15 Ways to Make the Most of Summer 2021

Sunday, June 20th marked the 2021 Summer Solstice, aka the longest day of the year. Though the days may be shrinking from here on out, summer has only just begun—so let’s get to embracing our post-vaccine summer. Below you’ll find a list of recommendations, strategies, and ideas for maximizing relaxation, rejuvenation, and FUN this summer. Check them out below and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@chathamu) in all your fave summer adventures:

Ease into socializing with small home hangs

If you aren’t quite ready to hit the ground running with music festivals, gallery openings, and the barrage of post-vax re-openings and activities, hanging with friends at home is a great way to ease back into social gatherings. Everyone moves at their own speed—check in with yourself to see what types of gatherings feel like a “YES!” rather than an “eh, maybe.” Prioritize re-entering the world with patience and grace for your own needs. 💜

See live music and attend events

The city is coming back in nearly full-swing and as a result, there are a bounty of live concerts, stage performances, and more to keep you entertained all summer long. Check out Pittsburgh City Paper’s Summer Guides for a wide range of entertaining events (both in-person and virtual) throughout June, July, August, and September. You may also want to check in with your favorite venues for complete schedules, COVID protocols, and re-opening timelines.

Visit long lost friends, family members, and loved ones

If 2020 was the year of separations, 2021 marks the year of reunions. Summer is the perfect time to catch up with some of the loved ones you’ve been missing over the past year. We highly endorse long weekend trips to hug your favorite people—just be sure to check in with your family and friends about their COVID comfort level before arrival.

Read, read, read

Maybe you’re already an avid reader, maybe you only read for class, or maybe you haven’t read a book since high school… regardless, summer is our favorite time to pick up a book (or four). Reading is an easy way to relax, unwind, and immerse yourself in imagination, new worlds, and new ways of understanding. Consider exploring the Carnegie Libraries this summer, which are accessible all over the city, or spending some “fun reading” time in Chatham’s JKM Library. Check out these reading recommendations by genre from The New York Times.

Foster a pet

If you find yourself with extra time and extra space this summer, you might consider taking in a foster pet. Summer is a busy time for shelters, particularly with kittens. If you’d like to see what having a pet is like or if you just want to lend a helping hand to animals in need, check out this guide to fostering from Pittsburgh’s Humane Animal Rescue.

Experiment with new exercises

Early summer mornings can be the perfect time to head outside and try new things that are good for you. Try an outdoor yoga class in Market Square—check out the schedule here. If you’re looking for team-oriented fun, consider arranging a Pittsburgh Sports League team with your friends. If organized exercise classes make you queasy, then roll out a mat in your backyard or in the park and do a freestyle workout—you can always turn to YouTube for tips!

Explore the great outdoors

Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs have a bounty of parks, hiking and biking trails, and urban oases for those who don’t quite enjoy full blown nature immersion. If you’re looking for some recommendations on where to get started, check out this list of hiking trails from Pittsburgh Magazine, complete with distinctions like “best blooms” and “best views.”

Commune with wildlife

Exploring the great outdoors is one way to stumble across all sorts of interesting Pennsylvania wildlife, but you can also catch the critters in safer settings. Stop by some of Pittsburgh’s famous animal attractions this summer, including the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and the National Aviary. Head slightly outside of the city to visit interactive animal parks like Keystone Safari and Living Treasures.

Cultivate your hobbies (and your garden)

Hopefully your summer marks an increase in free time for hobbies. Whether you have long established extracurriculars or you’re looking to try something new, summer is the perfect time to cultivate the habits that encourage your creativity, nourish your spirit, and build your confidence. If you’re looking for a sign to try that new hobby you’ve been considering, let this be it. Some of our favorite experimental summer hobbies? Biking, gardening, composting, and taking care of ourselves.

Visit new neighborhoods

Pittsburgh is a city of neighborhoods, that’s for sure. Even seasoned Pittsburghers are still getting to know all that the city has to offer. If you’ve been spending the majority of your Pittsburgh days in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, East Liberty, and Oakland (the neighborhoods nearest to Chatham), might we suggest putting that Chatham ID to good use and heading on a Port Authority adventure? We’re big fans of Brookline and Millvale to start.

Experiment with your aesthetic

Dye your hair a new color or try bangs. Thrift a new wardrobe that incorporates colors you don’t typically wear. If the pandemic stifled your ability to express your artistic sensibilities, then let post-vax summer be a rainbow of self-expression. Sure, you might make missteps and misjudgments that don’t quite land for future you; that’s okay, that’s exactly how you begin to hone your aesthetic to honor the multitude of moods that make you up!

Make it a foodie summer

Hungry? Same. If you take us up on our suggestion to explore Pittsburgh neighborhoods, might we suggest exploring the city’s bounty of restaurants too? Check out NEXT Pittsburgh’s list of new and opening restaurants to try this summer. Other restaurant resources include Pittsburgh Magazine’s annual list of Best Pittsburgh Restaurants by restaurant critic and Chatham alum, Hal B. Klein, MAFS ‘12 as well as Discover the Burgh’s extensive and ongoing investigations into the best Pittsburgh restaurants by genre. If you’re looking to enjoy a one-of-a-kind picnic, check out Eden Hall Campus’s Farm to Fork series this summer, which features bbq tours, tacos, picnic fixings, and grilled pizzas.

First Year & Transfer Orientation, August 2017

Take weekend road trips

If you’re looking to maximize your use of the summer hours, sprinkle in some weekend trips. Last year, we compiled these eight safe and socially distant summer road trips, which are still relevant for your 2021 summer. If you’re looking for a more metropolitan getaway, Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City are all within reasonably short driving distance of Pittsburgh.

Stop by Chatham for chill campus vibes

Chatham in the summertime is especially chill, relaxing, and beautiful. If you’re looking for a cozy green place to read, study, work out, or lounge in a hammock, come visit us on the quad this summer.

Return to your summer rituals

If to you summer means gardening, relaxing, and gathering with loved ones, honor that. Alternatively, if it means traveling, adventuring, and exploring new cities, then book yourself busy. Whether you’re going on the family vacation you’ve taken every year since childhood or you’re determined to learn a new instrument while the sun is high, tune into what makes you feel healed, healthy, and happier than before.

Enjoy your summer, Cougs! We’ll see you in August. ☀️