Here are 4 ways to have cool summer fun as Missouri temperatures climb

Once-moderate July temperatures are giving way to much hotter days.

Columbia's high temperatures are expected to be in the 90s all week, with the apex likely coming midweek. If you're looking for a place to stay safe, cool down, and have a little fun, here are four ideas.

1. Head into the Devil's Icebox

You feel the creeping cool the nearer you come to this area of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, which stays close to 56 degrees year-round. While the namesake cave is closed to visitors, room on either side of the natural feature will introduce a lovely, mossy calm and the chance to dip one's feet in frigid water. Be warned: your glasses just might fog as proof of your ascension back into summer reality.

2. Hit the beach

While there are no oceanside properties in Columbia, you can find a beachy experience, moving back and forth at will from water to sand at Stephens Lake Park or enjoying the shoreline at Finger Lakes State Park.

3. Stay near the spray

Columbia houses a number of spraygrounds, perfect for a quick cool down or a childlike session running through towering streams of water; Stephens Lake Park, Douglass Park and Flat Branch Park are among the more popular sprayground options.

4. Grab a sweet treat

Cool off from the inside out at Columbia's ice cream and frozen yogurt shops. Sparky's on Ninth Street is a popular local stop with deliciously unpredictable flavors. Rich custard spots like Andy's, Randy's and Culver's delight, as do other chains.

For a refreshing twist, El Fogon Veracruzano on Broadway offers up ice cream treats as well as a number of authentic, Mexican-style paletas and popsicles.

If you want something cool without the ice cream headache, check out Yogoluv downtown or VooDoo Sno on the Business Loop across from Cosmo Park.

More: Columbia will see heat advisory through Thursday. Here's how hot it will feel

Don't forget Columbia's cooling centers

While not necessarily centered around a given activity, the city offers a number of cooling centers, where residents can stop for temporary relief or a longer time to decompress. Among them:

• Activity and Recreation Center, 1701 W. Ash St.
• City Hall, 701 E. Broadway
• Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services, 1005 W. Worley St.
• Columbia Public Library, 100 W. Broadway
• Salvation Army, 1108 W. Ash
• Salvation Army Harbor House, 602 N. Ann St.

Find hours and more details about these cooling centers at https://www.como.gov/health/public-health-safety/warming-and-cooling-centers/ .

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here are 4 ways to have cool summer fun as Missouri temperatures climb