31 IDEAS FOR 31 LATE SUMMER DAYS
Summer doesn’t officially end until the fall equinox on Sept. 22, but who are we kidding? Labor Day is Sept. 2 and on Tuesday, Sept. 3, we will trudge back to work and our brains will officially recognize that another beach season is gone and autumn is upon us. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But until then, you still have 31 days to milk every last drop from this summer. With that in mind, here are 31 things to do, one for each day, until Labor Day arrives, from the city to the suburbs, free events to paid, kid-friendly and adults only.
8/3 Join Arunah Hill Natural Science Center in Cummington so you can view the sky through their telescopes. 8/4 Enjoy a day of activity at Sunday Parkland Games, Memorial Drive, Cam--
bridge, which includes basketball, hula hoop, bean bag toss, and more, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. 8/5Move your hips and participate in Boston Salsa in the Park at the Blackstone Community Center, West Brookline Street, Boston, at 6 p.m. 8/6 Invigorate your taste buds at the Salem
Ice Scream Bowl at Salem Commons, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
8/7 Go see “Wicked” at the Boston Opera House, which runs through Sept. 15.
8/8 Gather up the family and head to Revere
Beach to watch “Bee Movie,” at 6 p.m., the 2007 animated comedy starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, and Matthew Broderick. Running time is 91 minutes.
8/9 Attend Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and watch dancers from The Steps Repertory Ensemble, at 6:15 p.m.
8/10 Learn a new sport, like, say, Frisbee
golf, at 11 a.m. at Peddocks Island. First-timers will get a lesson in the, uh, sport.
8/11 View Cry Innocent: The People vs.
Bridget Bishop, a reenactment of Bridget Bishop’s trial. Who is she, you ask? She was accused of witchcraft in the late 1600s. It all takes place at Salem’s Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem, at 2:30 p.m.
8/12 Take a kayaking trail for beginners at Spectacle Island. Experienced park rangers will lead you through the history and scenery while teaching the fundementals of kayaking. 8/13 Catch Vanessa Trien and the Jumping
Monkeys, a kid-friendly show hosted by the Cambridge Arts Council, Ahern Field, 159 Spring St., Cambridge. And remember, No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!
8/14 Take a breather and lounge at DCR’s Hatch Shell along the Charles River for a performance by the Longwood Symphony Orchestra at 7 p.m.
8/15 Take action in the Boston Children’s Museum Big Cake Birthday Tour during the
Tito Puente Latin Music Series by hulahooping or jumping, 5-7 p.m
8/16 Give your wallet a break and enjoy the “Museum Free Fun Fridays” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
8/17 After a month-long competition, the final four slam poetry teams face off at
The National Poetry Slam Finals at Berklee Performance Center. Expect a high-energy night narrated by the finest bards in the city at the most anticipated literary event of the season.
8/18 When the sun sets, indulge in 1920s decadence with an al fresco screening of the1974 film adaptation of “The Great
Gatsby’’ at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End. 8/19 Tonight, watch Grace Potter and
the Nocturnals take the stage with special guest Josh Ritter to introduce some old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll to the Tanglewood festival.
8/20 Celebrate the Boston Children’s Museum’s 100th birthday with wildlife, performing arts, science experiments, face painting, and, of course, plenty of cake at the Franklin Park Zoo.
8/21 Sing along to your favorite ’80s hits and don that spandex leotard that’s hidden in the back of your closet, at the House of Blues with legendary pop icon
Pat Benatar.
8/22Enjoy an evening of food, dancing, and great art created by talented young visionaries at Artists For Humanity’s annual End ’O Summer Celebration.
8/23 Spend the afternoon— without spending a dime— exploring the exhibits at the Isabella Stewart GardnerMuseum as part of the Highland Street Foundation’s Free Fun Fridays. 8/24 Party island-style at the Trinidad
Carnival and Parade that begins on the corner of MLK Boulevard and culminates in front of the Franklin Park Zoo, where you can taste Caribbean cuisine and dance to steel-drum jams. 8/25Watch from the safety of sea level as some of the most skilled high divers in the world leap from the roof of the Institute of Contemporary Art into the waters of Fan Pier at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Tour’s Boston stop.
8/26 Dick Lehr, author of “Whitey: The Life of America’sMost NotoriousMob Boss,” is stopping by Brookline Booksmith to discuss the life of you-knowwho.
8/27 Don’t miss the chance to feast on the finest fare in the city during RestaurantWeek. Tables fill up fast, so reserve a table at a participating restaurant before Aug. 30.
8/28 Spend the evening on the Esplanade and grab front-row seats for the Boston Landmarks Orchestra’s symphonic tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a commemoration of one of history’s greatest speeches.
8/29 Unwind from your workday aboard the Provincetown II for the Rush Hour Cruise while sailing along the harbor and sipping your favorite cocktail.
8/30 Get a proper start to your weekend with live music and more than 80 styles of local beer to sample at the Mass Brewers Fest held at the indoor/outdoor waterfront venue in theWorld Trade Center. 8/31 Celebrate the opening day of (ahts):
The Boston Arts Festival at Christopher Columbus Park and explore genre-spanning exhibits from visual to performance and even channel your inner Picasso at an interactive booth.
9/1 Stay on the cutting edge of Boston’s indie music scene at Club Passim’s
campfire, a festival that draws inspiration from the communal vibes of a backwoods ’round-the-fire singalong.
9/2 It’s Labor Day. Don’t belabor it. Hop a ferry to Spectacle Island, relax on the patio, and spend the day listening to the smooth jazz stylings of Berklee College of Music’s Lihi Haruvi.