A favorite summer destination is an educationally themed week in a university setting. Elderhostel has the most comprehensive schedule of these, but it isn't the only source. Several years ago we attended the Shakespearean Festival at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, and every hour was filled with educational and entertaining activities.

At night, we attended professional-level performances, including such classics as “Hamlet”, “Richard III” and “Julius Caesar”. For two of the days, there was an outdoor fair, where the festival staffers dressed in appropriate Renaissance costumes and mingled and dined al fresco with the attendees. Other activities during the day included lectures and discussions conducted by university staff, actors and other Shakespeare experts.

There are thousands of cool senior-friendly programs throughout the U.S. and Canada for the hot summer months. Before you make any hard and fast plans, surf the internet, check out summer schedules at universities, and talk with friends and family about their preferences. Some of the best are offered by Elderhosel and AARP.

One warning, other than do not walk down Las Vegas Boulevard when the temperature is 115, is that summer is also everyone else's vacation time. So, to avoid the crowds and high prices, and you have no other September schedules to keep, you can also find much less expensive and uncrowded destinations. Give the weather a chance to cool off a bit and make your post-summer travel plans for just after Labor Day.