricha Korean Tea & Theater in Annandale when you order the injeolmi-redbean bingsoo, an authentic shaved ice dessert with sweet and savory toppings. The bingsoo at Breeze Bakery Café, also in Annandale, is called “snow” and comes in combinations like wildberry yogurt and housemade green tea gelato. Nathan’s Dairy Bar in Manassas has a selection of shaved ice in addition to its signature soft serve.
25) Cool down with an ice cream taco.
At Sweet Rolled Tacos in Centreville, elaborate hand-rolled ice cream confections come tucked into colorful tacos. Try the Yammie, with ube ice cream, whipped cream, and white chocolate Pocky in a blue taco. Or try the kid-friendly Monster’s Inc., an ice cream topped with chocolate chip cookies, chocolate drizzle, and whipped cream in a red taco.
Feature image of Great Waves Waterpark courtesy NoVA Parks
This story originally ran in our August Issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
