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With 30 days of summer left, I’m starting to feel like I’m running out of time to experience all the summer stuff I love. But I feel like this every year. Summer in Oregon is pretty much the best thing ever. So in making the best use of our thirteen official weeks of summer, here’s my list of things to do before summer ends.
My summer list is a little Portland-centric, so feel free to replace things with your local, summer fun time places and things.
Things to Do Before Summer Ends:
I’m bolding the stuff I still want to check off!
- Go berry picking – do trailside blackberries count?
- Go to Sauvie Island
- Camp in the backyard
- Do a backyard campfire – s’mores
- Invite people over for BBQ/picnic – (informal house warming)
- Picnic at the park – done, a fancy picnic would also be fun
- Go tubing / river float the Sandy
- Day trip to the coast – Oswald West!
- Go to the river – swam at the Clackamas River
- Go kayaking or SUP camping – kayak camped on the Willamette River and kayaked on 4th of July
- Swim every chance I get!
- Have a big day of biking – birthday bike ride surprise! Pedalpalooza!
- Mani/pedis – post-half marathon!
- Wear all my summer dresses and clothes
- Go out to breakfast on a weekday
- Stay out late and have cocktails
- Wear heels for a night out – this can happen after my half marathon!
- Buy new sunnies
- Road trip! – to Seattle (ferry to Victoria), and to Vancouver for SeaWheeze
- Make morning mimosas or simple syrup cocktail
- Go on a boat!
- Drink rose – reminds me of southern France
- Go to a neighborhood street fair – Last Thursday, Mississippi Street Fair
- Go to a Beer Fest – or maybe Fresh Hop end of summer!
- Visit every ice cream shop in Portland – my favorite is Ruby Jewel and Fifty Licks (no, not Salt & Straw, but they’re delicious too). Also: What’s the Scoop? Cool Moon, and Cloud City.
- Go to patios or rooftops in PDX that I haven’t visited yet – Salty’s on the Columbia
- Eat outside as much as possible – use my outdoor dining space!
- Day trip to Hood River or wine country – did the valley fruit loop, I’d still like to do another summer Hood River visit or biking in wine country!
- play in the ocean – Kailua, Hawaii! and Oregon coast
- Declare my own summer song – Capital Cities – Safe and Sound has been on repeat.
- Make tasty water like the hotel in Victoria, just because – mint water! blueberry mint water!
- Smoothie making – try/invent a few new recipes
- SUP on an Oregon lake (Standup paddle boarding, duh)
- Wear a sundress more often
- Bike everywhere for one+ week – post race
- Go camping
- Go backpacking – Mirror Lake!
- Buy a new swimsuit
- Go to movies in the park – Arbor Lodge
- Go to a summer music festival or concert – SeaWheeze Sunset Festival – Capital Cities & The Colourists!
- Buy a new hat – got a birthday hat!
- Pretend I’m 15 and buy a new summer fragrance
- New sunscreen – I need more California Baby
- Try a new cocktail
- Read a new book (for fun not “work”!)
- Find my favorite summer seasonal beer – still testing…
- Go to Edgefield or Kennedy School – soaking pool! or golf?
- Roast corn – can’t wait to roast more from the garden
- Harvest from the garden
- In season cooking– make a meal with mostly home-grown (tomatoes and basil pasta!) blueberries for dessert.
- Watch the stars – saw shooting stars at Oswald West
- Savor sunsets – in progress
- Start making a fall things list (and cry a little)
What’s on your list of things to do before summer ends?
This post was originally published August 2014. Updated August 2021!
