Perhaps it’s the hot, humid weather, which conjures up childhood memories of ice cream cones, beach days and enjoying the last weeks of freedom before the school year begins again. Or, maybe it’s simply having the maturity to accept the fact that summer is fleeting and every moment must be savored. Whatever the reason, August makes most grown-ups feel like kids, intent on letting their youthful spirit soar.

Sense of Adventure
Adrenaline, a natural fountain of youth, boosts energy in response to exciting experiences.

One sure way to get those juices flowing is to view the city’s must-see landmarks from a considerable height—perhaps about 1,500 feet above the Statue of Liberty, George Washington Bridge and Yankee Stadium (when the Bronx Bombers are out of town) during a 15- to 20-minute excursion with Liberty Helicopters (Downtown Manhattan Heliport, Pier 6, East River, btw Broad & William sts., 1-212-967-6464).

Rejuvenating salt spray upon your face and wind in your hair come courtesy of Shark Speedboat Thrill Ride (Pier 16, South Street Seaport, South St., btw John & Fulton sts., 1-866-985-2542), a wet and wild 30-minute ride o’er the bounding main, traveling at 25 to 30 knots in a speedboat painted with the face of its toothy namesake predator. A lower key, but no less wondrous, experience can be found on a Sunset Cocktail Cruise (every Thurs, thru Aug. 26) aboard the 125-foot private yacht John James Audubon, run by Statue Cruises (Battery Park, 1-877-523-9849), which includes a live DJ, glass of wine, close-up of Lady Liberty and the sun disappearing behind New Jersey.

Dancing barefoot in the sand is also energizing at the three Water Taxi Beaches—South Street Seaport and Long Island City (1-212-742-1966) and Governors Island (1-866-984-6998). Footloose beachgoers can also play miniature golf (South Street Seaport), volleyball (Governors Island and Long Island City) and sunbathe (all three).

Pulse-quickening rides abound at Luna Park, (1000 Surf Ave., Coney Island, Brooklyn, 1-718-373-5862), a retro-style amusement park along the famous Coney Island boardwalk, from the relatively tame Balloon Expedition to the stomach-churning Electro Spin, Eclipse and Brooklyn Flyer. Nostalgic attractions are also found inland, specifically at Dave & Buster’s (234 W. 42nd St., 1-646-495-2015), a restaurant with an arcade full of boardwalk standards—Skee-Ball, The Claw—as well as electronic classics, such as Dance Dance Revolution.

The games continue at Bowlmor Lanes (110 University Pl., 1-212-255-8188) a bowling alley with a nightclub sensibility, thanks to its glow-in-the-dark lighting scheme and lane-side food service. A second Manhattan property, opening in Times Square this fall, promises to be even more dramatic. Fifty bowling lanes will be divided among seven areas, each representing a different location or time period in New York City history; two nightclubs, a restaurant with cuisine created by Chef David Burke and antiques from the former Tavern on the Green are in the works.

The Blush of Youth
Luxuriously pampering and beautifying treatments can keep you from looking, acting and feeling your age. “Taking care of oneself from top to toe and inside and out is the way to feel young,” says Linda Orhun, president of Destiny Beauty & Wellness Day Spa (794 Lexington Ave., 1-212-832-0431), where the menu of facials for men and women includes Beaute Neuve, a fruit acid peel that targets fine lines, uneven pigmentation and breakouts.

Similarly, nothing makes you feel as fabulous as a new haircut, styled to work with your waves and flatter your face. In addition to expert stylists who have a winning way with scissors, Butterfly Studio Salon (149 Fifth Ave., 2nd fl., 1-212-253-2100) uses gentle formulas for color and has strategies for addressing problem strands at their roots. Thick, healthy tresses convey youth, so the salon’s arsenal includes Kérastase, Shu Uemura and Rahua treatments that add shine, remove frizz, extend color and restore body.

A hot workout, literally, is performed at Bikram Yoga New York (173 E. 83rd St., 1-212-288-9642), where devotees of the discipline strike poses in rooms heated up to 100 degrees (F), which is said to keep muscles warm, encourage perspiration, eliminate toxins and make you feel flexible and limber.

Flying through the air with (or without) the greatest of ease can set hearts aflutter (in a good way) at Trapeze School New York (Pier 40 Rooftop, West St., at W. Houston St., 1-212-242-8769), an aerial sports training center, where safety belt-wearing thrill seekers and aspiring performers learn to swing like circus pros in only one lesson. You can also learn the ropes—and feel like a kid hanging from playground monkey bars—at Skybody System’s aerial fitness classes at Reebok Sports Club/NY (160 Columbus Ave., 1-212-362-6800). Classes integrate floor exercises and more elevated work using a trapeze bar and the long fabric strips acrobats call silks.

Retail Therapy
Shopping offers the thrill of the hunt and the chance to brag about it later.

Catering to youngsters and those who are, technically, adults, kidding around (60 W. 15th St., 1-212-645-6337) offers crafts books, art supplies, board games—Zingo and Quirkle, for example—and karaoke machines, as well as Barack Obama action figures. Meanwhile, FAO Schweetz, the candy shop within toy empire FAO Schwarz (767 Fifth Ave., 1-212-644-9400), is nirvana for sweet tooths, who can scoop gummy bears and other colorful confections from big bins into their own bags.

Women can satisfy their craving for playful, flirty party dresses at the SoHo boutique of Betsey Johnson (138 Wooster St., 1-212-995-5048), the designer known for frocks with feminine frills and lace, sexy silhouettes, stretchy knits with bold graphics and whimsical details. Gadget-loving guys, meanwhile, have a field day at Tent & Trails (21 Park Pl., 1-212-227-1760), with its wide assortment of GPS devices—some with three-dimensional maps, touch screens or links to pizzerias that deliver. Also popular are headlamps with white LED and infrared lights, useful when hiking and spelunking, not to mention foraging through a closet for a missing shoe.

Entertaining Options
Being amused, amazed and enthralled at a live performance is the easiest way to reconnect with the sweet sense of being young.

A glow-in-the-dark interactive musical with puppets, John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, (New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 1-212-239-6200) follows a trio of singing fish on a treasure hunt. Darkened to suggest the open sea, the stage sets off the piscine puppets’ brightly hued bodies and conceals the artists who deftly manipulate them, immersing viewers in a participatory story about courage, kindness and friendship.

Mind reading, sleight of hand, card tricks and other unexplainable feats that even make skeptics scratch their heads are staged each Sunday evening during Magical Nights at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency (540 Park Ave., 1-212-339-4095). In the sophisticated supper club (jackets requested for men), mentalists and magicians ask diners to suspend their disbelief for a few hours.

Also astonishing, four kilt-wearing vaudevillians called The Flying Karamazov Brothers juggle bizarre, unwieldy items collected from the audience in 4 Play (Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta La., 1-800-982-2787), an exuberant blend of music, comedy, dance, theater and hijinx. May your childlike wonder never cease.