diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 15db628..7d12670 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -16,12 +16,8 @@ High level bindings to Lua 5.4/5.3/5.2/5.1 (including LuaJIT)
 with async/await features and support of writing native lua modules in Rust.
 """
 
-[badges]
-# github-actions = { repository = "khvzak/mlua", workflow = "CI" }
-maintenance = { status = "actively-developed" }
-
 [package.metadata.docs.rs]
-features = ["async", "send", "lua53"]
+features = ["lua53", "async", "send", "serialize"]
 
 [workspace]
 members = [
@@ -88,3 +84,7 @@ required-features = ["async", "send"]
 [[example]]
 name = "async_tcp_server"
 required-features = ["async"]
+
+[[example]]
+name = "serialize"
+required-features = ["serialize"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e9a7a53..7be1778 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -33,9 +33,20 @@ Starting from v0.3, `mlua` supports async/await for all Lua versions. This works
 
 **Examples**:
 - [HTTP Client](examples/async_http_client.rs)
+- [HTTP Client (json)](examples/async_http_reqwest.rs)
 - [HTTP Server](examples/async_http_server.rs)
 - [TCP Server](examples/async_tcp_server.rs)
 
+### Serialization (serde) support
+
+With `serialize` feature flag enabled, `mlua` allows you to serialize/deserialize any type that implements [`serde::Serialize`] and [`serde::Deserialize`] into/from [`mlua::Value`]. In addition `mlua` provides [`serde::Serialize`] trait implementation for it (including user data support).
+
+[Example](examples/serialize.rs)
+
+[`serde::Serialize`]: https://docs.serde.rs/serde/ser/trait.Serialize.html
+[`serde::Deserialize`]: https://docs.serde.rs/serde/de/trait.Deserialize.html
+[`mlua::Value`]: https://docs.rs/mlua/latest/mlua/enum.Value.html
+
 ### Compiling
 
 You have to enable one of the features `lua54`, `lua53`, `lua52`, `lua51` or `luajit`, according to the choosen Lua version.
diff --git a/benches/benchmark.rs b/benches/benchmark.rs
index 7ded275..bf02c7a 100644
--- a/benches/benchmark.rs
+++ b/benches/benchmark.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 
 #[cfg_attr(
     all(feature = "luajit", target_os = "macos", target_arch = "x86_64"),
-    link_args = "-pagezero_size 10000 -image_base 100000000"
+    link_args = "-pagezero_size 10000 -image_base 100000000",
+    allow(unused_attributes)
 )]
 extern "system" {}
 
diff --git a/examples/async_http_client.rs b/examples/async_http_client.rs
index 063c8b5..c536e90 100644
--- a/examples/async_http_client.rs
+++ b/examples/async_http_client.rs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     let f = lua
         .load(
             r#"
-            local res = fetch_url(...);
+            local res = fetch_url(...)
             print(res.status)
             for key, vals in pairs(res.headers) do
                 for _, val in ipairs(vals) do
diff --git a/examples/async_tcp_server.rs b/examples/async_tcp_server.rs
index 6fcff6e..acd7b5e 100644
--- a/examples/async_tcp_server.rs
+++ b/examples/async_tcp_server.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ impl UserData for LuaTcpStream {
 
 async fn run_server(lua: &'static Lua) -> Result<()> {
     let spawn = lua.create_function(move |_, func: Function| {
-        task::spawn_local(async move { func.call_async::<_, ()>(()).await.unwrap() });
+        task::spawn_local(async move { func.call_async::<_, ()>(()).await });
         Ok(())
     })?;
 
diff --git a/examples/guided_tour.rs b/examples/guided_tour.rs
index dab9ac0..540d4b2 100644
--- a/examples/guided_tour.rs
+++ b/examples/guided_tour.rs
@@ -164,6 +164,33 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             < f32::EPSILON
     );
 
