Hello to all the Sweaty Bettys and Glistening Garys out there (ie, all of us). We’ve reached the point in the summer where even the most ardent of heat lovers are starting to feel the burn. I wish we could say we’re in the home stretch, but, well, then I’d be a liar, liar, pants on fire, which would make me even hotter.

The inferno-like weather will likely be with us for a hot minute (see what I did there?), so let’s dig into some ways to cool down that don’t involve moving to Alaska.

🍨 Grab your spoons and get in, we’re going ice cream-ing. From intown spots like Big Softie in Summerhill and Scoops @ Peachtree in downtown Atlanta to OTP gems including Juke N Jive Creamery in Cumming, frozen sweet treats await (I have my eye on that Dubai chocolate ice cream, but I don’t discriminate).

🏊‍♀️ Channel your inner Michael Phelps — or, no judgement, your inner Eric “The Eel” Moussambani, who learned to swim just a few months before he competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics — at swimming pools and water parks around metro Atlanta. Head to Buccaneer Cove in Norcross for your chance to shoot water cannons and splash down on more than 1,000 feet of water slides.

🎃 If ice cream and cold water don’t do the trick, try visualizing yourself in cooler temps by embracing Summerween, a mashup of summer and Halloween that leans into spooky season with events, products and activities that might scare you into thinking it’s cooler out than it is. You didn’t realize you needed a pink iridescent ghost figure to put on you tabletop in the middle of July, did ya?

No matter how you do it, keep cool and carry on!

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