Attractions

Entrance to the Market

Barcelona’s La Boqueria Market (also called Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria) is a true feast for the senses. As soon as you walk in you can see, smell, touch, hear and of course, taste the wonders and excitement of the city’s best public market. It’s touristy for sure, but it’s also a working market, used every day by the locals who come to shop for supplies for their daily meals.

Here at the market you’ll find everything from brightly colored (and expensive) candy and rich chocolates to recently deceased (and fully intact) animals like bunnies and chickens. You can find every kind of egg imaginable (chicken, ostrich, quail, and more), all parts of the cow and pig from head to hoof, fresh baked breads, brightly-colored fish from all corners of the sea, fresh fruit, spices, and cheese. In short, everything you need to create a multi-course meal or just the perfect Catalan picnic can be found here. Foodies will be in heaven, though vegetarians might not enjoy it so much.

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At $10, $15, or more – adult admission to the Shedd Aquarium in nearly $25! –  visiting several of Chicago’s great museums can really take a toll on your budget. If you plan on going to more than one during your stay in the Windy City, it makes financial sense to look into one of the city’s multi-attraction passes. There are two options.

Field Museum

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Museum admission fees can range from a nominal donation of a few bucks, to over $20 per person. For families, that can really add up. But on Saturday, September 26th, hundreds of museums across the US will offer free admission, as part of Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day. To take part, you’ll need to register on the Smithsonian website and then print out your free admission card, which will get you and a friend into the museum of your choice absolutely free.

To find out which museums near you are participating in the promotion, just head over to the Smithsonian website, where you can search by location, browse by state, or view the complete alphabetical list of the hundreds of museums taking part in the day. Some of the museums include the San Diego Air and Space Museum, The Museum of Flight in Seattle, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, DC. A small portion of the museums will be closed on September 26th – for those, the offer is valid the following day, September 27th. Smithsonian Museums in DC will be free as always.

One pass may be used per household and you can only use it once for the promotion. The pass is only good for general admission and does not include special exhibits

Players on the Cotuit Kettleers watch from the bench

By Molly G. @ The Bumbles Blog

Did you know you can watch high quality baseball live, for free, every evening during the summer in Massachusetts? All you have to do is go to the Cape and pull up a lawn chair at one of 10 ball fields in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

For 125 years the CCBL has invited the very best college players from around the country to spend their summers on Cape Cod staying with host families and playing baseball each night in front of MLB scouts and thousands of fans. This gives the athletes a taste of what it’s like to play minor league ball if they have what it takes to succeed when matched up against the best of their peers. It also lets them play with wooden bats like the big leaguers do, spreading the sound of the crack of the bat throughout the stands on warm summer nights.

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As one of the many cities that line the Ohio River Louisville, KY has a lot to offer in the name of free and cheap thrills. Louisville, KY is of course known for the world famous Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, but there are events that happen in Louisville, KY that don’t surround the big race.

Street level view of St. James Art Show

St. James Art Show

Consistently voted one of the top art festivals in the nation, St. James Art Show offers the full gamut of artistic works. Hosting nearly 750 exhibitions and 300,000 attendees you not only get to experience Olivia’s eye popping stained glass interpretation of a sunrise, but also Bobby Joe’s basement junk on a blanket set up in an adjacent parking lot. I attended this event every year I lived in Louisville and there was too much to see. I had to come back another day to actually soak in everything that was on display. The Old Louisville Historic District where this event is held is also architecturally timeless.  The St. James Art Show takes place the first week in October and it’s free.

The Elders at Waterfront Park 2008

WFPK Waterfront Wednesdays

WFPK Radio Louisville hosts Waterfront Wednesdays throughout the summer at Waterfront Park in downtown Louisville, KY. The park sits off the river and is full of rolling grass hills, fun fountains for the kids, and a great view of the city and the bridge to Indiana. During the summer WFPK constructs a stage and sets up sound equipment for a small, free, show every Wednesday. And these aren’t local punk bands from the high school playing four string electric guitars through a 20 watt amp taped to a barrel. These are well known, of the moment, independent artists such as: The Whigs, Dave Barnes, and VHS or Beta. Never heard of them? That’s because you haven’t been to Waterfront Wednesday. Check site listings for artist line-up. Admission is free.