+    // Normally, Rust types passed to `Lua` must be `'static`, because there is no way to be
+    // sure of their lifetime inside the Lua state. There is, however, a limited way to lift this
+    // requirement. You can call `Lua::scope` to create userdata and callbacks types that only live
+    // for as long as the call to scope, but do not have to be `'static` (and `Send`).
+
+    {
+        let mut rust_val = 0;
+
+        lua.scope(|scope| {
+            // We create a 'sketchy' Lua callback that holds a mutable reference to the variable
+            // `rust_val`.  Outside of a `Lua::scope` call, this would not be allowed
+            // because it could be unsafe.
+
+            lua.globals().set(
+                "sketchy",
+                scope.create_function_mut(|_, ()| {
+                    rust_val = 42;
+                    Ok(())
+                })?,
+            )?;
+
+            lua.load("sketchy()").exec()
+        })?;
+
+        assert_eq!(rust_val, 42);
+    }
+
     // We were able to run our 'sketchy' function inside the scope just fine.  However, if we
     // try to run our 'sketchy' function outside of the scope, the function we created will have
     // been invalidated and we will generate an error.  If our function wasn't invalidated, we
diff --git a/examples/serialize.rs b/examples/serialize.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1b9e42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/serialize.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+use mlua::{Error, Lua, LuaSerdeExt, Result, UserData, Value};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+enum Transmission {
+    Manual,
+    Automatic,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+struct Engine {
+    v: u32,
+    kw: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+struct Car {
+    active: bool,
+    model: String,
+    transmission: Transmission,
+    engine: Engine,
+}
+
+impl UserData for Car {}
+
+fn main() -> Result<()> {
+    let lua = Lua::new();
+    let globals = lua.globals();
+
+    // Create Car struct from a Lua table
+    let car: Car = lua.from_value(lua.load(r#"
+        {active = true, model = "Volkswagen Golf", transmission = "Automatic", engine = {v = 1499, kw = 90}}
+    "#).eval()?)?;
+
+    // Set it as (serializable) userdata
+    globals.set("null", lua.null()?)?;
+    globals.set("array_mt", lua.array_metatable()?)?;
+    globals.set("car", lua.create_ser_userdata(car)?)?;
+
+    // Create a Lua table with multiple data types
+    let val: Value = lua
+        .load(r#"{driver = "Boris", car = car, price = null, points = setmetatable({}, array_mt)}"#)
+        .eval()?;
+
+    // Serialize the table above to JSON
+    let json_str = serde_json::to_string(&val).map_err(Error::external)?;
+    println!("{}", json_str);
+
+    // Create Lua Value from JSON (or any serializable type)
+    let json = serde_json::json!({
+        "key": "value",
+        "null": null,
+        "array": [],
+    });
+    globals.set("json_value", lua.to_value(&json)?)?;
+    lua.load(
+        r#"
+        assert(json_value["key"] == "value")
+        assert(json_value["null"] == null)
+        assert(#(json_value["array"]) == 0)
+    "#,
+    )
+    .exec()?;
+
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/src/lua.rs b/src/lua.rs
index 9946eed..3d3a93b 100644
--- a/src/lua.rs
+++ b/src/lua.rs
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@ use std::os::raw::{c_char, c_int, c_void};
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex, Weak};
 use std::{mem, ptr, str};
 
-#[cfg(feature = "serialize")]
-use serde::Serialize;
-
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::ffi;
 use crate::function::Function;
@@ -25,11 +22,10 @@ use crate::types::{
 };
 use crate::userdata::{AnyUserData, MetaMethod, UserData, UserDataMethods, UserDataWrapped};
 use crate::util::{
-    assert_stack, callback_error, check_stack, get_destructed_userdata_metatable, get_gc_userdata,
-    get_main_state, get_meta_gc_userdata, get_wrapped_error, init_error_registry,
-    init_gc_metatable_for, init_userdata_metatable, pop_error, protect_lua, protect_lua_closure,
-    push_gc_userdata, push_meta_gc_userdata, push_string, push_userdata, push_wrapped_error,
-    StackGuard,
+    assert_stack, callback_error, check_stack, get_gc_userdata, get_main_state,
+    get_meta_gc_userdata, get_wrapped_error, init_error_registry, init_gc_metatable_for,
+    init_userdata_metatable, pop_error, protect_lua, protect_lua_closure, push_gc_userdata,
+    push_meta_gc_userdata, push_string, push_userdata, push_wrapped_error, StackGuard,
 };
 use crate::value::{FromLua, FromLuaMulti, MultiValue, Nil, ToLua, ToLuaMulti, Value};
 
@@ -44,6 +40,9 @@ use {
     futures_util::future::{self, TryFutureExt},
 };
 
+#[cfg(feature = "serialize")]
+use {crate::util::get_destructed_userdata_metatable, serde::Serialize};
+
 /// Top level Lua struct which holds the Lua state itself.
 pub struct Lua {
     pub(crate) state: *mut ffi::lua_State,
diff --git a/src/serde/mod.rs b/src/serde/mod.rs
index 75b2d94..a476d8f 100644
--- a/src/serde/mod.rs
+++ b/src/serde/mod.rs
@@ -65,10 +65,12 @@ pub trait LuaSerdeExt<'lua> {
     /// ```
     fn array_metatable(&'lua self) -> Result<Table<'lua>>;
 
-    /// Convert a `T` into Lua `Value` instance.
+    /// Converts `T` into a `Value` instance.
     ///
     /// Requires `feature = "serialize"`
     ///
+    /// [`Value`]: enum.Value.html
+    ///
     /// # Example
     ///
     /// ```
@@ -96,10 +98,12 @@ pub trait LuaSerdeExt<'lua> {
     /// ```
     fn to_value<T: Serialize + ?Sized>(&'lua self, t: &T) -> Result<Value<'lua>>;
 
-    /// Deserialize a Lua `Value` into any serde deserializable object.
+    /// Deserializes a `Value` into any serde deserializable object.
     ///
     /// Requires `feature = "serialize"`
     ///
+    /// [`Value`]: enum.Value.html
+    ///
     /// # Example
     ///
     /// ```