Temps have been soaring outside lately. It might have been fun to take the kids to the pool once school let out, but as the days get hotter around the Midlands, it’s now less enjoyable for families to hang around outside.

Luckily, there are plenty of lesser-known options around town to keep the kids entertained and you nice and cool, both in Lexington County and around the Midlands in general. Here are a few heat-beating recommendations that are closer than you think:

Family Fun Night, O’Hara’s Public House

We’ll start with something simple. Every Tuesday night, O’Hara’s Public House on East Main Street hosts Family Fun Night. Bring the kids or grandkids for a free dessert and get them a free balloon animal as well. And since it runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., you’ll be home relatively early.

Live Music & Dance, Bill’s Music Shop & Pickin’ Parlor

Looking for a little family-friendly musical interlude? Bill’s Music Shop & Pickin’

Parlor invites you to enjoy live music and dancing every Saturday night. Enjoy classic country music with a live band or DJ from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Sit and enjoy a snack from the snack bar or dance the night away on Bill’s hardwood dance floor. Admission is a $10 donation per person.

Various Events, Lexington County Library System

There are so many activities going on at within the Lexington County Library System this summer that it’s impossible to list them all here, so

there’s plenty to choose from. There are Lego Club meetings at the Batesburg-Leesville Branch Library on Armory Street. There are film screenings at the Gaston Branch Library (the most recent of which was the Marvel film Shang Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings), and for the grownups in the family, there are book club meetings at the Lexington Main Library as well. And all of these activities are free.

Friday Night Laser Lights, S.C. State Museum

Looking outside of Lexington County, you can find a fun Friday night activity at the S.C. State Museum on Gervais Street. Friday Night Laser Lights, sponsored by Prisma Health, returns for cosmically cool fun. Enjoy special shows featuring lasers choreographed to iconic music inside the museum’s 55-foot digital dome BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Planetarium. July’s musical laser show soundtrack includes Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Lady Gaga nights. And there are food trucks and a cash bar for the grownups every week.

Kids Summer Movies, Nickelodeon Theatre

Finally, the Nickelodeon Theatre on Main Street in Columbia runs a Kids Summer Movies program multiple times every week until July 27, showing classics like The Lego Movie, Matilda, Shrek, The Addams Family, The Iron Giant and more. Tickets are $7, quite a bargain for a trip to the movies these days.