Where to find free activities and events in your area
Our family has been going through a transformation from a paycheck-to-paycheck family to a family that has money in the bank. While I wouldn’t say we are extreme frugalists, we do try to save as much money as we can, yet still provide excellent entertainment and learning opportunities for our family. Like J.D. (and many others!), we have struggled with finding that balance where we allow some fun while working to increase our financial health.
When it comes to entertainment, I think we are close to finding that balance. We do allow some money in our budget for that type of spending, but not much. We supplement our spending by enjoying as many free activities/events in our area as we can. But where do we find them?
The internet turned out to be a great resource for us and I thought I would share what I’ve learned with you. Of course, internet sources vary greatly depending on where you live so this is a generic list that I hope can be helpful to everyone. By all means, if you have suggestions, feel free to share with everyone in the comments!
TV & Radio Stations
Most of our local stations have an online community calendar. While not everything listed has been free, I have found some great gems.
Newspapers
Our newspaper’s online version has a community calendar. They also sometimes post articles about free events (they tend to be right before the event so they are last minute finds).
Hospitals
I never knew our local hospital sponsored so many free activities to promote good health! The free activities around us are often geared towards kids but the whole family is invited.
Cities/Towns
Municipalities around us have event pages to promote what is happening. Free concerts around us are pretty popular.
Local Tourism Sites
Our local tourism sites have given us ideas regarding free places to visit and explore in our area. They also have a calendar that we check for free events.
Bookstores & Libraries
When it comes to finding free presentations by authors or literacy programs for children, bookstores and libraries are the place to look.
Sporting Goods Stores
I was surprised when I came across a local sporting goods store with a calendar of events. One near us sponsors things like free get-together bike rides.
National & State Parks
Some state parks in our area have free nature programs and hikes for families during the summer.
Schools & Colleges
One school in our area has an online newsletter on their website that includes upcoming local activities for families. I’ve found quite a few free things to do from that. The local college advertises free seminars and concerts. Both of these are usually more active during the school year.
Historical Societies & Museums
In my experience, there is usually a fee for events sponsored by historical societies and museums. However, at least once a year the ones near us have a free open house and some link to free historical seminars at other locations.
Target Stores
They are sponsoring free and reduced fee activities this summer. The activities are in major metropolitan areas, but if you are near one there are some great offerings. For example, admission to the Portland Children’s Museum is free on the first Friday of the month.
Search Engines
I’ve found a few obscure free things to do just by searching for “free events [my town]” or “free activities [my town]” on Google.
I bookmark and check the sites I find weekly. The small amount of time I spend checking them is worth it since the free activities and events we attend feel like little splurges to us. They are fun, and they are free!
The photo of the girl is by D Sharon Pruitt.The second photo is by the Goddard Space Flight Center of “The Sunday Experiment”, a free program they hosted earlier this year.
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There are 65 comments to "Where to find free activities and events in your area".
One of our biggest sources for free entertainment is our neighborhood’s email list.
I live in Michigan and the libraries here have passes that you can check out to get into lots of museums for free all over the state. There is also a program this year called “Park and Read” where you check out a pass to get into any Metro Park for free.
With the explosion of popularity of blogs, I’ve been able to find a few bloggers here in Portland that dedicate their site to local events. They’re not always free, but they’re usually targeted at a certain demographic, so if you fit that mold, you can get a lot of valuable updates all at one spot. May be worth looking into if you live in a larger city.
I live in Houston and use the blog:
houstononthecheap.com
And it has lots of helpful tips. I believe the blog has other sites for other cities.
I’ve had good luck with our local outdoor theatre. They show movies in the park on a regular basis. I always encourage my friends to go there because 1. It’s cheaper than a theatre and 2. We can drink (and BYOB is cheaper than a bar). A potluck picnic and movie under the stars is a pretty great night out.
It’s good to hear the perspective of someone who has children, because the financial choices, priorities and sacrifices can be different from those of the single or sans children household.
I don’t believe I’ve seen a list like this here before.. and writing about something that hasn’t already been covered by our mentor here is quite a feat! This is my favorite guest submission thus far.
Oh I forgot to add, though this is written from the perspective of a family with children, most of it can be easily applied to a single person or a family without children. This list is something I’m going to start using right away!
