Afternoon · 8 ideas · easiest first
Too hot to be outside
On a day over 95°F the only question is which cold building to be in until the sun drops. Malls, movie theaters, aquariums, museums, planetariums and pools are all built for this. The list is ordered by temperature, coldest first. The last two are for the hour after sunset, when the city comes back outside.
The aquarium
A dark, cold building full of slow things. The right answer to rain or a 100°F afternoon.
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons; weekends are school groups
- Cheaper
- Evening hours, where offered, are cheaper and quieter. Memberships pay off at two visits.
- Skip it if
- You're on a tight budget. It's the priciest thing on this page.
- Bring
- A sweater. Aquariums are kept cold for the tanks.
A planetarium show
Reclined seats, a dark dome, a calm voice explaining the sky. The best forty minutes of a hot afternoon.
- Best when
- Afternoon shows, any season; evening laser shows on weekends
- Cheaper
- Often included with science museum admission, which itself has a free day.
- Skip it if
- You fall asleep in dark rooms. You will.
- Bring
- A sweater. Domes are kept cold.
Weekday matinee
A half-empty theater, a cheap ticket, and you're back outside by 4 pm.
- Best when
- Weekdays before 4 pm
- Cheaper
- Discount Tuesday at most chains drops tickets to $6–8 all day.
- Skip it if
- You want to talk to someone. You'll be shushed.
- Bring
- A coffee. Concessions are where the money goes.
The mall, for the air conditioning
On a 100°F day the mall is a free, cold, indoor walk with a food court at the end. Don't overthink it.
- Cost
- Free to $15
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons in a heat wave
- Cheaper
- Walk the loop, skip the stores, eat from the cheapest counter.
- Skip it if
- You're going to buy things to justify being there. You don't have to.
- Bring
- A light layer. Mall AC is set for people in motion.
Lap swim at the public pool
Forty minutes of water and no phone. Fixes a hangover, a heat wave, or a mood that wouldn't move.
- Best when
- Early morning lap hours or lunchtime
- Cheaper
- City pools often have a free hour or a resident rate. Rec centers sell ten-swim punch cards.
- Skip it if
- You can't swim a length. Try water walking in the shallow lane instead; it counts.
- Bring
- Goggles, a lock, flip-flops.
One wing of the art museum
An hour with one collection, a bench in front of one painting, and out before your feet hurt.
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons or the free evening
- Cheaper
- Nearly every big museum has a free day or evening monthly. Libraries lend passes too.
- Skip it if
- You're going to try to see all of it. Don't.
- Bring
- Nothing. Bags get checked anyway.
Find the sunset spot
Every town has one: a hill, a bridge, a parking garage roof, a pier. Be there twenty minutes before.
- Best when
- Twenty minutes before sunset, which your phone knows
- Cheaper
- Free. Bring a drink in a cup if the rules allow it.
- Skip it if
- It's overcast. Check the sky at 5 pm.
- Bring
- A jacket. It gets cold fast once the sun's down.
A flight at a brewery taproom
Four small beers, a long table, dogs under it, and a food truck outside. Low stakes.
- Cost
- $12–18 for a flight
- Best when
- Weekday evenings or weekend afternoons
- Cheaper
- Taprooms pour their own beer $2–3 cheaper than bars serving the same thing.
- Skip it if
- You don't like beer. Most taprooms have one cider and one wine, and that's it.
- Bring
- Cash for the food truck. Some are card-only, some the opposite.