First of all, there is no endless summer, unless you live somewhere like Hawaii or Bora-Bora.

But that doesn’t mean your Jersey summer has to be an endless litany of traffic jams, heat waves, balky air-conditioning and other warm-weather headaches. 

And with summer 2015 starting to wind down, it’s seemed the perfect time to put together our Jersey Summer Bucket list — a list of the defining summertime Jersey experiences that you should tackle before time runs out. 

There are a few Shore-related activities on my list (if you’ve never been to Wildwood, what are you waiting for?), but most of these are scattered around the state, from High Point to Bivalve. (Yes, Bivalve. Just down the road from Shellpile.)

I could have suggested you go Nature Boy or Girl and visit the state’s only legal nude beach, but these are all wholesome, g-rated activities, like exploring New Jersey’s most scenic back roads, or wandering through the state’s best food neighborhood, or getting lost in the Pine Barrens.

My list takes you indoors and outdoors, will keep you high and dry and get you totally wet, encourages you to explore the swamps of North Jersey and a secret garden; go to a drive-in movie or professional rodeo (wait, in New Jersey?); and visit museums where you can admire a hand-cranked submarine and see (but not sample) a 125-plus-year-old slice of wedding cake. 

There are 25 must-do things on my Jersey summer bucket list, and while you probably won’t be able to do them all before summer’s over, so you can file the rest away for next summer.

We’ve also included a convenient check-list, which you can download and keep in your wallet or on your phone — to mark your progress through this tour of summertime wonders.   

And if you have a favorite summer activity that didn’t make my list (staying home and avoiding traffic and the rest of the human race doesn’t count), let me know below.

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile.