Choose Your Own Summer Adventure

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Exploring Over Coffee | Episode 37

Summer isn't over yet. Make the end of your summer an adventure. Alexis shares 9 fun things to do to wrap up your season with awesome memories.

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Here's What You'll Explore

3 Drinking Culture Activities to Pour into Your Summer
3 Ways to Explore Your Community
3 Creative Activities to Savor
Journal prompt to help you embrace the season to the fullest

Episode Chapters

(00:000 Welcome

(04:45) 3 Drinking Culture Activities to Pour into Your Summer

(10:45) 3 Ways to Explore Your Community

(13:54) 3 Creative Activities to Savor

(17:29) Journaling Prompt

(18:58) Thanks for Listening

Hello, friends. Welcome back to another episode of Exploring Over Coffee. I am Alexis Renae, your host. And if you're new here, this is your coffee break to pour, explore, sip, and savor. In our chats, we dive into cozy conversations to help you make life an adventure. Today, I have nine fun ways to help you choose your own summer adventure because the season is not over yet. There's still plenty of time to make lasting memories. So get your beverage of choice for our conversation. I'm enjoying a coconut cold brew today. Once you have your drink in hand, sit back and relax so that we can explore ways to help you choose your own summer adventure.
I hope that you've been enjoying your summer so far, that your season has been full of opportunities to rest and refresh and just explore. I've definitely had a couple of adventures of my own since our last conversation.
My family and I took a road trip down to Williamsburg at the start of the summer, and we went to Busch Gardens, the theme park, and hung out in Williamsburg for the weekend. And then about a month later, we actually went on another road trip to Florida, so we got the chance to go to Epic Universe, the theme park, and Epcot at Disney World. So definitely some fun adventures so far this season. But there's definitely still a few things left on my bucket list, and I'm sure the same must be said for you, too. You know, it's like summer goes by so quickly, and there are just... I don't know, there's some scenic experiences that you always wanna get the chance to soak up before the season ends.
Some of my favorite memories of being a kid in the summertime are honestly just the really everyday experiences around town. I would sign up for my summer reading program every year, and I was usually staying up late reading Percy Jackson books in the summertime. So that's a fun memory. Something else, like, you know those days when you go to the pool, and you hang out all day, and then you get some ice cream on the way home? I don't know, it's something scenic about that. Or you take an opportunity to just go to the park all day, and you get to just soak up the sun and play music and play games, and those are the more slow but no less iconic summer experiences that I've really wanted to be intentional about exploring before the season's over.
So when I started sitting and thinking about what this podcast episode could be, I said, "Why not create an opportunity here for both of us, for you and me, to be able to go out and choose the summer adventure that we wanna have to wrap up the season?" That's what I did. I put together a choose your own adventure summer mini guide. There are nine activities inside; I split it up into three different sections. One is Pour, one is Explore, and one is Savor. It's an opportunity to make it your own. You could choose one activity from each section: one from Pour, Explore, and Savor. You could challenge yourself to finish all nine before the season's over, which is awesome. Or you can mix and match. Maybe you only wanna do the Explore section of activities, or two from one and two from another. You get the idea. Make your summer yours.
Before we dive into our adventure guidebook, I have a quote from Henry David Thoreau as some words of wisdom for soaking up the rest of our summer. He says, "Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.”
It's something that's so simple. It's something that is almost too simple, but you can forget, right? When you're just in such a go, go, go mode all the time, you might start thinking ahead. You might think yourself way far out of the season that you're in. The really great thing about summer is it's technically still going until September. As much as a lot of people start getting their mindset on fall, summer is still here. There's still plenty of opportunity. Get intentional on the weekend or certain days of the week and make those memories that count. And that's what this summer Choose Your Own Adventure guide is all about.
Let's go ahead and open up our adventure guidebook to start exploring all the ideas inside. Starting off with the Pour section to help you choose your summer adventure, your first recommendation is to go cafe hopping. Cafe hopping, think of it like bar hopping, but instead of checking out places that sell alcohol, you get to check out your local cafes. Now, this is something that you can stretch out over an entire day or even an entire weekend with some friends.
Let's say you start on a Saturday, you get up early in the morning, and you head to your local cafe; you get some coffee to start your day. And then throughout your day, let's say you're doing other adventures from our list; you could pop in for a snack, pop in for some pictures, pop in to reflect on your adventures at the end of the day. Find cafes in your area that offer experiences, fun drinks, good vibes, and a relaxing ambiance. And it's a good way to energize while also getting a chance to cool off throughout the day. So cafe hopping is the first on our list, and I look forward to doing that this summer.
