17 Ways Families Stayed Cool During Hot Summers in the ’60s

Life in the summer during the 1960s required innovation since most families did not have central air conditioning systems. The strategies adopted by such families included being resourceful, utilizing common spaces, water, shade, and any available cooling systems. Fans provided ventilation in warm houses while patios and open windows provided for refreshing winds in the evening. People sought movie theatres, malls, parks, and even basements for cooler areas to spend hard afternoons in. Cold drinks and frozen food products would provide instant relief, while light clothing and shaded windows would help avoid discomfort. Some families would cook outside or enjoy time in front of the one window air conditioner available.

1. Gathered Around Electric Fans

On hot days, families would gather around electric fans rather than air-conditioning their whole house. Box fans were placed in windows, while the oscillating table fans would circulate the hot air in the rooms. In some families, there was a fan that would draw cooler evening air from outside through one window, while the other window was open to facilitate air circulation. It was not uncommon for kids to sleep right in front of the blowing fans after outdoor activities. Electric fans were less expensive to operate than early room air conditioners and thus very convenient for use in many homes.

2. Opened Windows for Cross Breezes

Even before nightfall, many houses would open windows and doors to try and get any breeze that evening brought. Houses built before air conditioning in homes was common usually utilized cross ventilation, with openings designed to carry the air through multiple rooms. Screened doors let air pass but helped in keeping bugs out. The hottest time of day might see windows receiving direct sun partially blocked and then fully opened up after temperatures declined. Chairs would be moved by parents towards better locations for air, and kids took seats at the windows. This practice was free and highly effective once the sun went down.

3. Spent Evenings on the Front Porch

Many homes used the front porch as a summer room whenever indoor rooms felt hot. The whole family would move outdoors after supper, drinks were brought outside, and the children sat on the steps while the adults conversed in the twilight hours. Porches provided shade and usually enjoyed cooler air compared to enclosed spaces. Not only were people spending time outdoors, but they were transforming the process of cooling down into a social event. Folding chairs, porch swings, and gliders added to the comfort while waiting for night-time to arrive. People would watch cars pass, chat with their neighbors, and listen to the radio as the house emitted its heat.

4. Slept Downstairs on the Hottest Nights

During particularly hot evenings, families would leave the upper floor bedrooms unoccupied and sleep downstairs on the ground floor level, which was often cooler than upstairs. Heat would accumulate in the building throughout the day and evening, keeping the upstairs rooms uncomfortably warm. Families took pillows and blankets downstairs to the living room, basement, or other rooms on the first floor. Sometimes families would hang sheets between furniture or even set up mattresses directly on the floor. This was like a camping experience right inside their own homes, especially for the children. It was not very comfortable, but it beat sleeping in rooms too hot to handle.

5. Spent the Afternoon at Public Swimming Pools

The public pools were an easy choice once the summer heat took over the United States. The family would gather their towels, swimsuits, and even prepare their own food for the pool experience. Children would have the chance to enjoy swimming lessons, games, and splashing while adults were close by. Summer vacation programs also used pools as a place for children to have fun away from the house. The whistle blew, and the sound of diving boards and children’s laughter was all part of the scene in the busy afternoons. Going to the pool was not just about cooling down, but it helped to break up the day and provide some fun.

6. Turned on the Backyard Sprinkler

Those families who could not afford a swimming pool in their backyard used a common garden hose. Kids would play around splashes of water from a hose, create small pools to swim in, or chase each other through lawns sprinkled with water. With the help of a sprinkler connected to a hose, the backyard became a playground for the summer right away. Sometimes parents even joined the kids in playing or just stayed watching them get completely wet. Water felt very refreshing after playing bicycles or baseball. Everything was extremely easy. All you needed was a hose, some grass, and permission to get wet.

7. Reached for Ice Cream and Frozen Treats

Chilled food items provided additional relief from the oppressive heat in summer. Freezers would be filled with various ice creams, popsicles, and other frozen desserts, and the children would wait anxiously for the ice cream trucks to pass through their neighborhoods. An ice cream cone from a local stand was often sufficient to convert a simple drive into a mini celebration. At home, parents would serve scoops of ice cream in bowls, or give their children colorful flavored popsicles that would quickly melt outside. The items did not help to cool a house; however, they helped to cope with the heat in the afternoons.

8. Escaped Into Air-Conditioned Movie Theaters

Movie houses gave families access to something which many homes did not have yet—air-conditioning. The experience of entering an air-conditioned movie house on a blazing afternoon was almost as thrilling as watching the show. The family bought tickets, took seats in the darkened auditorium, and spent two hours away from the heat at home. Thus, summer movies became not only recreational activities but a way to cool off. Kids would watch their cartoons, adventure films, comedies, and family films, while their parents enjoyed the cold air. Movie houses had been advertising their air conditioning since the time long ago, and by the 1960s viewers already came with certain expectations.

