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Finding Free Summer Entertainment

Finding Free Summer Entertainment

Free Summer Entertainment

There is nothing better than hanging out with your friends during the summer. But, the summer months are also the best time to spend time with your siblings and parents, because there are so many activities scheduled for the summer months.

It’s costly to think summer is the time for trips to baseball games (costing in the hundreds of dollars) or visits to your favorite amusement park (thousands, spending on where you go). Especially now when the price of gas seems to keep going up with no end in sight.. There are activities that you and your older relatives can enjoy together. It will get them out of the house, which is a good thing. And, perhaps, you will be allowed to bring one of your friends along with you.

Everything is more expensive these days, and that includes your entertainment choices.

 

You can enjoy a fully active summer without spending a fortune. Organized outdoor activities are designed to attract people from all walks of life, and many have the smaller budget in mind in terms of admission fees, parking and the cost of the entertainment.

Before we look at the types of entertainment you can find, let’s start with the most important element of this topic: How to find free entertainment.

Searching for Free Fun

They don’t call the internet the information highway for nothing. A simple search engine inquiry into “free entertainment near me” will provide you with numerous options, events you had no idea existed in your area.

Your city or town likely has its own website, and any event that requires permits often advertise on those sites. Often, small government agencies, like parks and recreation departments, will post a calendar of free or almost free events that are open to the public.

The other place to look for free entertainment is in your grocery store, coffee shop or library. Often, these places have bulletin boards where organizations are given an opportunity to place a flier on their upcoming events. You may have ignored those space fillers in the past, but now, they offer a world of entertainment that is going to cost you next to nothing to attend.

Here are some ideas for how to have a fully immersive summer without spending much money.

Festivals

Every community in America hosts a series of summer festivals. They may be related to the area’s ehtnic heritage. East of the Mississippi, most towns and cities celebrate some relationship with a European country that played a role in the settlement of the area (think Polish, Hungarian, Greek, etc.). West of the Mississippi, you are more likely to see festivals tied to Latin American or Asian cultures.

Music festivals are also very popular across the country. Obviously, the South celebrates its musical heritage often,and loudly. But music is considered by many to be the universal language, and celebrations take place all over the country during the summer weekends.

There are also festivals celebrating all sorts of other types of interests.

Often, these events have free admission. In some cases, there will be a small price to pay to get in. Once you arrive, you will be treated to sights and smells and the thrill of being in a festive atmosphere. You will spend only what you can, and you can enjoy yourself without spending much at all.

Art and Crafts Fairs

If you want to expand your cultural experience, consider attending an art or craft fair. There can be many different sorts of these as well. They are almost always free of charge, taking place in some outdoor setting to enhance the beauty of the artwork or craftware. 

Fair warning: the people displaying their wares at these types of fairs are selling their artwork or handiwork. But that is part of the thrill of it all. You might just find the perfect piece to hang above your fireplace, or on that bare wall that you stare at over your morning coffee. You may find that perfect knickknack gift for your Aunt Harriett who is so hard to shop for.

County and State Fairs

These are functions best known in rural areas, of course, where communities can show off their livestock and homegrown fruits and vegetables. But even urban areas have county fairs.

Like the choices above, your entry fee may be the only money you spend, although you have lots of opportunity to splurge on food, drink and entertainment. Parking is likely to be another cost factor, although you can explore the option to park in outlying lots with free buses that transport visitors to the fair location.

Music Festivals

You know about the big ones, like Coachella or Lollapalooza, but most communities offer summer weekend events that gather local musical talent for free shows. Depending on your location, you may have a blues festival available, or a country music event, or a jazz concert that you can hear from blocks away and just walk up to.

Food Festivals

Areas with regional delicacies are likely to celebrate that fame with a festival of area restaurants which offer such food choices. Ribs, seafood, cheese, exotic, ethnic – all of these types of foods may be on display at a festival near you. Just do an internet search for your favorite food choice followed by the word “festival” and see what pops up.

A very popular relatively new type of food festival which takes place in large parking lots is the Food Truck Festival. At such an event you are likely to have available to you every type of food that can be prepared in a food truck. Obviously, there will be the expense of paying for the food, but it is more entertaining and lively than sitting at home with food you ordered from the same restaurant you ordered from last night.

Water Activities

If you live near a large body of water, whether it is ocean or lake, you are likely to have free entertainment available to you as a result. For example, a search of “Mississippi River events” found a website which offers events up and down the nation’s north-south waterway, from Minneapolis to New Orleans.

Living near the ocean provides its own free entertainment, but you can do more than just walk up and down the beach. Sometimes, a visit to the ocean can be overwhelming in terms of the activities that are available to you.

Nature Hikes

Want some free exercise, but you don’t know where to begin? Do an internet search for “nature hikes near me” and you will see dozens of organized walks in the forest preserves or wildland areas near your community. This is a great way to get back in touch with nature with virtually no cost to you.

No Excuses

If you try to claim that you can’t find anything to do in the summer because you are low on dough, you obviously have not looked. The beauty of outdoor entertainment is that it is often free, outdoors, and very active.

Get out there!