Porch-sitting is becoming a new pastime from Seaside, Fla., to Sacramento, Calif. Tired of being held prisoner to the television set and climate-controlled interiors, many people are recapturing the ...

Across America this summer, the incessant whine of air conditioning units soon may be joined by the gentle creak of an old-fashioned porch swing or the soft, swooshing squeak of a glider.