Free (or Cheap) Family Fun

Our local paper had a great article yesterday on free or nearly free things to do with you family over the summer. The suggestions were, of course, specific to our city but I noticed many things that are probably available in other locales as well.

Here are some ideas from the article:

Movies. There were several offerings for ways to catch a flick on the cheap or for free:

• Both a local park and a local entertainment district offer free outdoor movies throughout the summer.
• A local pool offers movies you can watch from a raft. (That sounds like fun!)
• The Dickenson movie chain offers deeply discounted summer kids movies on weekdays.
• There’s always the old standby: drive-in movies. (Like rotary dial phones, your kids will be amazed at these!)

Find an art gallery or museum where you can have a picnic on the gounds and then cool off inside.

Look for public golf courses that have small or par three courses for kid play.

Some lakes have sand beaches for fun and sun. (We’re in the Midwest; we have to make do!)

Parks offer an array of possibilities. Here are some things the local parks are offering; I’m sure there are similar offerings in other places:

• Fishing Derbies
• Theater in the park
• Playgrounds and water parks
• Hiking, biking and horseback riding

Look for discounted days at places like the zoo, baseball games, or amusement parks.

Here are some of my own suggestions:

Libraries often offer all kinds of free activities and summer reading programs for kids.

Late summer will bring the State or County Fair to a place nearby.

A summer pool pass can be a good deal if your family likes to spend a lot of time poolside. If you live in a metro area where cities run together, consider the city where you live, which probably gives a break to residents.

Kids can kill a whole day setting up and operating a lemonade stand. (And don’t forget to make a purchase when you see other kids doing the same thing in your neighborhood!)

Happy Memorial Day everyone. Here’s to a summer of fun!

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