SALT LAKE CITY — School is right around the corner, which means summer is coming to a close.

Since I’m one for squeezing every last drop out of my summer experience, I’ve compiled another list of things you need to do before the summer ends. You can check out the 2013 article online.

If you have already gone to a baseball game, filled your weekends with hikes in the mountains and eaten your fill of ice cream cones, here are some additional ideas for capping off your summer.

Go boating

I mean this in the broadest sense: sailing, speed boating, fishing boat, jet skiing, paddle boating, canoeing, kayaking, etc.

If you don’t have a boat, look at renting a vessel, or go with friends and split the cost. If you have a friend or family member with one, even better for you and your friend, who is probably looking for any excuse to take it out.

Whether you’re sailing, skiing, just paddling around, or jumping off the side for a refreshing swim throughout the afternoon, a day out on the lake might be the perfect ending to a summer. Slather on the sunscreen, grab your lifejackets and head for a body of water.

Make a food crawl

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The idea behind a food crawl is to enjoy several different cuisines or restaurants in one trip. Rather than sit down at a single restaurant for the entire meal, you move around to two or three restaurants for different courses.

While not strictly a summer activity, the season does offer a particularly relaxed pace for the food crawl. Choose a few restaurants within walking distance of one another and stop at one for drinks and appetizers, head to a second location for your main course, and lazily walk your (hopefully) not-too-stuffed stomach to the final destination for a dessert.

The Today Show offers a few practical tips for those embarking on a food tour, including going on slower days and telling the restaurant host you are just there for appetizers or dessert.

If you are intimidated by the options, you can book a Salt Lake City or Park City food tour or find outlines online for food tours of Salt Lake City.

Escape the heat

If you don’t already live above the heat, climb in elevation for some cooler weather.

Perhaps one of the best parts of living in the shadow of the Rockies is the accessibility to cool, clean, mountain air. Get up there for a picnic, camping, fishing or just a drive through.

If you would rather spend your time indoors than out, spend an evening or a weekend in Park City for shopping and a museum stroll or a visit to Cedar City for a Shakespearean play.

In case you want to stick around close-to-home, visit one of Utah’s many museums and learn something new, shop for some end-of-season deals at one of Utah’s outlet malls or go swimming at the community pool.

Eat a snow cone

You can make your own, spring for an artisanal cone for one (or two on a date night) or take the entire family out for some Sno Shack shaved ice. But you definitely shouldn’t let summer close without eating a snow cone.

Try a new flavor, let the kids indulge in a suicide — mixing all the flavors together — then run the sugar off at a nearby splash pad.

Sleep under the stars

August is a great time to lay out under the open sky, thanks to the Perseid meteor shower and, this year, the supermoon that aligns with it. According to NASA, the best time to watch it is Aug. 11, 12 and 13.

So whether it’s in a backyard, up in the mountains or in a KOA campground, check the weather and make sure you’re setting up in a safe spot, then lay out a tarp, some sleeping pads and bags and catch some z’s. Or more likely, lie there and chat with your best friend who you bring along.

Swim in a natural body of water

Get the kids out of that chlorinated, heated pool and have them swim with the fishes before they have to sit behind their desks at school.

Take your pick from one of Utah’s many reservoirs, swimming holes, or the slow-moving spots of a stream or river. Bring life jackets and some sandwiches and let them slip into acting like the wild creatures they are.

Visit a national or state park

Get out into one of Utah’s five national parks or one of the 43 state parks managed by Utah. Depending on your choice of destination, proximity and flexibility with sleeping arrangements, you could plan this trip in an afternoon.

Use your time in nature do do some camping, hiking, fishing, nature watching, boating, ATV riding and learning about Utah’s geological past. Families can squeeze in as many miles of trails as they can handle for hiking and OHV riding and kids can become junior rangers.

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