Gosh, I just thought of something that crossed my mind while reading the list: at least around Atlanta, there are several state parks within an hour’s drive, and they are entirely free to go hiking, biking, have a picnic or just sight-see. You could borrow a book on local birds/trees/insects and turn it into an educational treasure-hunt with your kids (or your inner kid).
This is a great post with some great tips for finding ways to save money on entertainment. Two thumbs up!
I enjoy simple things like riding my bike, playing catch, etc. Many bowling alleys around my area also have $1 games on Mondays, which is pretty cheap.
My girlfriend and I do enjoy going out to see movies though, probably because of the atmosphere. We have slowed down with that lately though. When we do go, I have discount tickets I can buy through my job, and they save me about $5 on a pair of tickets.
We tried visiting the science museum in my area, but it costs quite a bit of money. The Holocaust museum is free, although I’ve never been. However, I don’t know how kid friendly that would be.
Fun guest post. A good reminder that in the midst of all this frugality and the stress of the economy, the point of it all is to enjoy life.
When I think of my childhood, we did a lot of activities that were free or required a small initial investment in equipment (that my parents often got used). Things like hiking, skating, sledding, playing catch, neighborhood block parties, camping in the backyard.
Some other ideas:
*Letterboxing (a sort of scavenger hunt hobby requiring a very small initial investment in a stamp and notebook) http://www.letterboxing.org/
*Picnics in the park
*Farmer’s Markets (often have additional booths for activities)
*Craft Fairs
*Church concerts
*Local hiking/walking trails (check out your library for guide books for your area)
When the “candidates” for the staff writer position(s) were first introduced, I was most interested in reading posts from AJ and Lynn – now I’ve got their posts on back-to-back days! My wife and I have three kids, so having someone write from the family perspective is definitely useful to me. Also, I like the idea that AJ and Lynn don’t currently write for another blog. I know that shouldn’t make a difference, but for some reason it does to me.
If you have a Bank of America card you get free admission to museums and zoos on the first weekend of every month.
http://museums.bankofamerica.com/
Best place I’ve found is citiesonthecheap.com . There are also “subsites”, such as tucsononthecheap.com etc. The site/blog posts good deals and freebies in your area. Example: I recently discovered through it that a local hamburger joint on Tuesdays offers hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, small drinks, and ice cream cones for FIFTY CENTS EACH. That rocks!
Great post, Lynn! There are some places that I’d thought of previously, but a bunch that I had no idea about (Target, especially, is news to me).
My favorite guest post so far. I like the fresh perspective! Hope to see more!
great post, indeed!
Just wanted to add one; Here in Wisconsin, at least, our Public Radio’s & Public Television’s websites are great, and have lots of lists of events around the state. Not all are free, but many are.
These are great tips. I really enjoyed the post!
For those of you in the Greater Philadelphia Area, this website run by the tourism office has a free section, and lets you search the calendar by date for only free activities. They also have some RSS feeds.
http://www.phillyfunguide.com/
I’ll also add that those free city newspapers (in Washington, D.C. it’s called The City Paper, in Albuquerque it’s The Alibi and in Santa Fe, NM it’s The Reporter) have tons of free/low cost events listed.
I enjoy the family perspective, and a mom’s voice. We have five teen/tweens…definitely a difficult time in our lives to keep the activity/entertainment budget down. We’ve found keeping the kids involved with low-cost sports and positive groups (anti drug, music, theater groups, volunteering) also gets the whole family involved. We also keep up with websites in our area for free concerts, etc. I think I would enjoy a mix of voices on this, my favorite, PF blog.
I’m mostly lucky to live in Chicago, boo to the new parking meter rates, where we have tons of free things to do in the summer; movies in the park, concerts, dancing and exercise classes in the park, etc. A donation is sometimes asked to get into a street fair and it’s just that. Depending on your budget, you can donate what you want or walk in free. Also, the library has museum passes to waive entrance fees. (Oh the days when museums were free on Sunday.)
Check out your local chamber of commerce. In our town, the CoC sends out an email every Thursday with everything going on in town. We have free concerts on the green, a farmer’s market and lots of other activities each week. I’m always amazed with all the free stuff going on in my town each week.
