bnbacademy Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thought I would start a thread for low cost fun family activities, despite the hard times which many are enduring. Lexington, VA - Horse Center: most venues are free admission. We attended a dog agility competition last weekend. There are equestrian shows on most weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Jealous of your equestrian entertainment. Library story time. Library special events--i.e., the "fairy tea party" next month, $5/person. University arts program has lots of free and low-priced entertainment. Music, theatre, dance, etc. We saw a "theatre for young people" version of Babe, the Sheep Pig, child ticket $4 and adult ticket $6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Our homeschool group negotiated a price for monthly bowling. It was a living heck to be around 50 screaming kids but it was cheap. Two lanes for $13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) hiking, biking, geocaching. Kite-flying Bird watching gardening museums? Some have fairly inexpensive family passes Our local newspaper has a section each week devoted to family activities in the area - many are very cheap or free Our homeschool group has a low rate for ice skating and bowling. The whole family is welcome. Anne Edited February 23, 2011 by Anne To Add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 When we lived in Wyoming, we lived at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains. There is SOOO much up there, I couldn't even begin to list it all. We saw everything from amazing wildlife, rock formations, ect. to ancient petroglyphs. It was awesome, and it was all free. Checking your state's tourism bureau can be absolutely invaluable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Sledding - all you need is a garbage bag or a piece of cardboard Game Night - break out the board games Go for a picnic (ok, it's a little cold here for that, but maybe it's warmer where you are....) Frisbee and Frisbee golf - here the schools/parks have golf courses set up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 We do a lot of family movies, games, Wii, on-line games played together, playing music and other indoor activities you can do as a family. In the summer we play four square, basketball, kick ball, some weird variations of tennis and volleyball, swimming. Of course, we have a large family so there are plenty of participants and someone can sit something out if they want. It really costs a lot to take our whole group anywhere so that doesn't happen too much. Movies twice a year, the zoo once a year, the occassional trip to a science museum, aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Most museums have a free day, like the 1st Monday of every month. Aaaaand I forgot that today was the free zoo day. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 nature walks camping day at the park check with your libraries for special events community theaters might have free performances check with college/high-schools for plays/sporting events during the summer, in the Austin, TX area, movie theaters do a free family movie 1 or 2 days a week neighboring towns (around here, anyway) often hold various celebrations/festivals on weekends a Sunday drive :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 walking hiking at the local state park I've decided dh and I will have a Sunday at the races when we can and watch the Nascar races on TV together Yahtzee, I just bought some dice and game pads. If you have golf clubs the driving range can be an inexpensive outing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 My parents used to take me on picnics in the graveyard. It sounds so morbid to tell this to people, but we used to go to a very old graveyard and the gravestones were fascinating. I loved it as a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 My parents used to take me on picnics in the graveyard. It sounds so morbid to tell this to people, but we used to go to a very old graveyard and the gravestones were fascinating. I loved it as a kid. I love hanging out in graveyards! Seriously! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 My parents used to take me on picnics in the graveyard. It sounds so morbid to tell this to people, but we used to go to a very old graveyard and the gravestones were fascinating. I loved it as a kid. I think it sounds beautiful! Graveyards are so peaceful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Our libraries have a culture pass program, which allows you to check out passes to different museums in the area. The only problem with it is that they tend to go quick! One thing that I suspect my DD would find fun in our city is a train ride. We could just hop on the Light Rail and ride it from end to end and she'd love it. The cost would be $3.50 for a day pass for me; school kids in my city get free bus/train passes. There's also lots of hiking to do this time of year around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elinnea Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Volkswalking! http://www.ava.org/ I just posted about this last week. Volkswalks are non-competitive walking events. There are clubs in every state and they hold walks almost every weekend. The walks are almost always free unless you want to earn credit and even then it is a very small fee. Many of the walks have a theme or go near a location of interest (we've been to forts, a grist mill, waterfalls, murals, etc) Ethnic festivals or community events. These are usually free or low cost. We've been to a pancake breakfast at the Sons of Norway Lodge ($3 per person for all you can eat pancakes), a Greek festival, apple festival, Asian Community festival, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Great ideas! Any other programs/ festivals that surprised you with the low cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Our local parks have some excellent programs for free to very low cost. We try to take in as many as we can. We also like to go hiking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 My parents used to take me on picnics in the graveyard. It sounds so morbid to tell this to people, but we used to go to a very old graveyard and the gravestones were fascinating. I loved it as a kid. I like graveyards too. We know live back in an area where many of my relatives are buried. I plan on taking ds to the graveyards where we can trace many branches of our family tree. We had a hunt one time to find a relative who had been born in the 1790s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in NY Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 These are some things we have done, some are only for the summer months. Free summer movies for turning in a book report http://www.nationalamusements.com/programs/bookworm.asp $1 summer movies http://www.amctheatres.com/smc/ 2 free games of bowling every day, all summer. You can also buy a family pass for up to 4 adults for $25. We bowl at least 5 days a week in the summer. http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/ If you happen to be a Bank of America customer you can get into museums free on certain days http://museums.bankofamerica.com/ Our library also has museum passes you can check out. We have seen some great museums in NYC this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Board games, especially cooperative or good educational ones: Family Pastimes cooperative games The Garden Game Chess Artifact Scrabble Equate Hiking Sliding scale family passes to local science museums Library visits Progressive stories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Free events at Lakeshore, Home Depot, and museums for families (our museums have family days where there is music, arts and crafts, food--all free) Feeding bread to the ducks Ooooh, Yahtzee. FUN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Lowe's Build and Grow projects (Home Depot does something similar Geocaching Visit farms and parks state and national parks for hikes and sightseeing Third Thursday Art Walk: (3 museums are free), several galleries are open, and you can park at the train station and ride the light rail for free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 PA - Gettysburg (there are plenty of walking trails and monuments) County Parks (some have environmental centers to walk through as well) Wading in the creeks (there are so many creeks here!) Small rodeos (we found one not far from us that is on one night a week) DC - Plenty of free museums :) MO - Forest Park (St Louis) has a free art museum, science center (awesome!), the Jewel Box (botanical), and zoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in C-ville Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Thought I would start a thread for low cost fun family activities, despite the hard times which many are enduring. Lexington, VA - Horse Center: most venues are free admission. We attended a dog agility competition last weekend. There are equestrian shows on most weekends. That's nice and not too far for us! I didn't know. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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