Another thing that you can do this summer to refresh and expand your palate is to enjoy a tasting event. This could be tasting different coffee drinks. It could be tasting different foods. You could try a walking food tour in your community to check out bakeries or restaurant offerings that are seasonal. And there are even other types of drink tastings that you can enjoy as well.
While my family and I were on our road trip in Williamsburg, we actually had a little tasting experience of our own. We went to Point Five, which is an alcohol-free bottle shop. We got a chance to taste a variety of delicious non-alcoholic drinks, and we left with several. It was so cool getting to chat with the owner, Charlotte, while exploring all the different varieties of non-alcoholic beverages. They have wines, they have beers, they have spirit alternatives, and they're all delicious.
There is so much in the rituals of having a drink at the end of the day or having a drink with friends at a party. And what was special about this place was that it still let you experience those rituals, but just in a more mindful way. So whatever the reason may be that you aren't interested in alcohol, it doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice the luxury or the sophistication or honestly just the fun and the creativity of specialty beverages.
The tasting experience added to it, and that's, that's why I'm recommending you guys enjoy a tasting as well. Getting the chance to reflect on the ingredients that were involved that was what added even more to the experience when we got to chat with Charlotte about the different specialty beverages at Point Five. So same thing for you: if you go to a cheese tasting, if you go to a chocolate tasting, if you enjoy a coffee tasting or some other tasting throughout this season, you get to really explore it through the help of a guide. Get in the habit of going to a tasting event to enjoy a food or drink that is popular during the season. And if you're in the Williamsburg, Virginia area, definitely stop by and check out Point 5 and tell Charlotte that Alexis from Exploring Over Coffee sent you.
The last recommendation in the Pour section of our list is to enjoy DIY drinks and treats. You know those recipes pop up every season about summer popsicles that you can make at home, or an ice cream recipe that you can try, or something that you can do with veggies and fruits at home. So yeah, putting it on the list as something to choose to enjoy before the season's over is a way to remember, a way to make sure that we all check it off of our bucket list.
If you're looking for some coffee-inspired recipes to try, Savorista Coffee has a whole article with three different recipes for summer fun. They have a coconut cold brew, which is a way to try out the drink that I'm enjoying this episode. An iced coffee, and then they also have an affogato, which is delicious.
There's such a fun summer memory attached to this treat. As I've said before, I'm from the DMV area. One of my favorite museums to visit is the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art, in the summertime when my family and I would be down on the Mall. It's really hot outside; we'd just pop over to the National Gallery of Art.
If you go into the contemporary side of the museum, You can go downstairs to the cafeteria and they actually have a gelato bar and a cafe set up downstairs. You can actually order an affogato; they let you pick any gelato that you want. My favorite combo is the banana gelato with the espresso coffee. Now I'm craving one, actually.
I can try my hand at making affogato from home. If you go to the link in the episode description, I'll have links to all the recommendations from today's episode, and you can check out Savorista's three summer coffee-inspired recipes so that you can try that from home. If you're interested in using Savorista's decaf coffee products for trying out one of their recipes this summer, you can use my affiliate link, EXPLOREOC, for 25% off. I earn a small commission from your purchase that helps me fuel future episodes of Exploring Over Coffee.
Moving on to the Explore section of our list. These are activities that help you get out there and savor fun activities in your community and the outdoors. One of my favorite things about summer is how long the days are. Before the season's over and the sun starts setting earlier, be sure to head out and take a sunset stroll. This can happen in your community, in your neighborhood, downtown, or at a park, wherever you're interested. Lace up your shoes and get your steps in while enjoying the sunset.
You can make this a mindful experience, a time to soak up nature, maybe listen to some music, a podcast episode, or have a rejuvenating conversation with a friend.
Another way that you can explore summer is with a movie night. This is a way to have an adventure in your community or an adventure at home. If you're interested in heading out for a movie night, you can see if parks or other community spaces are having outdoor movie nights in your area.
I know that in the DMV, there are lots of places to enjoy outdoor movie nights. One of those places is the National Harbor. They're doing movies twice a week all the way through the rest of the summer into September. So if you're in the area, I definitely recommend the National Harbor for movie nights.