Great list!
Not the best written of the audition articles, in my opinion, but a helpful list indeed. 😀
@Kate – is Letterboxing sort of like Geocacaching? It sounds like loads of fun!!
I would hope, though, if Lynne becomes a staff writer, the phrase “she is the CFO of her family” is dropped from her bio. It’s amusing as a one-off phrase, but as part of an “official” site bio sounds rather pretentious and stuffy. Would anyone really introduce themselves like that?
Great tip about Target.
Another idea: check if your employer (especially if it’s a large one, like mine) has arranged for free or discounted admission to museums, shows, or other places. My very large employer has arranged a bunch of great deals for employees in the NYC area. However, I did need to poke around their website quite a bit to get the information.
Have you actually gone to any of these events? Were any of them fun? Did some of them turn out to be lame? Personally, a free hospital activity to promote good health sounds like it’s going to be tremendously boring, and I’d much rather just go to the beach or the park (which are both free, too). Maybe some of these things are more fun than they sound, but it’d be nice to have some references.
Just because something’s free doesn’t make it worth going to, so if there’s no way to find “free things that you actually want to do” as opposed to just “free things”, the list isn’t that helpful.
Thanks for sharing your resources with us!
I am also liking the family perspective. It was having kids that started me on this path of financial responsibility, so it’s very relevant to me.
This post seems a little obvious, not that helpful really, and not as well written as some of the others, sorry…
All good ideas. I usually don’t check out any of the free stuff in my city unless it’s in the big square downtown near my work… they usually hold a lot of mini festivals and events there. I’ll keep these tips in mind. Wasn’t the most “oh that is interesting and really makes me think” post, but I think a list like this is useful for sure. Thanks!
There are always events around the community that you can find. In city blogs there are always mentions of festivals in the area, where you can just walk around.
Enjoyed it!
You got me thinking about all the things I enjoy doing for free; I feel like I am going to be adding to that list soon 🙂 My favorite free thing to do with my wife is to play tennis (well – we buy balls in bulk that last us for quite a while). I also REALLY enjoy going to park and playing with out dog. We LOVE spending quality time with family (lots of “free” food — well until it is our turn to host of course!). We “rent” movies from our family and friends (swap 2 or 3 each). Actually this week, we have only spent $4 (outside of the $50.00 in groceries we purchased at the start of the week). We naturally focus our attention on the so many free enjoyable activities around us – as a means of spending more money on the things we truly care about.
Although……. If I was to be really honest I don’t think we even really know what it is that we “truly care about”… We are still very young (24). I think we just understand that we don’t want to spend money on things — in order to just spend money on things….. Very soon we will be making six figures (we already save close to 25% of our income on just over half that) and outside of paying off our remaining student loans ($30,143.54) and our mortgage (117,932.32 on a 4.75% 30 year fixed) at 27, I don’t know what we will be doing with the money….. When is enough, and when you have enough, what then?
Sorry for the moment of reflection — I am sitting at my desk on lunch brake at work. I really did enjoy the post. Good luck!
I like this post! 🙂 Other good resources:
-We live near the state fairgrounds; they have an online calendar showing what’s going to be there next.
-Our local parks & recreation dept also has an online calendar (lots of free stuff).
***Our city’s visitor’s center is a GREAT resource, also with an online calendar.
thanks for the list! I do like the perspective, writing could improve, but if you look at where JD was a couple years ago… 😉 I also am one looking for someone w/ kids and not already have an established blog.
I’ll also add check the community parks calendars. I know where parents live (SD) and here in PDX, the parks offer a lot of free events in the summer such as music, movies, climbing walls, games, pool parties, ice cream socials, etc.
And check out kids sporting events. My kids (preschool and early elementary) really like to watch little league games for a bit if we happen across one at the park/field.
And yes, some of the hospital events are decent. We went to one where could get bike helmets for $5 and they had several activities going on. Hit and miss, but the kids each found at least 5 booths/activities they enjoyed (egg hunt, make your own trail mix, bean bag toss, playing with plastic anatomical parts, making bracelets/necklaces, etc)
Register for parkgeek.com – they have a free weekly newsletter that will tell you about all of the cool stuff happening at parks and other recreation places near your house. It’s free!
This article is now bookmarked! I was just trying to figure out more things I can do with my 3yr old that wouldn’t break the bank.
I keep a calendar for Free Movies in the Boston area:
http://tinyurl.com/2z8spc
I find that colleges are great places to find events, cheap and free. Most of the schools now have calendars where you can find events open to the public. I have gone to interesting events (films, plays, discussions, conferences) for free — sometimes even including a meal or reception.
I think to find out which free events are lame and which are cool you just have to try a few out. Also the event type might give you a clue. Generally, library events sound really boring to me, but every once in a while we get something or someone – like JD – really cool. We once went to two street fairs in one day; one was awesome, the other just kind of meh. You just have to be a little adventurous and try things out. If something turns out to be lame, you can have fun talking about its lameness – and then do something different next week.
Definitely a useful post, and also short and to the point. Kudos! 🙂
Nice article Lynn…good info without all the jibber jabber in the other articles thus far.
Thanks for the reminder!!! Now that my kids are back in school. I’ll have more time to make plans for weekly fun “free” activities.
Thank you for the compliments on my post. It was tough figuring out what I wanted to write about for the audition and in the end I chose this topic and the upcoming one. I’m glad it gave some of you ideas. I also love the ideas others have given! I know what I will be doing tonight (checking out the sites mentioned).
@Caitlin #22 – I can understand what you are saying about the “CFO” part. I added that in there to help convey who I am in only a few words. If chosen to be a writer a GRS I would definitely write a meatier bio.
@Tyler #24 – Our local hospitals have sponsored free movie nights and free giveaways (bike helmets, bikes, etc.). I guess it depends on what you like to do for fun. We do not attend the ones that do not look interesting to us. We did come across one dud – we left and went to the nearby beach instead. The hard part about writing this article is that sources vary greatly depending on your location so I kept it generic to give ideas on where to look.
@ arg #27 – I appreciate your comment. There is always room for improvement and I will take to heart what you said if I have the opportunity to write more posts for GRS.
@ R Hookup #35 – That is awesome that you keep a calendar to share with everyone! I’m amazed at how full it is.
Thank you everyone for the comments and suggestions so far!
Can’t believe no one has mentioned just taking a walk or going for a run…nothing cheaper than that.
Also, I agree with Tyler it would have helped to give a personal story about one event she and her family have actually attended, maybe kind of an impromptu review of sorts? Also would have helped show a bit of her personality, instead of just a brief intro, dropping the list on us and that’s it.
I have to agree with Tyler (24) on his suggestion that much of the free stuff isn’t terribly fun. If you have small children a lot of those venues can work, but if you’re doing it for yourself or to entertain teenage kids it’s a very different story.
It’s probably best to find lower cost activities, or at least less expensive ways to do the things you normally like to do.
We’ve found that going to the movies but buying our snacks at a store saves a bundle. The candy you pay $4-5 a box for in the theater is only a $1 at Walgreens. Also, going out for dessert is usually a lot cheaper than going out for a full dinner.
There are a lot of ways to do this, but it takes some thinking outside the box.
I really liked this post. My husband and I are always looking for fun activities to do that don’t require much money.
Nice concise article with apparently practical info. Unfortunately it has little application for me (kids grown and gone) but I can understand its appeal. This type of article would be nice for a guest post but I would prefer other potential staff writers style for day to day articles.
A friend and I just started up a website (www.swankyants.com) to help with this very thing. We were frustrated that it’s not easy to find events that are happening nearby where we live. There are all kinds of events posted and many are free. The site has mainly events in the Pacific Northwest but there is nothing to stop anyone for using the site anywhere in the world. BTW, it’s free!
Rather boring post, especially for all the people who are not brain dead.
Nice article, thanks for sharing!
Also thanks to Anne@11 for the tip about BofA museum & zoo deals!
