Last I checked, there are almost 200 shopping malls in Singapore, and it isn't surprising that most of our day-to-day activities include heading to one of them, be it for meals, grocery shopping or simply for retail therapy. I'm not sure about you, but for me, it is getting pretty boring.

Wouldn't it be more interesting if there are other things we can do to catch a break other than walking up and down a mall, spending our hard-earned money?

As a car guy with car friends, I often partake in the seemingly pointless but actually highly-relaxing activity of sitting around in carparks and chatting with friends.

Before you give your verdict, why not grab some friends and family, hop into your car and check out these places that car enthusiasts love to gather at? You might find out just why these locations are so attractive, and you might even fall in love with these spots!

Changi Airport

Changi Airport's vast carparks are a favourite hangout spot among car enthusiasts. Carpark 4B at Terminal 4 happens to be a prime spot for car photos thanks to its lighting and backdrop of the Airport Terminal as well.

As an airport, it operates 24 hours a day with various cafe and restaurants that does so as well, so no matter the time or occasion, you will surely be able to find a good spot to sit down and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

The latest addition to Singapore's world-famous airport, Jewel Changi, is yet another reason for you to hang out at the airport. Not only does it feature countless shops, cinema and restaurants that open till late (some are open 24 hours a day as well), there's also plenty of attractions such as the Rain Vortex!

Dempsey Hill

Dempsey Hill is a calm and serene breakfast location littered with classy restaurants and perhaps one of the best thing for car enthusiasts - a free parking area. It is also the location where 'Cars & Kopi', the local rendition of the 'Cars & Coffee' car meets where car owners meet up to admire and chat about each others' cars, is held at.

Did we mention free parking? While the cafe and restaurants here are on the pricier side, it is a nice spot for you to catch up with your families and friends. You can chat away over a nice cup of coffee at one of the classy establishments, and if you are in luck, you might also get to admire some nice classic cars or exotic supercars that frequent the area.

East Coast Park

East Coast Park (ECP) is one of the popular spots for car meets due to its large carparks, many of which offer free parking. This makes it an excellent location for car groups to gather and admire each other's rides.

Being the biggest park in Singapore, it is also a favourite location for family outings. ECP is equipped with countless barbeque pits, a vast sandy beach, cycling paths, a cable ski facility, a skate park, laser tag and many other food and beverage establishments as well as fast food restaurants. Instead of lounging in an air-conditioned mall, why not head to ECP for a weekend of active, outdoor fun!

Kallang Leisure Park

While the cluster of open-air parking spaces near Kallang Leisure Park has been earmarked for development for the Singapore Sports Hub and is no longer as big as before, the area still features quite a fair amount of parking spots.

Kallang is a rather centralised location that you can easily get to, even by public transport, but most importantly, it is also a historic location where motorsports events used to be held. From the 1990s till late 2000s, the carpark area at Kallang was used for legal organised carpark rally events as well as drag races.

Apart from the vast parking spaces available, there is also a cinema, bowling facilities and various restaurants at Kallang Leisure Park and Kallang Wave Mall. Also in the vicinity is the cluster of Mcdonald's, KFC and Decathlon sports retail megastore. At Kallang, there's plenty of things to do.

Kent Ridge Park

The curvy road leading to Kent Ridge Park is known colloquially as '99 bends' - while it is a short stretch of road, it consists of a string of tight curves that makes it a challenging and fun road to drive on. There are a couple of parking spots atop the hill, where car enthusiasts are often seen gathering at.

But this location is more than just a car enthusiast hangout spot. Kent Ridge Park is a historical park where one of the last battles were fought during World War II - located at one end of the Canopy Walk is the 'Reflections Bukit Chandu' museum where you can learn more about the heritage of Singapore. At the lookout point located near the main carpark on the top of the hill, you can also enjoy a beautiful scenery overlooking the ports and the sea.

Yishun Dam / Seletar

Yishun dam is located near Yishun Avenue 1, linking Yishun to the Seletar area. It is a serene location where you can park your car along the road and enjoy the cool breeze at night. It is a popular meeting spot for car enthusiasts.

This is a nice spot to sit around, enjoy the scenery and the cool night breeze while you catch up with your family and friends. Seletar, which is situated right beside Yishun Dam, has many cafes and restaurants that are located within the quiet estate - perfect getaway from the usual hectic lifestyle we have!

Also located in Seletar are plenty of colonial era black and white houses that can serve as a really pretty backdrop for your photos!

This article was first published in sgCarMart.