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Summer’s here and the livin’s easy. But that’s no excuse to spend the next three months on your couch. Get outside, join a sports team, take photos, scout out some adventure, test your luck and enjoy good wine. Here’s a kick-start!



SAY “CHEESE”

You don’t need to wait for your wedding to get professionally photographed. Local photographers offer great deals on photo shoots around the city (think engagement shoot without the ring). Pose for photos with your girlfriends, family or your hubby in fun settings such as Folsom Lake, Old Sac, the Tower Bridge, William Land Park and the Riverfront Promenade. Expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $300 for a couple of hours of shooting. For those on a tight budget, consider hiring an advanced photography student or finding local beginning photographers on flickr.com.

Want to feel more comfortable behind the lens? Local photography clubs offer practice and learning opportunities for photographers of all skill levels. Enhance your knowledge of digital SLR cameras and experiment on club outings around the region, capturing everything from downtown city shots to landscapes of the American River. Groups hold monthly meetings with guest speakers, workshops, critiques and competitions. Some organize community photo exhibits and volunteer to photograph local events. Bring your own camera and be prepared to pay a minimal annual membership fee.

* The Photography Club of Davis (photoclubofdavis.org)
* Sierra Camera Club (sierracameraclub.com)
* El Dorado Camera Club (eldoradocameraclub.com)



FOR COMPETITION SEEKERS

Feeling hungry (really hungry)? Try a food challenge.

* Parker’s Hot Dogs of Santa Cruz: Tackle 5 pounds of chili dogs and fries within 20 minutes. Only one person has ever completed the challenge. The Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” star Adam Richman couldn’t even finish the meaty meal at the Roseville eatery.

* Suki Sushi Challenge: Eat 4 pounds of specialty sushi rolls within one hour. If you don’t complete the challenge, you pay for the $29 meal. Call this South Sacramento restaurant to schedule a time.

* Sweet Lew Burger Challenge: How about gravy fries, a 16-ounce burger, a fried chicken breast, pastrami, fried egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato and a pickle—all inside two buns? And you have to drink a pint of beer. The record stands at 9 minutes, 58 seconds. Think you can beat it? The challenge is available only during the summer months at The Chef’s Table in Rocklin.

*King of Sacramento Cheesesteak Challenge: Pound down two 15-inch cheesesteaks (each with one pound of steak, lettuce, tomato and mayo), a large order of steak fries, a large drink and a Tastykake in less than one hour at The Cheesesteak Shop in Sacramento. Only 15 people have succeeded.


Feeling lucky? It’s no Vegas, but some would say the Sacramento region has better gambling than Reno. Area casinos offer low buy-in poker and blackjack tournaments with large guaranteed winnings.

* Thunder Valley: The Lincoln casino holds Texas Hold ’Em low-limit $40 to $100 buy-in tournaments every day at various times. Higher buy-in and no-limit tournaments are held once a month.

*Red Hawk Casino: Every Tuesday, the Placerville casino hosts a $25 buy-in blackjack tournament at 5 p.m. Final payout depends on the number of entered players.



WINE & DINE IN FAIR PLAY

Fair Play in El Dorado County is home to 20 family-owned boutique wineries.

*Colibri Ridge Winery & Vineyard and neighboring wineries Oakstone, Obscurity Cellars and DKCellars will feature wines made from grapes grown along Slug Gulch Road in Fair Play for the Fourth Annual Slug Fest on Aug. 6 and 7. Light appetizers will be served. No charge with last year’s glass; $5 for newcomers.

*Join Perry Creek Winery on Aug. 7 for a free barbecue from noon to 3 p.m. RSVP no later than July 28 to events@perrycreek.com or call (530) 620-5175.

* Stop at Fitzpatrick Winery and Lodge on the first Friday of every month for homemade wood-fired pizzas between 5 and 9 p.m. and views of the entire region. Reservations are required. Every second Friday, see blues rocker Jonny Mojo and Friends perform live.

* On Aug. 13, Perry Creek, Toogood Estate Winery and three others host the Fair Play Wine and Poker Run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Each winery you visit presents you with an envelope containing a playing card. At the end of the day, you’ll have at least five cards to create your hand. The best hands receive prizes like a night at Fitzpatrick’s Lodge. Sample wines, take home your favorite bottles and enjoy dinner. Total cost: $89.50 per person. Order tickets online at fairplaywineandpokerrun.com.



