If you’re staying in Binghamton this summer, you might be struggling to figure out what to do with your free time. Whatever your reason for staying in the Triple Cities — whether it be a summer class or a late-starting lease — don’t buy into the rumor that there’s nothing to do around here.

1. Explore the surrounding area

The weather is finally nice, and after months of complaining, we can finally enjoy the outside deck at Zona’s. So go ahead and explore Washington Street. Hell, leave Washington Street and explore upstate New York. Take a drive through the Finger Lakes and get one of the most breathtaking views you may ever see. Ithaca is super nice, and if you spend all summer here without taking a trip to the gorges, did you spend a summer here at all? There is a place called Buttermilk Falls about an hour away. Go there while it’s still nice out before the winter hell demons destroy everything.

2. Try out the area’s carousels

In case you didn’t know, Binghamton is the carousel capital of the world. It’s even mentioned in “The Rewrite,” so you know it’s iconic. We’ve got six different historical merry-go-rounds here, and as a Binghamton resident, it is your civic duty to try them all out, especially because they’re open only in the summer. Plus, if you ride all six, you get to put it on your rèsumè.

3. Check out Ross Park Zoo

If you’re leaving a pet at home and need animals back in your life, check out the Binghamton zoo this summer. College students get a discount with their IDs and, no, you are not too old for the petting zoo.

4. Visit Binghamton’s museums

Binghamton is home to multiple museums, so don’t let your brain fry over the summer. The Roberson Museum and Science Center is celebrating its 60th anniversary and boasts a planetarium as well as history and art exhibits. The Bundy Museum of History and Art, also a participating venue for First Friday, is home to the Open Art Gallery. One of its permanent exhibits is a complete old-school barbershop that originally stood two blocks away from the IBM factory in Endicott, but was transported to the museum in 2008. The Phelps Mansion is a historic museum and Victorian mansion on Court Street. So take a tour or two this summer and get acquainted with Binghamton’s history.

5. Explore local bookstores

For a lot of us, summer is one of the only times reading for fun is actually feasible. Instead of going to Barnes & Noble to search for your next favorite novel, try visiting RiverRead Books on Court Street. The cozy independent bookstore has a great variety, so support a local Binghamton business while feeding your book addiction. The Book Peddler, a used bookstore in Smithville Flats, New York (around 30 minutes outside of Binghamton), is having its grand opening on May 30. Try picking up a copy of David Foster Wallace’s thoughtful and poignant paperweight “Infinite Jest.” It may be 1,079 pages, but it’s the summer and you have no excuses. Just think of how cultured you’ll be when you’re done.