Escape The Heat and Cool Off This Summer at These Local Hotspots

HEAT WAVE ALERT! This is the best time of the year if you ask me. We have longed-for these beautiful, sunny days and warm summer nights. Summer is so exciting and gives us a lot to look forward to especially local, outdoor activities. Lately, we’ve been cranking the AC since it’s been hot and humid in the Hudson Valley. I’ve been wondering where I can visit to cool off during the summer besides my friends pools, what about you?!

Back in the day, I was way more creative than I am now. I remember running through sprinklers, spraying each other with hoses and water guns, rockin’ those mini fans around your neck and dipping into the pool for night swims. I miss water balloon fights and slip and slides, we must recreate these moments because they cool ( in general and temperature wise).

There’s tons of ways to cool off this summer and have fun too. For example, even an ice cream trip to even washing your own car to take the edge off.

Be sure to grab those sunnies, throw on sunscreen and get ready to explore local lakes, waterparks, swimming holes and majestic waterfalls.

Thankfully, there’s tons of local places to visit on hot days to escape to heat and experience hidden gems of the Hudson Valley. I’ve got the list for you, check it out!

Public pools

City of Beacon Recreation Department Pool

Beacon

Ulster County Pool

New Paltz

County Pool

New Paltz

Town of Rosendale Swimming Pool

Rosendale

Spratt Park Pool

Poughkeepsie

Natural swimming holes

Peekamoose Blue Hole

Grahamsville

Split Rock

New Paltz

Otter Falls

Catskills

Kaaterskill Creek

Catskills

Stony Kill Falls

Minnewaska State Park

Vernooy Falls

Kerhonkson

State Parks

Bear Mountain

Bear Mountain

Minnewaska

Kerhonkson

Storm King

Cornwall on the Hudson

Hudson Highlands

Cold Spring

Waterparks

Splashdown

Fishkill

Zoom Floom

East Durnham

Rocking Horse Ranch

Highland

The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark

Monticello

Beaches

Greenwood Lake Beach

Warwick

Belleayre Beach

Highmount

James Olly Community Park/Walden beach

Walden

Chadwick lake

Newburgh

Taconic state park

Copake Falls

Harriman state park

Sloatsburg

Croton Point Park

Croton Point Park

Kingston Point Beach

Kingston

Saugerties Village Beach

Saugerties

Ulster Landing County Park

Saugerties

My favorite way to take the edge off and escape the heat of summer is everything listed above along with pedal boating and tubing. Keep in mind that renting boats and kayaks are also great ways to keep cool! Drop a comment below; let me know how you beat the heat or if you have visited this hidden gems before!