We’ve reached the dog days of summer. The time of year when your A/C is clinging on for dear life. When no amount of ice water is enough. When the mosquitoes are on the attack (OK, I’m talking about my own summer). So what do you do to beat the heat? Fortunately in the Great Lakes State, we’re surrounded by some amazing bodies of water to turn to when we need that relief. Here, we’ve identified a few other options to keep you to cool off.

  1. Tahquamenon Falls

“Tahquamenon falls upper” by Attila Nagy (anagy) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons Really, there’s nothing like catching that cool, misty breeze when you’re standing next to a waterfall.

  1. Go to the movies

Emagine Theatres Your A/C at home needs a break. Why not check out a summer blockbuster in the coolness of a movie theater? Pictured here: Emagine Theatres in Royal Oak.

  1. Visit a Great Lake

“Miners Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore” by Charles Dawley from Petoskey. Cropped and color-corrected 2008-07-29 by Daniel Case - Miners Castle - Pictured Rocks National Park. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons We’ve got a few to choose from.. Like here, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior Up North.

  1. Or Lake Michigan

“Lake Michigan and the beach, Harbert, Michigan” by John Menard from Phoenix, USA - Clouds and light reflecting on Lake Michigan and the beachUploaded by PDTillman. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Home to some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world.

  1. And, of course Lake Huron

“Lake-huron-ipperwash-beach” by Original uploader was Msoccer29 at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Giggy using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

  1. Go wading in the Platte River

“Plattemich” by Nationalparks - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons By tube, by kayak or by doggy-paddle, this is a great way to refresh.

  1. Splurge on a luxurious resort stay.

bedandbreakfast.com Pictured here: Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast in South Haven.

  1. Go enjoy a cold one at one of our many famous craft breweries.

Flickr Like Founders in Grand Rapids

  1. Pile the kids in the car and take them to a water park

Facebook Adventure Island in Cadillac is one such option.

  1. Pack a picnic and eat al fresco

www.dnr.state.mi.us How about a place like Bewabic State Park in Crystal Falls?

  1. Or indulge in an icy, creamy cone from one of your favorite parlors

Yelp For that old-fashioned ice cream shop nostalgia, Jones Homemade Ice Cream in downtown Baldwin, opened in 1942, is where it’s at.

These are some of our favorite ways to take down the temperature a bit during the summer. What are yours?

“Tahquamenon falls upper” by Attila Nagy (anagy) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

Really, there’s nothing like catching that cool, misty breeze when you’re standing next to a waterfall.

Emagine Theatres

Your A/C at home needs a break. Why not check out a summer blockbuster in the coolness of a movie theater? Pictured here: Emagine Theatres in Royal Oak.

“Miners Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore” by Charles Dawley from Petoskey. Cropped and color-corrected 2008-07-29 by Daniel Case - Miners Castle - Pictured Rocks National Park. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve got a few to choose from.. Like here, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior Up North.

“Lake Michigan and the beach, Harbert, Michigan” by John Menard from Phoenix, USA - Clouds and light reflecting on Lake Michigan and the beachUploaded by PDTillman. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Home to some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world.

“Lake-huron-ipperwash-beach” by Original uploader was Msoccer29 at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Giggy using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

“Plattemich” by Nationalparks - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

By tube, by kayak or by doggy-paddle, this is a great way to refresh.

bedandbreakfast.com

Pictured here: Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast in South Haven.

Flickr

Like Founders in Grand Rapids

Facebook

Adventure Island in Cadillac is one such option.

www.dnr.state.mi.us

How about a place like Bewabic State Park in Crystal Falls?

Yelp

For that old-fashioned ice cream shop nostalgia, Jones Homemade Ice Cream in downtown Baldwin, opened in 1942, is where it’s at.

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