The Lake Oswego Swim Park is a perfect place to cool off on a hot summer day.

When DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics for “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy,” for the opera Porgy and Bess, they could have used Lake Oswego, Oregon for inspiration. This city knows how to do summer. Here are 5 reasons why a summer day is best spent in Lake Oswego.

1. The lake – You can cool off just by looking at the 415-acre namesake lake from several vantage points including Sundeleaf Plaza on State Street or Millennium Plaza Park. Better yet, take a dip at the city’s swim park located at 200 Ridgeway Road open to residents from 12-6 daily during July and August.

2. The Willamette River beach at George Rogers Park.  Lake water isn’t the only fresh water available for cooling off on a hot summer day. Get thee to the 26 acre George Rogers Park and head down to the beach along the Willamette River. This stretch of sand is a perfect place to spread out a picnic, play fetch with your dog or get your feet wet. Once you’ve cooled down, enjoy some of the other things the park has to offer including a playground for the kids, two outdoor tennis courts, picnic tables and recreational fields.

3. The fountain below Millennium Plaza Park. Hordes of kids screaming in delight can’t be wrong. Running and splashing through the fountain located at the base of Millennium Plaza Park is a great way to bring the temps down on a hot summer day.

4. Shade covered trails. Beat the heat while getting your exercise by exploring many natural park settings in Lake Oswego. Choose from Tryon Creek with 670 acres of forest on the boundaries of Portland and Lake Oswego, the Bryant Woods Nature Park with soft surface trails winding through a wooded natural area or check out one of the city’s other trail on their website.

5. Outdoor dining. Too hot to cook? Take a seat at a wide variety of local eateries offering outdoor seating including the Oswego Lake House perched right on the lake, Maher’s Irish Pub in downtown Lake Oswego and the patio at Riccardo’s Italian Ristorante in Lake Grove. Check out the Chamber of Commerce directory for more.

What’s one of your favorite ways for staying cool in Lake Oswego?

I’d love to hear about it.