It’s July, it’s hot and sunny, and it’s been nothing but iced lattes for the last week. Yup, summer is officially here! So bring on the beach blankets, golden hour photo shoots, fresh fits, and patio BBQs!

If you’ve already been in Oshawa for a couple years or if you’ve just moved from outside of the city, there’s lots of fun adventures waiting for you to discover in and around Oshawa this summer for a student on a budget. Because let’s be real, school is far too expensive to justify dropping $200 on a Nelly concert.

So let’s get into it. Here are our top choices for what to do around Oshawa this summer:

1. Biking/Walking the Waterfront Trail

When there’s not much going on but the weather is nice and you want to take advantage of it, having this on in the back pocket is great. Hop on the 901 DRT bus anywhere along Simcoe street (free of charge for all current full-time Ontario Tech students through your U-Pass) and head straight down to Lakeview Beach Park. From there you can enjoy stunning views of Lake Ontario as you cruise along at your own pace.

According to waterfronttrail.org you can supposedly travel this trail from the Quebec/Ontario border, down to Windsor, then up around Lake Huron to Sault Ste. Marie—only 3600 KM, if you’re looking for a challenge, lol!

2. Lakeview Beach Park

Which segues nicely into our next must-do: the beach! Believe it or not Oshawa actually has a pretty decent beach, and you can actually swim in the water (most of the time 😂 Check the beach report before you go). Perfect for those hot days where you want to focus on nothing but a cooler full of cold drinks, a game of Spike Ball, and your perfectly curated playlist. Make the most of it with these essentials:

• Sunscreen, sunglasses and a floppy hat
• Parasol and blanket
• Ball/Frisbee for water games
• Floatie
• Book

3. Roadtrip

Does it even matter what the destination is? Roll the windows down, take the back roads, stop at the little shops and vendors along the way to sample local flavours and talk with the nice folks. As long as your playlist has the new Sabrina Carpenter and Lil Tecca tracks, you’re all set! A classic run is up to Uxbridge to the Kawartha Dairy for some out-of-this-world ice cream. Try the Nanimo or the Campfire S’mores for a truly unique flavour.

4. Local Camping Weekend

Not exactly free, but always makes for the most memorable weekends of the summer. All you really need is a tent, a sleeping bag, a lantern, and a cooler full of drinks and easy-to-cook-over-the-fire food (think smokies, tin foil trays of chopped up veggies, or even whole rainbow trout wrapped in tinfoil). To make things more comfortable you could bring a tablecloth, a pot/pan, and a camping stove. Oh, and bring lots of water, bug spray, and warm clothes and folding chairs for around the fire.

Darlington Provincial Park is pretty much right here in Oshawa if you don’t want to drive far. You unfortunately have to book these pretty early, but a secret is to follow the Ontario Parks Cancellations Facebook group (I know, I know, but trust me on this, it's a gold mine).

5. Local Oshawa Attractions

A quick AI prompt will give you a bunch of local places to explore when you’re stuck in the city and have limited mobility. Some of the staples include the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Canadian Automotive Museum, and Parkwood Manor. Throughout the summer there are lots of great one offs, too, like Kars on King (Aug. 22), weekly events like live music in Memorial Park, and the Oshawa Farmers' Market every Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oshawa Centre.

BONUS ATTRACTION: NEB’s Funworld

Located near Taunton and Ritson, you could probably walk here from North Campus if you really wanted to (wait, scratch that, it’s an hour walk according to Google. Take a bike or a quick bus ride!). This place is a literal one-stop-shop for all things fun indoors. There’s over 50 bowling lanes, a ton of arcade games where you can compete for the highest score and win prizes. They have bumper cars, a mini golf course, and even a little roller coaster! And after that you can grab a drink and something to eat from their restaurant. Perfect for when it’s too hot outside but you want to get out of the house.

So there you have it, that’s our list of top things to do in Oshawa this summer. If you have a hidden gem you’d like to share with students, DM us on Instagram and we’ll add it to the list. Happy exploring this summer!

💙 The OTSU

* images in this blog are used courtesy of the following sources: greatertorontohomepros.com, waterfronttrail.org, Unsplash, danplowman.com, and opseu354.ca.