Five Ways to Stay Cool (Even Though It's Really, Really Hot!)

Just because the thermometer is hovering near 100 doesn’t mean you have to spend the weekend cooped up in front of the AC.

Here are a few ways to keep cool around the neighborhood:

 1. Grab a scoop. With so many recently opening up shop in the neighborhood, a tour de force of all the neighborhood’s best places for a scoop is the perfect way to cool down. We love the creative toppings at and the inventive, Thai-infused flavors at .

2. Hit the pool. The Douglass-Degraw pool at Thomas Greene Playground on Third Avenue between Douglass and Degraw streets —and a hot day like today is the perfect time to go check it out!

3. Go for a (boat) ride. The pedal boats in Prospect Park may be closed for construction of the new lakeside center, but for just $8 you can take a tour of Prospect Park Lake in an . With temperatures this high, who would want to pedal a boat, anyway?

4. Rent a canoe. Nothing cools you off like a day spent on the water—even if that water is just the Gowanus Canal. Every Saturday, Brooklynites can head down to the Gowanus Dredgers’ headquarters and for free.

5. Catch a flick. A movie, a giant soda, and the ultra air-conditioned temperatures of a movie theater are a classic relief from summer heat. And you can’t argue with a classic.