Gabriela Herman / Submitted photo via New York Times News ServiceEnjoy something bright and beautiful: These jam jars are filled with colorful sweet peas from Floret, a flower farm in Washington state.

Remember that feeling when school was out and long, sun-filled days and starry nights stretched before you as if they’d last forever? These sights, tastes and sounds from around the U.S. will help you recapture the season’s sense of infinite possibilities, whether you’re a first-time visitor up for a road trip or just looking for a good beach. Come on in — the water’s warm.

First things first

Cool off in a crystal-clear body of water. White-water-raft through the Snake River Canyon of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Put your car on a boat

Sometimes the best road trips don’t require roads. Take the scenic route on one of these ferries:

• West Coast — You can cross Puget Sound — going from Port Defiance in Tacoma or Fauntleroy in Seattle on the Washington State DOT Ferries to Vashon Island — in just 20 minutes. Look for sea lions and orcas, then explore the island’s beaches and shops.

• Way Northwest — At 10 hours, the Alaska Marine Highway System Ferry from Juneau to Sitka is practically a cruise — and the scenery is spectacular, including forests, the Coast Mountains and the Mendenhall Glacier, all viewed from a heated solarium.

Bask in a killer sunset

Settle in on a blanket at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara, California, across from famed Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore.

Run through the sprinklers

Sure, your backyard hose will get the job done, but this city oasis makes the experience next-level:

Cool off in 13,000 gallons of H2O down the concrete cliffs of Keller Fountain Park in Portland.

Behold a natural wonder

Aug. 25 is the centennial of the National Park Service (thank you, Teddy Roosevelt!), so all 127 parks that charge admission are waiving it from that day through Aug. 28. Each offers breathtaking landscapes, from the red-rock formations in Arches in Moab, Utah, to the mesmerizing dune patterns at Great Sand Dunes in Mosca, Colorado.

Break for food festivals

Talk about an embarrassment of riches — there’s a fest for practically every day of the summer.

• Aug. 12 to 14 — Taste what’s known as “purple gold” in pancakes, ice cream, cheesecake and more during the 37th annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek, Montana.

Hunt for treasure

Mark your calendar to scour this trove:

The Renegade Craft Fair, in Seattle on July 23 and 24, brings together more than 200 makers in a renovated aircraft hangar.

Saddle up

See cowboys ride, rope and barrel-race — all in a spectacular Rocky Mountain-top setting — during the 91st anniversary Rooftop Rodeo in Estes Park, Colorado, from July 6 to 11. Explore the range at Red Horse Mountain Ranch in Harrison, Idaho, which offers weeklong family dude-ranch packages all summer long.

Attend an outdoor concert

Show tunes: The Reno Philharmonic’s “Broadway on the Beach” at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, in Nevada.

Breathe in some beauty

Across the country, flowers are in full bloom.

• The Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon is showcasing four bamboo artists at the Bending Nature show, beginning Aug. 20. • The International Peace Garden straddles the border between Canada and North Dakota — and from late July through the end of August, it bursts with roses, geraniums, petunias and lilies.

Watch a film alfresco

Who wants to sit inside a theater on a gorgeous night? Enjoy a movie — and a balmy breeze — on one of these screens.

• Mile-high flicks are preceded by a concert and a stand-up comic in the breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheater during the Denver Film Society’s Films On The Rocks series, running through September 6.