I think this article serves as a good reminder for the frugal-minded or the soon to be frugal-minded individuals lurking about on PF sites that fun can still be free, no matter what age you reach or where you reside. Unfortunately, I do feel that this article could have been written by many individuals (surprised JD hasn’t covered this) and was very broad and general in all respects — it would of been nice to hear about the author’s experience and specific examples in her quest to enjoy life (especially with her kids) and how she goes about finding that right balance of enjoying life while living frugally. From the amount and quality of the comments mentioned, it won’t be a winner but it is still a friendly frugal reminder. 🙂
Great List! As for your mention of free activities at hospitals, it is very interesting because just last week I saw a session of tai chi occurring in a hospital lobby! Very cool.
My website is for exactly this, free entry for everybody. It is new and currently undergoing development but will eventually be worldwide. Contributors welcome.
Vancouver free events (and not expensive events) from a family’s perspective (a mom, a dad, a son and a daughter) with comments from the family. Immensely popular, lots of activities and spot-on for the commentary.
http://www.findfamilyfun.com/
I got better insight from the comments than I did from the post. I still prefer the first two writers to this one.
This was an ok article – it lacked a personal touch about the events I felt. So far I have enjoyed Karawynn’s article the most, rest could have been covered in a get to meet the candidates article. I know they have money problems otherwise they probably wouldn’t be interested in trying to write.
I run a hyper-local blog for the Tricites in Vancouver, Canada called thev3h.com where we post all sorts of free events.
The best part about finding cool events and things to do in the local area are all the neat people you meet. Too often we don’t get a real sense of community in places where there are a lot of commuters. By getting out and enjoying free events in your area, you not only save money, but become more connected to the people who live around you. And who doesn’t like healthier communities?
I live in Portland and subscribe to a wonderful blog called Around the Sun. Amy Reyes posts a weekly listing of free events in the area: concerts, movies, festivals, plays, readings, workshops, clothing swaps or a free ice cream cone. It’s a great way to find out what’s going on in the community, it’s a bonus that the events she lists are free.
There’s a website called free-attractions.com
It’s an excellent source where you can search the USA for free attractions and things to do!
Lynn, I love your resourcefulness and can-do attitude. Good list. There IS definitely lots of fun to be had without spending money. Here is my most recent list http://www.diamondcutlife.org/free-ways-to-enjoy-ourselves/
In addition to local parks, look for a local nature center. Many of them are non-profit and offer free or really low cost programs. My nature center offers at least one or two free guided hikes a month (wish we could do more!) and some other cool programs, and we’re really underutilized by the community.
Great post! I think this one is my favorite together with April Dykmans post! And I don’t even have children!! It’s great advise for couples without kids too or even for singles!
Thanks Lynn, you got me thinking about finding free activities online (I live in Europe so much of the info doesn’t actually apply to me but I can work with the advise so that I can bend it to work for me!!).
Thanks for the gold mine of information.
@ Leah #57 – Your idea lead me to check some local nature conservancies and some have sponsored free events in the past! I have even more bookmarks now 🙂 Thanks!
I like the idea for Lynn’s column, but I found none of her ideas to be unique. I would like to see something like this that looks outside the box.
Great list of activities. Thanks for sharing.
Not sure about other cities, but in Atlanta one day a week is free at the High Museum of Art and at the Botanical Gardens.
If you are in Chicago, Argonne’s free (and very rare) open house is coming up August 29 and is a fun activity for kids.
http://www.anl.gov/Community_and_Environment/Open_House.html
I also like the free musicians at the farmers markets in Oak Park and Chicago. The Green City Market (Lincoln Park) has chef demonstrations.
In October, there’s Chicagoween in Daley Plaza, as well as numerous free activities and concerts downtown. Check the City of Chicago Special Events for dates.
For spending as little as 50 cents a pound, you can have tons of fun with your kids picking blue berries.
Most of the summer free events are over in Georgia, but it still may be running through August in some other states. You can search the following:
Kids Bowl for Free
Amc movie summer camp
Regal free movie summer camp
Target free days at the Childrens Museum are always fun and can get a bit crowded during summer.
Movies on the green /outdoor movies @ your local parks
Georgia Aquarium has a special offer from time to time called Mommy and Me: $20 for a parent and 3 kids with parking.
In Atlanta you can get Baseball tickets for as little as $6, not too bad! Our 2.5 yr old loves baseball, so we’re there all the time!
Check your city for upcoming free fall activities, fall festivals , pumpkin decorating, and more.