GET CONNECTED

The Social Media Club of Sacramento, created in 2009, has monthly meetups for locals interested in exploring how social media enhances our lives and connects us all. Discussions include social media best practices, industry standards and ethical concerns. Social Media Club is an international organization with more than 100 active chapters. Follow the group on Twitter @SMCSac.

Meet your Twitter connections in person at monthly TweetUps in Sacramento, Placer County and Folsom. The free meetings aim to connect digitally attached people through events like scavenger hunts, happy hours and restaurant outings. Anyone, even non-Tweeters, can attend.

* Placer Business TweetUp (@placerbiz)
* Sacramento TweetUp (@sactweetup)
* Folsom TweetUp (@folsomtweetup)


FOOTLOOSE

Dancing is good for your physique and your social life. Locals can swing, step and cha-cha any night of the week at restaurants, bars and dance studios around town.

Head to The Stoney Inn for the Rockin’ Rodeo nightly country dance party. Every night of the week, professional dancers teach line dancing, two-step and swing group lessons. No reservations are required; just show up in your boots and hat. Live music, a full bar and a room full of dancing cowboys and girls? Yee-haw!

The Station, a Roseville restaurant and lounge surrounded by old railroad cars, hosts a different genre of dance every night of the week on its two dance floors. Before the floor opens up to the public, The Station’s instructors give lessons on the theme of the night, from Sunday’s West Coast Swing to Fridays ’80s dance party and karaoke. Some instructors charge $5 to $10, while others teach for free.

Join hundreds of dancers at Midtown Stomp for East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop dancing every Friday night. Start with beginning swing lessons from 8 to 9 p.m., then join open dancing from 9 p.m. to midnight. Don’t miss live music twice a month, featuring bands from around the world. No partner needed!

Put your rhythm to the test on Tuesday nights at The Davis Graduate, where salsa lessons start at 9:30, followed by open dancing.



BREW YOUR OWN

Brew six cases of your own 12- or 22-ounce bottles of beer at Brew it Up! in downtown Sac. Choose from ales, lagers, pilsners and bocks, and add as much hops, malts and flavor extracts as you wish to give your beer a personalized touch. Customized labels are available.

Turn brewing into a hobby with the help of Brew Ferment Distill. The Oak Park store opened last year and has all the ingredients needed to brew not only your own beer, but make your own wine, soda, kombucha (fermented tea) and cheese.



FOR ADVENTURERS

Go hang gliding: Launch off with Sacramento Hang Gliding near Rancho Murieta. Beginners start with flight theory, which explores how the glider works. Next, the simulator helps students get a feel for flight, then instructors help students get 5 to 10 feet off the ground. After five four-hour lessons, most people are able to fly off an 80-foot training hill. Sessions are $140 each, and package deals are available. All equipment is provided; all you need to bring is a love of heights.

Moaning Cavern Adventure Park: For underground adventure, rappel 165 feet down into the Moaning Cavern, the largest single-chamber public cave in California. Two hours of guided exploration through deep chambers and passages will reveal the location where more than 100 human remains were once found. Most areas are undeveloped and don’t have lights, stairs or walkways, so explorers climb and belly crawl with lighted helmets. For the less adventurous, walking tours also are available. For large groups, reservations are required.

Moaning Cavern Adventure Park: Fly across the Gold Country foothills on Moaning Cavern’s twin zip lines. For $39, you can race a friend on the 1,500-foot double cables at speeds averaging 40 mph. The only requirement: weighing between 70 and 260 pounds. No reservations are required, but call ahead to check for availability.

Go paintballing: The nine fields at Capital Edge Paintball Park in Sacramento range from turf to urban settings and are filled with mounds, spools, bunkers and a newly added castle. The family-owned business, home to one of the top five paintball players in the world, often hosts fundraisers and regional tournaments. The park is open only on weekends, and players and families of all ages and skill levels are welcome.

Go kart racing: Race up to speeds of 40 mph on one of RPM Indoor Kart Racing’s four track layouts. No prior experience is necessary, but RPM does require you to watch a training video before jumping in a cart. Adults (18 and older) can attend alone; RPM also offers junior race camps for the younger set.