Usually, when looking for good nightlife in the Greater Boston Area, it’s not a good idea to leave the city—this one summertime gem excluded. This is an outdoor club in Marina Bay, home to half of the New England Patriots. The bar is covered, along with one main room off to the side, but the majority of the area is open to the starry night and warm breeze rolling in off the ocean. Fantastic DJ’s are a standard here, along with dancers to set the tone and a beach volleyball pit and a mechanical bull for the less inhibited.

At the end of a hot summers day, this is the best place on the South Shore to burn through the night. Expect Boston prices for the drinks, but the overall experience is worth it.

For the historically inclined, stop in at the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy. It features the homestead of John Adams (recently featured in David McCullogh’s bestselling biography, and also HBO’s hit miniseries). Walk through and discover how our second President and one of the nation’s greatest patriots lived—but careful, if it’s too hot out the site is not air conditioned and can be fairly stifling. For the mercury-busting days, best to head to Hull’s scenic beaches.

This little restaurant in Cohasset’s town center is one of the best restaurants on the South Shore. The staff is attentive and the food is delicious and creative. It gets to a great start with the complimentary foccacia bread with olive oil and reduced balsamic syrup for dipping—it’s delicious! The rest of the meal will not disappoint, from a surprising tapas menu, a pizzetta menu, and the anything but standard fare.

This restaurant wins awards every year for it’s fresh off the dock food. This is the best seafood you can get in or out of Boston at prices that can’t be beat. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, and the restaurant leans out over onto the water to give a refreshing breeze and beautiful views.

This is a family owned ice cream shop with a real working ice cream truck that trolls around Hingham. They have a great family atmosphere and delicious, creative flavors like Hingham Harbor Sludge, including flavors named for each of the owner’s children, like Hurricane Madilyn and Captain Christian’s Bounty. Take your cones and walk around historic Hingham Square or head down to the scenic harbor. Note: Hingham is also the hometown of Bill Belichick and Tim Wakefield, so bring a camera—just in case!