# Charlotte Is About to Feel Like an Air Fryer Again *Hot, humid and just enough afternoon thunderstorms to somehow make it even stickier. Here are a few places to escape the Charlotte heat this weekend.* ```html

Charlotte Is About to Feel Like an Air Fryer Again

If you walked outside this week and immediately regretted every decision that led you there, we've got some unfortunate news.

Charlotte is still hot.

Not pleasant “let’s sit on a patio” hot.

More like “why did I bother showering?” hot.

The Charlotte area is heading into another hot and humid stretch, with temperatures hanging around the 90s and thunderstorms periodically joining the party.

So instead of just telling you it’s hot, we figured we’d do something useful.

💦 5 Places to Escape the Heat

1. Let the Kids Loose at Veterans Park

Sometimes the easiest solution is to embrace the water.

Veterans Park on Central Avenue has one of Mecklenburg County’s public spraygrounds, where kids can run directly through the water while parents reconsider why they wore actual clothes.

The county’s spraygrounds operate daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer season, with locations throughout Charlotte.

Best for: Kids with unlimited energy and parents who have surrendered.

Cost: Free.

2. Go Old-School at Cordelia Pool

Charlotte does, in fact, have public pools.

Cordelia Swimming Pool in the NoDa/Villa Heights area gives you an actual outdoor swimming pool without requiring a friend who lives in one of those South End apartment buildings with a rooftop pool.

There’s also Double Oaks Pool on Statesville Avenue.

Best for: When standing near a splash pad isn’t going to cut it.

3. Cheat and Go to an Indoor Water Park

Want the water without being actively cooked by the sun?

That’s where Ray’s Splash Planet comes in.

The Uptown-area facility is an indoor water park, which means slides, water and swimming without spending the afternoon wondering whether SPF 50 was ambitious enough.

Best for: Parents who want pool day without actual outdoor weather.

4. Hide Inside Discovery Place

There comes a point when the correct outdoor activity is going indoors.

Discovery Place Science gives you several gloriously air-conditioned hours of hands-on exhibits, science experiments and an indoor rainforest.

There’s also the IMAX Dome.

No sunscreen.

No folding chairs.

No chasing an umbrella across the parking lot during a thunderstorm.

Best for: Families who have decided 96 degrees is somebody else’s problem.

5. Go Swimming Indoors at Eastway

If you want to actually exercise without risking spontaneous combustion, try Eastway Regional Recreation Center.

The Mecklenburg County facility has two indoor pools, including a competition/lap pool and a separate leisure pool with family-friendly features.

There’s also the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center Uptown and Marion Diehl Recreation Center and Pool on Tyvola Road.

Best for: Getting your swim in without becoming a rotisserie chicken.

🧊 Need Somewhere Cool Without Spending Money?

Here’s an option people sometimes forget:

The library.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library locations provide an air-conditioned public place to read, work or simply get out of dangerous heat.

County recreation centers can also be good places to get indoors when temperatures climb.

And while we’re having some fun with the forecast, extreme heat isn’t a joke for everyone.

Older adults, infants, children, people who work outdoors and people with certain medical conditions can face a higher risk of heat-related illness.

Drink plenty of water, limit strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day and spend time in air conditioning or shade when possible.

And check on your neighbors.

Especially the one who insists they “don’t need air conditioning.”

They do.

☀️ The Scoop

Charlotte summers have a remarkably consistent personality:

So this weekend, find some water, find some air conditioning or find a friend with an apartment pool.

And if you choose the apartment-pool strategy, remember the most important rule:

Bring something to drink so they keep inviting you back.

Stay cool, Charlotte.