So as many of y’all know, Summertime is coming up which means most of us will hang out with friends, spend time with family, and detox from this busy school year. The only issue when it comes to summertime is figuring out what activities to do. 

Today, I will give you a list of underrated places you can eat at or visit during this time of year!

1.Ballston Quarter: 

Ballston Quarter is a HUGE mall located in Arlington, VA, and let me tell you, the drive is worth it (especially if you’re a city person). Disclaimer: it’s mainly a food mall.  

I went there a few months ago for the first time and I was disappointed only because I wanted to shop. Although, despite that it lacked clothing stores, there were so many places to grub like there was no tomorrow. They have a wide variety of restaurants, whether that be fast food or regular sit-down restaurants, it was pretty amusing.  

List of Restaurants: (I’m listing seven but there are so many more options) 

• Bartaco: A Brazilian, Uruguay, and Southern Californian inspired restaurant that cooks upscale street food (they also specialize in cocktails as well). 
• Bollywood Bistro: contemporary Indian cuisine restaurant that cooks a wide variety of dishes  
• Chick-fil-a: I really hope I don’t have to explain this. (Google is free you know!) 
• Go Poke: A restaurant where you can build, your own Hawaiian poke bowl.  
• Hot Lola’s: A restaurant that sells sandwiches, chicken (tenders, wings and drumsticks), fries, coleslaw, and kimchi (they specialize in hot chicken sandwiches). 
• Ice Cream Jubilee: A parlor (rather than a restaurant) that serves premium-made ice cream from South Mountain creamery’s cream. All flavors are made, by hand, in small batches in Northeast Washington D.C. They also offer non-dairy vegan flavors of ice cream, hand-crafted milkshakes, and freshly baked waffle cones (they serve all sorts of flavors including boozy, cocktails, and what they call “Childhood Flavors.”) 
• Jinya Ramen Bar: They offer 6 signature broths (which include; pork bones, chicken, and vegetables) with classic Japanese ingredients. 

2. Swirlie’s Soft-Serve: I LOVE ME SOME SWIRLIES! So, for those who don’t know, they serve soft-serve ice cream, shakes, Italian ice, and other frozen treats 

3.Dulles Town Center: This is probably one of the nicest malls. It’s like if Fair Oaks and Tyson’s Corner had a baby. The mall is a HUGE mall in Sterling, VA with several clothing stores, shoe stores, jewelry stores, attractions and more!                               

4.Funland (Fredericksburg, VA): I love Funland it’s so fun like I’m not even trying to be corny guys. It’s basically a mini amusement park with laser tag, indoor rock climbing, bumper cars, an arcade, indoor rollercoasters, outdoor rollercoasters, racetracks, batting cages, and putt putt golf! (Concessions as well) 

5.Adventure Park USA (Monrovia, MD): I literally go here almost every Summer and it never gets old. They’re always adding new things and it’s honestly a blast every time I go! Adventure Park is an amusement park with an indoor arcade, outside attractions, concessions, a 3-D firework show and more! 

6.Carrabba’s Italian Grill: Not many know about this restaurant right here. The food is so bomb, the vibe and overall aesthetic of the place is excellent and their breadsticks…. CHILE- anyways…so. Carrabba’s is a restaurant that serves Italian-American cuisine so like pasta’s just the whole shebang.  

7.Silver Diner: Guys…. This is the cutest diner I’ve ever been to. For one it’s in the shape of a vintage jukebox. And inside, they have vintage jukeboxes at every table that you can use to request songs (that play in the whole restaurant.) All they play is music from the previous eras, minus 2000 era, and they have a large tv that shows music videos from those songs. They serve almost anything, from burgers to soup, salads, pastas, and their breakfast is just the bomb. They also serve desserts and cocktails. 

8.Round 1 (Woodbridge, VA): if you happen to be a game addict, then this is the place for you. Round 1 is a bowling alley/arcade in Woodbridge, VA. It’s basically Uptown Alley if they weren’t on a budget. The bougee version if you will. Any who, they serve concessions, they have all sorts of games to play, dance dance revolution, Korean and Japanese games, vintage and retro games, jackpot games that aren’t rigged, and just anything you can imagine plus bowling.  

9.Monster Mini Golf: Monster Mini Golf is an indoor putt putt golf/laser tag/arcade place in Chantilly, VA. It’s really cute and everything glows in the dark. They even have a mini bowling alley and a DJ booth. It’s definitely more fun to go at night with a group of friends and/or family.  

10.Dave & Buster’s: this is a classic place to take basically anyone you know. They have an arcade, a sports bar, VR, billiards, and more. It’s so much fun no matter which location you end up going to.