By Madeline Klein on June 23, 2020 in say's spotlight
Say hello to sunshine, fireworks, swimming pools, and all the joys of summer! While this summer might look a little different with travel plans being canceled or rescheduled, there’s no reason not to enjoy the memories of the past.
Growing up, we would spend the 4th of July watching fireworks from my grandfather's boat. We would bring coolers of handpicked snacks and drinks onto the boat to watch the lights dance across the sky and water. Now it's something we like to do with our own family, we rent a boat and go tubing during the day and watch the fireworks from the water at night. Even when we can’t make it out to the lake, we invite friends and family over to picnic and watch my husband put on his very own fireworks show from our yard.
- Sara S.
One summer, my friends and I purchased season tickets to Six Flags and road-tripped to St. Louis each week. It was an exciting escape from our mundane work lives and a scheduled day we all got to spend together! The lines for each ride were typically short during the week, so we had multiple chances to ride each attraction before the park closed. The three-hour drive home meant we had ample time for a trip to White Castle and the plotting of next week’s adventure.
- Erin T.
My favorite summer memories are spending time at my grandma’s house. Her dog King and I would run through the woods all day, never tiring. After the sun went down, we caught fireflies. Disconnecting from the world and reconnecting with family was always the best.
- Lori R.
A favorite summer memory of mine is from several years ago. My friends and I took a few days off to explore/hike/camp a part of the Mark Twain National Forest called the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness. What we failed to take into account was the massive flooding that had recently taken place in the area. After we spent about half a day hiking, we realized that a lot of the trail was washed away, so we weren’t really sure where we were. After hiking along a dry riverbed for several hours, we finally found a campsite adjacent to a river and spent the remainder of the day swimming and setting up camp. Much to our surprise, the next morning, we found out that we were only about an hour away from where we started!
- Alex N.
My favorite summer memories include going to the pool and exploring parks and new hiking spots with my dog, Scruffy. Our favorites are Youth Park, Devil’s Icebox, and any swimming pool or lake that we can find. I’m sure our adventures will continue this summer!
- Shruti D.
My favorite summer memory is from the summer after my senior year of high school. My closest friends and I decided to go to Warren Dunes in Michigan. These were the tallest dunes I had ever seen and climbing to the top proved harder than we thought, with the sand sinking beneath our feet. After we made it to the top, we raced down the hill as fast as we could. I felt like superman when my feet flew off the ground. The combination of the beautiful lake and breath-taking sand dunes made this trip my favorite summer memory! Plus, experiencing this together made us a lot closer as a group!
- Elijah C.
I grew up in a small town that had one of the largest county fairs in the entire state. As a young kid, my favorite summer memories were the thrill of the rides and fair food. As I got older, it was the place to hang out and to meet up with friends that were no longer living in the area. We went to see well-known music groups and a demolition derby, what more could you ask for?
- Marc D.
The most memorable summer memories are from long weekends at our family lake house. In between tubing and water skiing, we got to have all the snacks we could dream of and one too many sodas. While we never wanted the weekends to end, as soon as we were packed in the car and driving back to Austin, we were all fast asleep!
- Madeline K.
Part of sharing our favorite summer memories is hoping you’ll share your next fun adventure with us! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!