By the time you’re reading this, it will be mid-June. The temperature is creeping steadily toward the 90s, Love Island USA season 8 is underway, and my ankles have become a feasting ground for ants and mosquitoes alike. (Seriously, if anyone wants to recommend me an effective bug spray, I’m looking for a plug.) Although Summer Solstice doesn’t technically begin until June 21, we are well into the part of the year that separates the native Texans from the transplants.
Speaking of plants, this Austin stoner plans to spend the summer enjoying them: high and outside. For those getting ready to complain about the heat for the next four (okay seven) months, I want you to repeat after me, in the words of Annie DiRusso: It’s Good To Be Hot In The Summer. In a world where data centers and airstrikes are slurping up our water and frying up the planet, every second enjoying what’s left of the ozone layer counts.
Here are some ways I’ve enjoyed the prelude of stoner summer:
I recently met up with some buds for a happy hour at Tweedy’s Bar & Patio, which I realized only upon arrival used to be Spider House. The picnic tables outside made for a great place to relax with a bottle of sparkling water and some THC in my system until a sudden thunderstorm sent everyone crowding inside. (I’m sure DiRusso would say It’s Good To Be Wet In The Rain.) Once the downpour had slowed, I ventured out to the food trucks in the parking lot and marveled at the double rainbow while I waited for a sandwich from Guppys Indian Fried Chicken, which turned out to be one of the best fried chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had. My T-shirt was soaked partly from rain and partly from sweat, the quintessential Texas early summer experience.
PSA to Austin business owners: Attention to decor is great, attention to lighting is even better, but what can really make or break the ambience, I think my fellow stoners would agree, is the soundscape. So often, the indoor lighting is pleasantly dim, the outdoor fans are oscillating faithfully, but the music blaring out of the speakers is so out of sync with the rest of the atmosphere, I find myself unable either to concentrate or to relax. Even more often, these disjointed tunes are blasting at a decibel that makes stoner conversation impossible. Until we have more cannabis cafes in town, I’m going to need the showrunners of these vital third spaces to curate a sonic vibe that complements the venue. If this means taking the aux cord out of the hands of the baristas, do what you must.
Last week, I stumbled onto a great example of such a cohesive atmosphere at the Meteor, where my girlfriend and I sought refuge after a disappointing dining experience at a restaurant that shall not be named. Inside you’ll find bottles of wine, espresso drinks, and a fridge stocked with a delightful medley of local nonalcoholic beverages. You can also get a bespoke bike build there. Analyzing the menu through stoner-colored glasses, we ordered a hummus plate and Arnold Palmers and settled at a quiet picnic table in the back equidistant from a speaker and a fan with plenty of space between us and the other tables. If these details don’t strike you as important, you may still be in your early 20s. After a sack and a chat, we wandered up South Congress to finish off our joint, watch tourists purchase overpriced cowboy boots, and stumble upon Daddy’s Home, a vintage & apparel shop where we almost purchased our own cowboy boots from the excitement of it all. Thankfully, we got distracted by a crystal pop-up, one of those events that reminds me that the line between Austin and L.A. is razor-thin in certain parts of the city.
One of the best places I was stoned this month was Hyperreal Film Club, where I went with a buddy for my first-ever viewing of Moonlight. Hyperreal bills itself as “cinema for the people” and provides a great local microcinema alternative to Alamo Drafthouse, which I (along with many other Austin cinemagoers) will be boycotting at least until they overturn their recently implemented mobile-ordering policy. Don’t get me started. Moonlight may not be a stoner film per se, but there is a pivotal scene in which two of the main characters share a joint on the beach before a romantic encounter, which is close enough for me. “That breeze feel good as hell, man,” one of the main characters comments. “It make you want to cry it feels so good.” One of my favorite things about Hyperreal – they build in a 10-minute intermission so the audience can use the restroom, stretch their legs, and take a short walk around the block before the final act of the film.
The best stoner summer Saturday I’ve had so far happened this past weekend. I went to the full moon swim at Barton Springs Pool. As an Austinite of 12 years, I’m ashamed to admit that I had never actually been to Barton Springs. Like a New Yorker who hasn’t been to the Met, I haven’t been taking full advantage of the experience my city has to offer. In preparation for this canon event, we went on an epic run at a thrift store I’m going to gatekeep the name of, leaving with an oversized button-down that has the phrase “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere!” in red letters across the back. In need of proper swim towels, we made a stoned trip to Walmart, where I made the brilliant decision to purchase floating chairs, which came in very handy when I realized just how deep Barton Springs actually is. For some reason, we played Ariana Grande’s new scathing breakup song with her Spongebob suitor “hate that i made you love me” on a loop alternating with “I Do” (Cardi B feat. SZA) as a palate cleanser.
Experiencing Barton Springs (free after 9pm, by the way) for the first time through a stoned moonlit swim with friends was a summer miracle. I learned that the temperature at Barton Springs stays between 68 and 70 all year round and I also learned my limit for how long I can tread water. Every now and then, all of the swimmers would pause their splashing and chatter to howl at the full moon together. It was a transcendent experience that felt deeply connected to nature, to community, and reminded me that the city is still full of summer magic.
p.s. R.I.P. to the Pease Park troll; a stoner icon, you will be missed.
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This article appears in June 12 • 2026.