If you're interested in having your movie night at home, that doesn't mean that you can't make that an adventure as well. You could decorate a little bit if you're interested, and then you can also enjoy foods and drinks that represent the location that the movie takes place in. So, for example, there's a new Spider-Man movie out this summer. Why not get creative with how you enjoy your movie night at home? You could have a movie marathon. That's what my family's gonna do. We're gonna catch up on the old Spider-Man movies and enjoy New York foods and treats. What kind of foods are in New York, you may ask? Well, there's pizza, cheesecake, pretzels, hot dogs. I'm vegetarian, so that'll be a vegetarian hot dog, but still. Even the black and white cookies, right?
One more way that you can explore your summer adventure is to head out for a community event. I know I just mentioned the National Harbor. I have really been appreciating all of the community events that they have been having this season. I've had the chance to stop by for their line dance classes on Fridays. I've seen them do their exercise and dance classes in the afternoon. They have yoga on Saturdays and all kinds of events for the community. That's how I've been enjoying my community events.
But there are lots of different types of community events to enjoy. You could head to a farmers market, maybe a book festival, things happening at small businesses, things happening at local parks, things in museums. Just make an opportunity this season to engage with your community, to explore and connect.
Last but not least, we're going into the Savor section to help you choose adventures to slow down and soak up the summer. The first activity I'm recommending is to have a craft day. You know, when you were a kid, you would go to summer camp, and there would be at least one, if not a couple, craft activities that would happen. You'd be making bracelets, or I know I've done, like, even henna art as a summer camp activity.
So if there's a skill, if there's a hobby that you've been looking to get into, start a summer project. I have been practicing crochet. I'll put a link to my latest crochet creation on my website so you can see what I made. It's a little crochet mushroom guy that I made over the weekend. If you're interested in checking out crochet, hey, I'll link to the mushroom crochet video that I did so you can make your own.
‘Another way to savor summer is to open up a good book. Challenge yourself to finish at least two books before the season's over. So that could be one book in August and then one book in September.
I'm reading a lot of Greek mythology-inspired books to celebrate The Odyssey being in theaters. So I have read I, Medusa. Right now I'm reading Bemused, and then I'm gonna start another book. So yeah, if you like Greek mythology, you can do a theme and read that kind of book. You could do a book that's set in the summertime, right?
There are lots of books about summer vacation, summer travel. You could also read a self-improvement book, an opportunity to check in with yourself on your goals for the year, um, pick up new skills in mindfulness, and just pause to reflect.
The very last activity for savoring your summer is to have a scrapbook journaling adventure. Now, this activity is a combination of capturing your summer adventures and documenting them on paper. So when you head out to try your mix of these nine activities, take pictures while you're out and about. If there are any paper clippings that you find related to activities like an event ticket or a flyer or something, save something from that so that you can add it to your journal. And then just make sure that you're present through the experiences so that you can jot down your thoughts about how you were feeling, how the event made you feel, how you felt while exploring and pouring into your summer experience.
That is the last recommendation on our list to help you choose your own summer adventure. Now that you know all the activities that I'm recommending, think about which activities stood out most to you. Add them to your list, and then head out and start exploring. I created a downloadable page with all nine activities listed. So if you head to the link to my website, you can download the PDF and just keep track of all the adventures on your list for the season.
There's so much nostalgia in summer. The experiences that we love from childhood, the beautiful moments that we remember from summers past. Every summer is an opportunity to appreciate the things that we love and to fall in love with more things about life. As you head out to explore your summer adventure, take a moment to reflect on this journal prompt. What are your summer loves? Things that make this season so memorable for you. Is it biking on a Sunday afternoon or playing a card game while watching the rain fall? Maybe it's staying up watching a really cheesy movie with friends, or heading out for an outdoor concert. Make a list of at least five things that you love to experience at this time of year, and keep those summer loves in mind as you head out to explore.
Summer is energy. It is vibrance. It is community. It is exploration. It is joy. Before this season comes to an end, make space for the beauty of this season and soak it up to the fullest. I hope that you love all the activity ideas on our summer adventure list. I hope that they inspire you to choose your own summer adventure and create space for appreciating the things that you love about the season.
Thank you so much for joining me for our coffee break conversation. Share this episode with a friend to inspire your next adventure together. Until our next coffee break chat, I'm wishing you joy, I am wishing you excitement, and plenty of space to rest, refresh, and savor the season. Until next time, remember to brew positivity and make life an adventure.

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Everything We Explored

Check out all the recommendations from this episode.

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