Cool ways to beat the heat

You don’t have to hunker down indoors to beat the heat wave. We found three ways to keep cool and have fun at the same time.

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Patrons ride the "Intimidator 305" roller coaster at Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Doswell. It's 305 feet at the highest point and riders go more than 90 mph during the three-minute ride. The park boasts multiple rides within the 20-acre WaterWorks, as well as games, additional coasters and novelties and much more.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Patrons ride the "Intimidator 305" roller coaster at Kings Dominion. If the wind rushing past you at 90 mph doesn't cool you down, the amusement park also includes 20-plus acres of aquatic attractions.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

The "Lazy Rider" at Kings Dominion will cool you down, but don't forget the sunscreen.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

The "Lazy Rider" at Kings Dominion is a quarter-mile river raft ride through guysers and waterfalls in the WaterWorks portion of the park.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Free life preservers of all shapes, sizes and colors are available at "Tidal Wave Bay" at Kings Dominion. The attraction also has 16 private cabanas for those who want to escape the sun.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Emily Edivan, 10, Jessica Childress, 9, and Lydia Edivan, 8, play at "Tidal Wave Bay" at Kings Dominion.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

The rentable cabanas at Tidal Wave Bay include a table and chairs, a small cooler of ice, a locker and a ceiling fan.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

The park boasts multiple rides within the 20-acre Water Works -- including the "Tornado," in the foreground.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

The Tornado ride at Kings Dominion will get your pulse racing, without making you sweat.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Nathan Ritter, 12, of Vienna plays in a water feature at Kings Dominion.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

People flock to the water at Kings Dominion.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Penn's Cave is a natural cavern located in central Pennsylvania about 14 miles east of the town of State College. Penn's Cave has been offering boat tours since 1885.

Courtesy Penn's Cave

The temperature in Penn's Cave is always a chilly 52 degrees, offering a nearly hour-long escape from the heat on an underground boat ride. The limestone that makes up Penn's Cave is about 500 million years old, while the cavern itself is about 30 million years old. Guides at Penn's Cave like to point out stalactites and stalagmites with resemblances to figures such as the pope and the Abominable Snowman.

Becky Krystal / The Washington Post

Even when the temperature is in the 90s on the surface, you might want a sweater in Penn's Cave, where temperatures are always in the 50s.

Becky Krystal / The Washington Post

Native Americans had been visiting — and even living in — Penn's Cave before a pastor by the name of James Martin "discovered" it in 1795.

Courtesy Penn's Cave

Stacy Sikes, wife Kathy Sikes and son Logan Sikes of Galax, Va., keep warm by a campfire while cooking marshmallows in the campground at Grayson Highlands State Park. The park's high elevation keeps temperatures low.