5 Ways To Stay Cool Without Leaving Town

It's a hot one out there. With heat advisories in effect in Essex County and temperatures expected to soar near 100 degrees this week, it's actually harmful to  your health to be outdoors.  The heat index -- a measure of how hot the air feels when factoring in relative humidity -- is expected to rise today to unusually high levels.

Here are some suggestions for ways to beat the heat without leaving town or breaking the bank:

Get Messy and Cool -- Today from 3 to 5 p.m. at the new YOU+ME Studio at 66 Washington St., the studio will have things to paint, stamp, stick, cut and just allow people to have some messy fun with while staying cool. Bring a snack. It's $8 per tot and the studio does the clean up.

Let Them Eat Ice Cream - Try out one of the many varieties of ice cream at local shops, such as Coffey Ice Cream , Terry's Old Fashioned Ice Cream or Lime Rickey's. There is more than one meal in a day, try one from each place. 

A Cool, Dark Place - Movie showings at the library will kick off with the Disney animated film "The Princess and the Frog" on Wednesday at 2 p.m., and the Brendan Fraser fantasy film "Inkheart" on Tuesday, July 13 at 2p.m.

Splash - If you're not a member of the YMCA, for $25 a family of six can have access to the facilities, including an outdoor pool. From 12:30 to 7 p.m., families can swim.  All children 9 and under must be accompanied by an adult.  All children 6 and under must have a parent in the water with them. Other options include area beaches where parking is the only fee.

Freshen Up - Marblehead Arts Association July exhibit is titled "Fresh" for a reason. Local artists were told to create new works, fresh to local galleries. Their collective works span all media, and depict images of fresh fruit and cool water while others take a more abstract approach. Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, 10 to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission to the Mansion and galleries is free, but donations are welcome.