Feeling a little cooped up? Glad summer is here, but not sure how to resume your pre-pandemic car person lifestyle? Fear not. New to the scene or seasoned Cars and Coffee veteran, there’s always a fun car-related activity to do in the summer, no matter where you live. From C&C to Concourse De Elegance, these are the best ways to get out and enjoy that car enthusiast lifestyle this summer.

Summertime Cars and Coffee

Depending on where you live, you may be lucky enough that Cars and Coffee is a year-round event. Even if it isn’t in your area, summer is when C&C really heats up. Finding a Cars and Coffee can be a little intimidating at first if you’re new, or don’t have friends who share your obsession for all things mechanical. Honestly, the best way to find them is to take to Facebook. Most of the time, C&C organizers operate a Facebook page to make their events easier to find. Scrolling through those results often yields many events across the week, Cars and Coffee or not.

Reader be warned: if you’re not a morning person Cars and Coffee can be a stretch. Some events start as early as eight in the morning, meaning you’ve got to be up at the crack of dawn to get to them, and what lunatic wants to do that on their day off? Luckily, these events usually run for several hours, especially as those summer days get warmer. Even if you do oversleep, and who can blame you on the weekend, members often organize drives after the event. So, even if you do show up a little late there’s still some car-related fun to be had

Summer Formula Drift series

Formula Drift events are another great way to get yourself and your ride out of the house on a nice summer day. By now, the FD circuit is in full swing, and it’ll be hard not to find an event in your area. Formula Drift events are fantastic. Drivers are inches from other cars at an absurd speed, well past the limits of their tires, and sometimes their skill; and it’s not uncommon to see a driver spin out or spin off.

What’s more, they’re basically a car meet and a race all wrapped into one. Even walking the parking lot can be an interesting way to kill half an hour or so. It’s not uncommon to see some sweet modified rides at Formula Drift events. Pits access is often pretty open, meaning you can walk up and see the cars that will be out on track drifting later in the day.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

If you want to do a little more traveling mixed in with your summer car person plans, it doesn’t get better than the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb. In this historic race, competitors fight to see who can get up this massive 14,000 ft mountain the fastest. Spectators sit close to the action and sitting in the woods watching the cars pass gives off some old Group B rally racing vibes. Additionally, there’s typically a car show held before the race where all of the competing cars can be seen going the slowest they’ll go all weekend. No matter your car-themed interest, there’s an event for you this summer.