This past weekend, we had an absolutely wonderful time together as a family!!
We drove about an hour away from home to attend a reenactment of the Battle of Fort Mose. It was only $4 per vehicle to get in and there was time before the reenactment to learn about many things from life during that time. We stopped by the tent of a blacksmith and we stopped by the kitchen tent to see the women cooking in the heat. (This made me so very thankful for my air-conditioned kitchen with all its amenities!)
After a delicious picnic lunch with our friends, we drove a little of the way toward home and stopped at the beautiful beach. I was glad I had packed extra clothes for everyone so they could swim and have a great time playing in the water!
It was a very cheap outing and it reminded me that many families are probably trying to find cheap or free events to attended during the summer.
I scanned the web a bit and here is the list I was able to compile of events that you might want to mark on your calendar and ideas of things you can do with your family …
Kids Bowl Free All Summer Long – go to the site and make sure there is a participating alley in your area. Each child gets up to 2 free games per day. You still have to pay for shoe rental, but it is a minimal cost at most centers. (Check out this link for “How The Program Works” information.)
Library Events – most local public libraries will have some type of summer event happening, usually in the form of a special reading program. Our library also has a chess club and a video game club that meet weekly.
Local Festivals – I hesitate to mention this because lots of times the festivals are not what they used to be when I was little. But, check it out when one comes to your area – sometimes they have a family day where the rides are discounted. Also, make sure to note that not all festivals are alcohol free.
Slip ‘N Slide In Your Own Backyard – if you have a tarp or anything that gets slippery when wet, stake it carefully in the ground and put the sprinkler next to it. The kids will have a blast! (I would make sure to supervise the kiddos during this one.)
Lowes Build And Grow – Kids get to build something courtesy of Lowe’s. It’s free and they get a cool Lowe’s apron to go with it. I like this one because those working parents can actually participate because the clinics are on Saturdays at 10am.
Michaels – The craft store that we all know and love has some fun demos and family nights planned. Some are Make-It-Take-It with a purchase, but some are free family nights.
Book Reading Programs – Both Barnes & Noble and Borders are trying to get the kids into reading this summer. If your child reads a certain number of books, they get a free book when you bring in your *Mom signed* certificate which proves you’ve read your quota.
Free Museum Day – Each year, the Smithsonian hosts a free museum day toward the end of summer. Check the participating museums to see if there is one in your area. The date for 2010 is September 25th.
Free Entrance to National Parks – There are several dates posted for free entrance to national parks around the country. I love the national parks!! Pack a picnic lunch and go for a drive! Just make sure to get there somewhat early – there is a limit to the number of people a park can hold and we were actually turned away once when the park was so busy and filled to capacity.
Fun Stuff At Home – PBS has some wonderful ideas of things you can do at home with your family to spice up summer vacation a little bit. They sort the activities by age so you can easily find fun ideas that apply to your crew.
Reenactments – I wasn’t able to find as much info as I would have liked on the reenactments. We had such a great time at the event and it was so inexpensive, I really wanted to be able to share some good links with you so you could see a show as well. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find something in the list below. If you want to try your own search and you find something great, would you mind to come back over here and post what you found in the comments so everyone can benefit? I’d really appreciate it!
American Revolution
I also found an awesome american history website that you can visit just for fun, even if you don’t find a reenactment in your area!
Hope that helps you find some great things to do during the summer!! Enjoy the time with your children! They grow so very quickly.
Please let me know if there is anything that I missed – post it in the comments section so everyone can benefit!
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