Ways to pretend it’s summer in February

Seasonal affective disorder? We don’t know her.

A view of green mountains with the Tennessee River and blue skies in the background.

Alexa, play “Blue Skies” by Willie Nelson.

Photo by NOOGAtoday

Goooood morning, Chattanooga. While today’s high is 73°, the low is still 39°... and it’s raining. And has anyone else discovered that 55° in the winter is somehow colder than 55° in the spring? Anyway, I digress.

Today, we’re pretending it’s summer in the middle of winter. Here’s how you can, too:

Bring back the “dog” days of summer | Eat like the sun is shining. Choose from a variety of burgers at Urban Stack, or grab a famous footlong hot dog from Miss Griffins.

Bonus: Both spots have veggie options, too.

Go swimming | Head to the Chris Ramsey Center indoor pool or South Chattanooga indoor pool — now free of charge. Check the pool schedules before leaving.

Head to the (local) tropics | It feels like summer year-round in the Tennessee Aquarium’s butterfly garden + tropical cove forest.

Bonus: College students, faculty, and staff get half-off aquarium admission this month.

Don’t frosé your butt off | Close your eyes and pretend you’re on the beach while sipping a flamingo-clad cup of frosé from The Co-Op.

Greenify the gray days | Brighten up your space by picking up plants from a local shop. You can also add this spring garden-planning class to your calendar.

Sweat it out | Wanna get warm fast? Try a Soul Power + Yin class at Southern Soul Yoga, where the room is set to 90°-93°, or Heated Vinyasa at Yoga Landing.

Warm your heart | Warm up from the inside by volunteering your time or talents locally (this totally counts, right?).

Pick a Picnic | Have an indoor picnic (surrounded by all those plants you now have brightening your space). Hire Picnic by the River for a “curated experience,” or Southern Pearl Picnics to set it up for you.

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