Your guide to the coolest Washington summer ever

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Forget the humidity. There’s a heartbreakingly short window to get in all the pool parties, farmers markets, beer gardens and outdoor fun this city provides in the summer — and that’s just the tip of the spiked snow cone. Washington in the summer is a bounty, people. Here are some of the best ways to spend it.

Splash in a cool blue pool The time for soaking up the sun and making waves at the neighborhood pool -- or better yet, a splashy waterpark such as Alexandria's Great Waves, Sterling's renovated Volcano Island (pictured) or Southern Maryland's Chesapeake Beach Water Park -- is heartwrenchingly short. So it's best to take advantage of them from the day they open, beginning Memorial Day weekend. D.C. pools open for weekends May 26 (www.dpr.dc.gov) as do Virginia waterparks and pools (www.nvrpa.org) and Maryland pools and Chesapeake Beach Water Park (www.chesapeakebeachwaterpark.com).

See our full list of the region's best pools. Text by Lavanya Ramanathan/Photo by Lisa Bolton

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