What's your favorite stay-cool spot?

The heat wave currently baking much of the country is a lot less fun than the one sung about by Martha and the Vandelles. As temperatures climb to historic levels and humidity wilts the most summer-proof among us, staying cool is serious business.

It means I've got a whole new level of appreciation for my Wednesday night swimming lessons at the local Y. No matter how high the mercury rises, I've got an escape route: at 7:30pm, I'll be hopping into cool water to paddle, float, and feel my fingers shrink back to the normal size. It may not be a pristine Alpine lake, but it works. And the walk home with wet hair, my body tired and cooled off to its very core, is one of the sweetest moments of the week.

How do you and your family stay cool in this crazy hot weather?