60 days of summer

Arts/Life

Posted By MAIA FILAR, SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY

Posted 1 month ago

Baby, it's hot out there.

As Canadians, we wait with bated breath for the seasons to change. And hallelujah -- summer is officially upon us!

While skiing and snowmen are a definite upside to those dreary winter months, summer is that one time of year where the family can get together and make the most of that lovely sunshine and time off.

1. Skip the massive air-conditioned theatres and hit the drive-in. You can watch a movie under the stars and enjoy the fresh air. Visit driveinmovie.com/Canadato find one near you.

2 Make the park your gym. Convince your booty camp instructor to get creative and try out those monkey bars you excelled at as a kid.

3 Nothing screams summer like s'mores, so make the graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate treat over the BBQ or stove, or find a restaurant near you that serves it for dessert -- Characters in Edmonton, Murray Street in Ottawa and Harbour Sixty Steakhouse in Toronto all provide this gooey option.

4. Hit up a ski resort, like Mont Tremblant or Lake Louise, which are teeming with summer activities like waterparks, golf and spa treatments, but not lineups.

5 Act like a kid heading off to sleepover camp and stay at Toronto's Drake Hotel. Camp Drake offers a packed gourmet picnic lunch and two cruiser bikes or Tuesday's cheap movie night, where for $5 you get admission, a sloppy joe, a beer and popcorn.

6 Party like it's 1999 and buy yourself tickets to Lilith Fair, the Sarah McLachlan-founded all-female music festival. Though plagued by some dropouts, as of now it's set to go in all of its feminine glory.

7. Missed out on that wholeLostphenomenon? Rainy days (or sunny ones when you're feeling lazy), get caught up with a TV show that totally passed you by. Suggestions:Mad Men, The Wire, Band of Brothers, Friday Night Lights.

8 Next week, from July 16 to 18th, Yellowknife, N.W.T., hosts the 30th anniversary of Folk on the Rocks, the now-famed festival that this year features Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Basia Bulat, Buffy Sainte-Marie and many others. If you've been looking for a excuse to visit Canada's north, you may have just found it.

9 To celebrate 100 years of existence, Girl Guides of Canada is hosting a 10-day "Guiding Mosaic" camp for 2,300 girls from Canada and around the world at Guelph Lake Conservation from July 8-17th. Self-esteem and leadership workshops are rounded out with activities that include yoga, sports, rock climbing, zip-lining -and veterinarian workshops at the University of Guelph. Find more information at girlguides.ca.

10 "TV sucks, ride your bike." Those harsh words are the motto of the Bloomfield Bicycle Company, located in Ontario's Prince Edward County. Take their advice and participate in a club ride or take a tour of the surrounding area.

11 Grab your towel and hit a public pool. Seriously. It's a lot more fun than you remember.

12. Vancouver Urban Spaces Initiative likes to throw a good dance party. This not-for-profit is committed to utilizing unexpected spaces to showcase music and art. Drink, dance and eat all day long on July 24th and 31st's "Courtyard Special", and August 15th's "New Brighton Special".

13 Charlottetown, P.E.I., might be mistaken for Broadway during its annual summer musical theatre festival, running this year from June 17 to Sept. 25. Catch hot shows in this charming town.

14 Take this break from the young ones to act like a university student on summer vacation by making a vodka watermelon. Cut a hole in your watermelon and fill it with as much vodka as will fit until is absorbs, wait a day, and do it again until your bottle is all gone. Serve to a responsible number of people and let the giggles begin.

15. While the kids are at camp, act like you are too and head to Manitoba, where they take their fishing seriously. Catch some monsters in one of the 100,000 lakes, or get competitive with the Master Angler Program for the really, really big fish.

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