BY MELISSA HECKSCHER >STAFF WRITER

If ever there's a time to be in a relationship (or go out on a date), it's summertime.

Why? Because Los Angeles is so chock full of perfect-for-two activities this time of year, you'd think there's actually a bona fide "summer" to be had.

So grab your sweetie and try some of these seasonal spots:

Like it or not, some guys will only go to the art museum at the prompting of a significant other. So take advantage of his amorously inspired artsy side by heading to LACMA for free Friday night concerts featuring local jazz bands.

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays, through November

Where: LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

Cost: Free (after 5 p.m., LACMA admission is pay-as-you-wish).

Information: (323) 857-6000, www.lacma.org.

Cinespia's Cemetery Screenings feature old-time favorites such as "Blue Velvet" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much," all projected under the stars onto the famed Hollywood Forever Cemetery's giant mausoleum building.

Food and drinks (including alcohol) are allowed, so pack a picnic, stake out your spot on the lawn, and make a night of it. DJs spin records before and after the screening.

Superstitious folks, don't worry. You don't actually sit on the grave sites. Seating for the films is on the lawn beside the graves.

When: Saturdays and Sundays, through September. Gates open at 7:30 p.m.; film starts at 9 p.m. (Hint: People start lining up about 5 p.m.)

Cost: $10; parking is $5.

Information: www.cinespia.org.

A summertime tradition in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural outdoor amphitheater in the United States and the warm(er) weather home of the L.A. Philharmonic. Performances range from jazz and classical to Broadway and world music.

Hint: To really impress, get box seats and order a Bowl-made gourmet picnic, delivered to your seats.

When: Through September (days and times vary).

Cost: $1 to $100, depending on the show and your seat.

Information: (323) 850-2000, www.hollywoodbowl.com.

There's nothing like dancing on the sand. The Santa Monica Twilight Dance Series features world-renowned acts every Wednesday evening in the summertime. Music ranges from salsa and hula to Afropop and reggae.

When: 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 28.

Cost: Free.

Information: www.twilightdance.org

The Sunset Summer Concert Series in Hermosa Beach offers a similar program, featuring local but long-celebrated musical acts.

When: At sunset, three consecutive Sundays beginning July 20.

Cost: Free.

Information: (310) 318-0280, www.hermosabch.org

Sure, you might not make it down to Orange County all that often. But Laguna Beach's Festival of Arts is like going to the theater, the art museum and the symphony in one fell swoop. The keystone of the festival is The Pageant of the Masters, a spectacle in which actors are painted, posed and inserted like puzzle pieces into giant replicas of art masterpieces.

When: July 9 through Aug. 30.

Where: 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach,

Cost: $15 to 30 for upper-tier seats (all other seats are already sold out)

Information: www.foapom.com, (949) 494-1145

There's something about seeing the Bard performed on a warm summer night. And, not surprisingly, in a city full of actors, there are plenty of options for seeing Shakespeare. Here are a few:

In the woods ...

Details: Nestled into a Topanga Canyon hillside and in the middle of the forest, the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum seems made to be the fairy-filled world of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream," although other plays, including MacBeth, are on the summer calendar.

Where: Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga Canyon.

Cost: $20 to 28; $8 for children 5-12; free for children under 5.

Information: (310) 455-3723, www.theatricum.com.

By the sea...

Details: Lay down a blanket and take in some "To Be or Not to Be," sea-breeze style.

When: Wednesdays through Sundays, through Aug. 9.

Cost: Free.

Information: www.shakespearebythesea.org.

In the park...

Featuring the internationally renowned Independent Shakespeare Company, these performances at Barnsdall Art Park are arguably the best of the best when it comes to the Bard.

When: Thursdays through Sundays, through Aug. 24.

Cost: Free.

Information: (818) 716-9306, www.independentshakespeare.com.

SEE A MOVIE IN A CEMETERY

Where: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.

SEE THE SYMPHONY AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL

Where: 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood.

DANCE ON THE BEACH

Where: Santa Monica Pier.

WATCH ART COME ALIVE (LAGUNA BEACH FESTIVAL OF ARTS)

When: Thursdays through Sundays until Sept. 27.

Where: Multiple locations, including Point Fermin Park in San Pedro, Valley Park in Hermosa Beach, Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach and Bluff Park in Long Beach.

SEE SHAKESPEARE OUTDOORS

Where: Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

Melissa Heckscher is the author of six books including "Date Him or Dump Him? The No-Nonsense Relationship Quiz" (Quirk Books, 2005). She can be reached at melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com.