Let me tell you, this is gonna be an interesting one. If you're in your home town for your 21st summer, you are going to discover a part of your town that seemed cloaked from you behind some magic vail that doesn’t lift until your 21st birthday. You’re going to find winery’s and liquor stores next to your favorite places to eat that you didn’t even notice before, despite the decade you’ve lived there.

You’re going to suddenly be aware of the countless beer and music festivals that involve exotic alcoholic drinks and local breweries that you have never heard of before. Yes, this summer is going to be when you discover the true beauty and danger your town has to offer now that you’re 21. For instance, I’ve been going to the same Wegmans in my town for literally 14 years. I just noticed around Easter time when my friends and I went out to resupply our alcohol that night, that there is a beer and wine room in the back of the store. Apparently, almost every Wegmans has one.

I guess I never noticed before because, every time I’ve gone to Wegmans before I turned 21, my eyes would just overlook the alcohol because I knew I couldn’t buy it so there was no point in even seeing what was there. Then there is the part where you start noticing that your favorite places to eat in high school have drink menus that you once again didn’t notice. You probably didn’t even know these places sold alcohol because they never offered you a drink menu before. Your once small, lifeless town, with nothing to do but after school sports and movie theaters, suddenly has a new vibrant life, and opportunities.

I can now tell you that the boring country hills surrounding me, just got a lot more exciting as I realized there are actually eight wineries and breweries that I know of so far hiding in those hills. There are four legendary bar and grill places that my town is known for that I had no idea about until now. As well as the fact that Park Avenue is Rochester NY’s hub for night life on Fridays. This once small town suddenly exploded in a kaleidoscope of brilliant ideas and opportunities that were un-seeable before.

But the absolute best part of your 21-year-old summer in your home town, will definitely be when you run into your friends from high school at a bar that you all just realized existed and it dawns on you that your whole grade is now all grown up and can go out for beers to catch up.

Yes, this will be a summer of an amazing first, and you’re going to discover some amazing and crazy parts of your home town that you have never seen before. In this summer, have fun with some old friends, find some new hangouts, discover some new drinks and soak up some sun rays. Just remember, if you show up with four people, make sure you leave with four people. Nothing's worse than ordering food, then realizing you’re missing someone.