Some people don’t like the heat. They feel like it is stifling, that they can’t get anything done, and that the days and nights are just meant to laze away under the air conditioning, as far removed from the outside as possible. But then there are people who know that the heat of summer, under a brightened sun, is the best time for love, for romance, and for passion.
These are people who have seen classics like The Long Hot Summer, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Key Largo, and Hud. They know that summer can be a time of steamy romance, when the air is thick with love, and the heat comes as much from the physical excitement of connection as it does from the sun.
We know why this is, and we know the science of summer love. There is an increase in socialization, sure. But there is a lot more science, both obvious and not. On the literal surface, the heat makes clothes uncomfortable, and there is more skin on display, with sweatiness evoking and mimicking lust. Sunlight also releases serotonin, which makes you feel good and happy, positive about those around you, and stimulates the sex drive. Just being out is good for you.
So what to do when you’re out? You’ve found someone who makes your stomach butterfly, and who has asked you out, or the summer has reinvigorated a long-time love. What to do? Where should you go to take advantage of the season? Here are five great date places to make your day (and night) as hot as the weather.
5 Hot Date Ideas For Summer Love
1. Outdoor restaurant/beer garden. A lot of people don’t like eating outside when it is hot, because they get uncomfortable. But on a date, you don’t want the sterility of air conditioning. Get some cold drinks and some cool eats, like a salad or oysters or a charcuterie plate, and dig in. Especially if it is a shared plate, with plenty of opportunities for hands to touch while reaching for the next bite. A few great summer cocktails should cool you down and warm you up at the same time.
2. Waterfront picnic. Most places will have a lakefront, a riverwalk, a stream, a pond–even man-made bodies of water count. There’s nothing like seeing the burst-star reflection of the setting sun on a cool body of water, while enjoying some chocolates and a nice glass of vinho verde. The heat dips with the sun, but nothing cools down between the two of you.
3. Bike ride. A long bike ride can get the body moving, and help you go to places like forest preserves or river trails, that you might not have otherwise seen in your day-to-day life. Sure, you’re sweaty, but as we discussed, that’s not a problem. And showering isn’t a bad way to get to the next portion of the date…
4. Getting ice cream. Old-fashioned? Yes. Corny and romantic? Yes. Maybe even a bit goofy. But who doesn’t love ice cream? The best part is getting a cone–walking with one hand in your lover’s and the other around the treat will evoke those youthful days of first love, and send the same dizzying thrills through your body. Even as an adult, summer is about evoking the freedom and newfound joys of youth, when the season was an adventure that you hoped would never end. Ice cream can help you recreate that frisson, that borderland between innocence and experience. And it tastes great!
5. Outdoor summer concert. One of the great joys of summer is being able to sit outdoors and spread a blanket, a picnic basket, and your favorite bottles, and bask under an impossible latticework of stars, while the music of your favorite band or the local orchestra washes over you, the sounds dancing between the flickering glow of fireflies and mixing with the peaceful murmurs of other nighttime lovers. It’s soothing and romantic. It’s grass-stained and nostalgic, and makes you long for the night to never end. In some of the notes you can hear the plaintive cry of the coming autumnal sadness, but that just makes you hug your partner even closer.
There’s no time like summer for romance. The heat of the day is no match for what’s in your heart. If you are looking for advice on summer romance, and would like the guidance of an expert at Keen, contact us today! We’d love to help your summer love.
