Frugal Friday: 4 sources for free or cheap entertainment in the summer

This is my second submission to Biblical Womanhood’s Frugal Fridays series. See my first submission on lowering my monthly bills here.

In the summer, I am generally looking for fun things to do that don’t cost very much. Personally, I like spending time outside and could just sit out in the park with a journal and a book for hours every day and be very content, but since it’s topping 100 degrees here my husband is not too keen on that, so lately I’ve been on the lookout for free and cheap entertainment in my area.

Free concerts

In the evening, in certain places in my town, there are free concerts, but they’re not always easy to find. I find these concerts by regularly searching google (or Search Kindly if I remember to use my powers to do good) for the name of my town and state and the words “free concert” in quotes. I’ve found a few good pages that regularly update on various series of concerts in my area, but I do the google search anyway because I never know what I’ll find. You can also sometimes find these by checking your local town’s parks website.

Museums

Another source of free or cheap entertainment in the summer is at museums. Many museums, especially in cities, have free days once a month or so, so scour each museum’s website for that information. Even if they don’t though, museums will often offer lectures, classes, or tours that are included in the price of admission so check the schedule to see what’s going on and plan your trip around it.

Libraries

Just like museums, libraries often have classes, lectures, or groups, except that these generally don’t cost anything at all (or simply request a small donation). Check your library’s website or ask for a brochure on summer programs, classes, and book groups.

Parks

The state park near where we used to live regularly had free nature hikes or workshops. Parks may also host holiday events (one of ours has fourth of July fireworks, while another has Christmas light hayrides), playgroups, or concerts (see above).

College Campuses

If you live near a college, try doing a search for student shows, lectures, or seminars. Often you can see a high quality play for a few dollars or see a lecture by a famous speaker for free. Another great way to find these is just to take a walk around campus and through the student union and see what there are fliers for.