Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette The fountains at PPG Place, Downtown.

By Virginia Linn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

We've made it through the first weeks of the summer with pretty nice weather. In fact, these recent days of crisp mornings and not-so-hot afternoons have been almost California-like.

Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

But AccuWeather and other weather predictors say hotter temps are on the way. So where ya gonna go when it gets searing, smoking, steaming, scorching, sticky, sizzling hot?

Here are some ideas that take you beyond your window AC unit or your neighborhood pool.

1 Scream for ice cream. July is National Ice Cream Month, and next Sunday is National Ice Cream Day (declared in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan). Scope out places for great scoops.

2 Walk through the Underwater Polar Bear Tunnel at Water's Edge at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.

3 Jump in the computer-controlled fountains at Downtown's PPG Place and SouthSide Works or the fountain sprinkler at Mellon Park in the East End.

4 Ride the (over) air-conditioned Port Authority buses -- brrrrr.

	Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette The Underwater Polar Bear Tunnel at Water's Edge at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Click image for larger version. Slideshow: Great place to chill

5 Go deep in the Tour-Ed Mine in Tarentum, where temperatures hover at a constant 52 to 55 degrees year-round. Tours 120 feet below the surface have been offered since 1970, when miners stopped removing coal. Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the mine is just off Route 28 at 748 Bull Creek Road. 724-224-4720, www.tour-edmine.com.

6 Go to the movies!

7 Slide down the Meadow Run rock slides at Ohiopyle in Fayette County

8 Visit Polar World, the Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life, on the third floor of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland.

9 Chill out at the Ice Plant Restaurant in Greene County. The block building on 200 acres on the Monongahela River operated as an ice plant that also produced soda pop and ice cream in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Later it was used as a dance hall (upstairs still has the graffiti left by dancers in the 1950s) and a game room. It's been a restaurant and bar since 1996. Owner Lisa Miller says the original ice clamps are still in the ceiling, although now covered up.

Among its offerings are frozen drinks, including Blue Ice, as well as the "Absolute Ice Plant," an award-winning steak and cheese sandwich. It's at 342 Stoney Hill Road, Greensboro; 724-943-4324, www.iceplantweb.com.

10 Cool down at Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," the Pittsburgh CLO's production at the Benedum Center through next Sunday.

11 Lace up your skates and glide over to an indoor ice rink. Most have public skate sessions daily, even over the summer. Check out BladeRunners Ice Complex (three locations: Harmarville, 412-826-0800; Bethel Park, 412-833-8500; Marshall, 724-722-0022); Robert Morris University Island Sports Center on Neville Island (412-397-3335); Center Ice Arena in Delmont (724-468-1100); Ice Connection of Pittsburgh in Middlesex (724-898-2440); and others.

Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette Ollie Fowler and her husband, Syd, of McCandless skate with Joan Pancoast of Glenshaw at BladeRunners Ice Complex in Marshall. Click photo for larger image.

12 "Christmas in July" shopping? You betcha. Get a jump on your holiday shopping at the Shoppes of Scenery Hill in Washington County, Saturday and next Sunday (724-945-5116); Old General Store in Donegal, Friday through next Sunday (724-593-7112); and at other places.

Or decorate your camper with Christmas lights, trees and other holiday glitz for Milton Loop Campground's annual decorating contest, July 27-28. First place is a restaurant gift certificate. Located in Dayton, Armstrong County. 1-813-257-9872.

13 You don't have to go far to chill out if you equip your back yard with the new misting systems being rolled out for home use.

Rapid Cool Misting Systems is one national company that promises to take the heat out of the outdoors. Its systems, incorporated with landscaping, decks and patios, can "flash cool" air in seconds, lowering temperatures by 30 degrees, company officials say.

Costs range from $1,200 to $5,000 depending on system. To find out more, call 1-800-573-4437 or visit rapidcool.net.