GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Instead of hunkering down during this heat wave, you might want to venture out and find something to do – preferably indoors with air conditioning.
Besides being under an air quality alert, a heat advisory has been issued for the region from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday. The heat index is expected to reach over 100 degrees in the afternoon and early evening hours for both days. However, it's summertime in Minnesota and we all know how few days there are to spend without wearing a parka during what seems like an endless winter.
So for the adventurous who want to make every summer day count, here's a list of cool things to do:
HIT THE WATER
Grab your suit and towel! Click here to see which pools, splash pads and water parks are open around Minneapolis.
In Ramsey County, the Battle Creek Waterworks park and multiple swimming beaches are now open. Click here for hours and info.
Over in Dakota County, splash pad season is underway, and multiple parks with beaches and lakes are free to use.
MUSIC
Head inside for a show! Here's a look at some of the live music playing across the Twin Cities this week. NOTE: This is not a complete list of all performances.
Starting at 7 p.m., outlaw country legend Lucinda Williams will be playing at the Dakota on Wednesday. On the same night, Minneapolis-based indie rock band Dad Bod hits the stage at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. And beginning at 8 p.m., a four-piece indie folk/pop group from Nashville, The Arcadian Wild, plays at the Turf Club in St. Paul.
At the Target Center Thursday night, country singer Thomas Rhett takes the stage, followed by Avenged Sevenfold on Saturday night.
COMEDY
Here is a look at some of the best places to see live comedy around the Twin Cities metro area for Wednesday night.
From Russell Simmons' "Def Comedy Jam," MTV2's "Guy Code," and BET's Don't Sleep," Dean Edwards takes the stage at the ACME Comedy Club in Minneapolis.
"Work it Out Wednesdays" is a weekly gig for "seasoned professionals and emerging talents" to workshop and shape their sets at Rick Bronson's House of Comedy at the Mall of America in Bloomington.
Shakespearean Youth Theatre, an arts nonprofit features young actors performing two comedies, "Love's Labour's Lost" and "Comedy of Errors," at the Crane Theater in Minneapolis.
At the Dudley Riggs Theater on Friday and Saturday, The Brave New Workshop is putting on an all-improvised comedy performance with a rotating cast of comedy all-stars.
Friday night, the State Theater will host a live podcast recording of The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamo.
MOVIES
As expected, Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated last weekend's box office. Where's a better place to cool off than a movie theater's mega A/C unit blasting you for two to three hours? According to IMDB, here are some of the movies drawing large crowds to theaters right now:
1. Barbie
- Weekend Gross: $162M
- Weeks Released: 1
2. Oppenheimer
- Weekend Gross: $82M
- Weeks Released: 1
3. Sound of Freedom
- Weekend Gross: $20M
- Weeks Released: 3
4. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
- Weekend Gross: $19M
- Weeks Released: 2
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- Weekend Gross: $6.7M
- Weeks Released: 4
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