9. Wandered Through Air-Conditioned Shopping Centers

Another cool place to visit was the shopping centers or department stores, where people could buy clothes, household items, toys, and other things under much cooler conditions compared to those outside. The first enclosed malls appeared in America by the 1960s, and families could walk long indoor corridors without worrying about sunshine at all. Parents would do some window-shopping, and kids would look at toys or have some snacks. People didn’t even need to shop sometimes because they simply wanted to stay indoors during hot weather and have something to do inside. It changed the summer lifestyle of American families because now they didn’t have to stay home on hot days.

10. Drove to Beaches, Lakes, and Rivers

Families would also make trips towards beaches, lakes, and rivers when the temperature rose. This kind of visit provided opportunities for swimming, wind, shade, and an escape from the burning city. Parents packed up their cars with towels, chairs, snacks, and inflatable equipment before heading out to find a nice spot next to the water. Children frolicked around in the water, collecting rocks, making sandcastles, or just splashing about. The adults cooled off in the water or relaxed under umbrellas. It was more difficult than simply turning on a fan, but it changed a bad day into an enjoyable adventure for the entire family.

11. Kept Pitchers of Cold Drinks Ready

Cool drinks were always within easy reach on hot summer days. People prepared pitchers of iced tea, lemonade, fruit juices, or even plain ice water and stored them in the fridge. The sound of clinking ice cubes could be heard as people came back from playing outside and as the adults completed their yard chores. Lemonade stands offered kids an opportunity for fun in dealing with pitchers of cold liquids. During picnics and backyard parties, insulated containers played an important role in keeping the drinks cold for a longer period of time. The relief was very simple yet immediate. Holding a glass with perspiration meant cooling down in hot weather.

12. Wore Light, Loose Summer Clothes

Clothing worn in the summer helped make it possible for families to cope with houses and areas without air conditioning. For children, clothing was shorts, shirts made of cotton, sleeveless tops, and sandals, while adults wore loose dresses, short-sleeved shirts, and other forms of breathable clothing. In the house, formal clothing was soon replaced by anything comfortable and convenient. Clothing made of cotton absorbed sweat and usually made one feel more comfortable than clothing made from other materials, especially during humid weather. Playing children required comfortable clothes that were able to tolerate the dirt, grass, and water. Families could not regulate the temperature of their environment but could choose what to wear.

13. Closed Shades Against the Afternoon Sun

Window shades, blinds, and curtains enabled the family to prevent sunshine from heating their rooms throughout the day. If there was bright sunshine hitting the window in the afternoon, the shades were usually drawn down by the family, or even drapes would be shut down to prevent the interior from receiving much of the sunshine. For those houses that had awnings, they received extra protection from solar rays before reaching the windows. Although the rooms may appear dark during daytime, the prevention of sunshine made a significant impact. Later in the day, when the sun became weak and the air outside cool, the curtains would be opened again.

14. Picnicked Beneath Big Shade Trees

Others managed to escape from the heat by packing up their food and going to parks for a picnic. Big trees made it possible for them to have some coolness, which was not always available in sunny backyards and hot houses. Mothers laid down the blankets under the shade of trees, unpacked picnic baskets, and started serving sandwiches and fruit. Children played in the area but later came back to the shade due to exhaustion from running around. Drinking water fountains, play areas, and places where there were more breezes were all available in public parks. It allowed the whole family to get out of the place without spending much money.

15. Retreated to the Basement

Basements were natural places for people to retreat to, if their houses had any. Since most of the area was underground, the basement would usually remain cooler than the other parts of the house such as bedrooms and lounges. People would head downstairs to engage themselves with books, board games, television, and just lounge around. The advantage of finished basements was that there was furniture and recreational areas. Even unfinished basements could be used for relief when the rest of the house was too hot. At times, kids would find that the coolest part of the house was the best place to indulge in board games.

16. Cooked Dinner Outside on the Grill

It was common practice during the summertime for families to eat outside because cooking inside made it even hotter inside the home. They would grill burgers, sausages, chicken or corn outside in the backyard and picnic areas rather than using the oven in an already hot kitchen. It was typical for many suburban homes to own a barbecue grill, which is why cookouts became synonymous with summer weekends. The parents barbecued the meat while their kids played in the backyard, and soon everyone was sitting around the patio table. Eating outside allowed the family to stay in the cool night air rather than being inside the stuffy dining room. A cookout solved two problems at once.

17. Gathered in the One Air-Conditioned Room

In homes where air conditioning was available, there was often cooling of one room instead of cooling of the whole house. Window units became more popular in the years following the war; however, central air conditioning was still not widespread. In such cases, a family would put an air conditioner in the living room or some other central room in the house and would spend time there when it was the hottest. Doors would often be kept shut so that the cold air would stay centralized in that room. Activities like watching television, reading, talking, and even taking a nap would be conducted in this room.