Thunder Over Louisville

Thunder Over Louisville

Ok, I lied. I said, no events related to the Kentucky Derby Festival, but this event can’t be overlooked. Thunder Over Louisville is the most earth shaking firework show I’ve ever felt, not seen, felt. Granted half the fireworks are shot off the bridge over the Ohio River, you still feel it and smell it. Thunder Over Louisville kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival’s month long celebration in the city. They call it “Thunder” for a reason, your ear will ring for days. Don’t miss it. Go early for a good seat, and walk. Traffic is horrible in and out. Louisville isn’t made for a lot of people. To feel this event is free.

If you only visit Louisville, KY for the Derby it’s okay. It will cost you money but you’ll remember it. If you visit Louisville, KY for free events not related to Derby, it won’t cost you money and you’ll remember it. Do it one way or do it both. I recommend both.

Photo credits: Rhombusleech for St. James Art Show, Peter D for The Elders, Caomai for Thunder

No matter where in the United States you live, all Home Depot stores offer FREE Kids Workshops on the first Saturday of every month.  I’ve taken my boys many times, and if you want a details of our visit, read this.

These “How-To-Clinics” are geared towards children ages 5-12, boys and girls.  Under parental supervision, your child figures out how to make a different project each month.  Kids learn valuable do-it-yourself skills and tool safety as they have fun.

Home Depot Kids Workshop

My boys have gone with their grandparents, their father and with me, at different times.  It’s wonderful one-on-one time with the kids, and I’ve had a lot of fun myself trying to help with various projects.

Father-Son Bonding

We’ve made everything from fire trucks to birdhouses

Home Depot Bird House

and race cars to Catamarans.

Home Depot Catamaran

The clinics are very casual, and you can drop in anytime from 9am to noon.  They only take about 30 minutes at most.  And did I mention they’re free?

So whether you live in California or Texas or New York, find your local Home Depot and attend one of these workshops on the first Saturday of each month.

It’s a lot of fun!

Sunset over Lake Michigan

Michigan has beautiful beaches… dare I say, the best freshwater beaches in the world. Before moving to Michigan I thought only people living on the coasts went to the beach. You know those well known popular beaches you see on TV: Venice Beach, Palm Beach, Miami Beach, Myrtle Beach. Don’t trust what you see on TV. People go to the beach… in Michigan! Believe it!

Michigan is bi-peninsular. The lower peninsula of Michigan is shaped like a left-handed oven mitt, palm down. The upper peninsula is shaped like an ice pick, that jets out from the top of Wisconsin. On the oven mitt Detroit is located below the webbing of the thumb. Lansing, the state capital, is located in the middle lower half, just over the middle finger knuckle. The entire state, besides the Ohio and Wisconsin borders, is surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, thus creating the longest freshwater shoreline in the world. Michigan also has more lighthouses than any other state in order keep an eye on the many beautiful beaches.

The western side of the state, bordering Lake Michigan, is one long sandy beach. Unlike Chicago’s man-made beaches, Michigan’s sandy beaches from Sleepy Bear Dunes to St. Joseph are natural. From May to October these beaches are thriving with locals from Detroit, Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Canada, and any where near by. The water is clear and fresh, calmer than the ocean, yet bigger and bolder than the small ponds of other states. The waves during the summer are mostly too small for surfing, but every other conceivable activity you’d enjoy at the ocean can be done here. And the beauty of it all… it’s not the ocean. You won’t gag and spit after diving in from all the salt. You won’t see oil rigs out at sea or Carnival cruise lines ruining the view. There are no sharks, man o’ wars, or nipping crabs to worry about. The breeze is warm and inviting; It doesn’t pickup your umbrella and throw it 50 ft towards playing children. And Lake Michigan beaches are as cheap as the coastal beaches – they’re free!

I was born minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, grew up two hours from the Pacific Ocean, bathed ignorantly in the Gulf of Mexico, and have skied on many lakes. Nothing is like the Great Lakes. Michigan has beautiful beaches, and that is why people go to the beach… in Michigan!

Recommended Michigan beaches: every one.

Photo by kevindooley.

Downtown Disney is a free attraction for family travel. There is no admission fee to visit the marketplace, which is an open air shopping center for kids and adults. It is home to Disney Quest, a multi-story interactive virtual gaming attraction, there is a marina to enjoy, and many restaurants and variety shops.

Families on vacation can enjoy a stroll past Goofy’s Candy Company, where caramel apples are made before your eyes. The Lego Imagination Center displays a number of statues made of Legos and even a play area for kids to enjoy while parents sit in the shade relaxing. Little princesses can get a makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but be sure to make reservations for this which is located in the World of Disney.

A nearby magic shop provides for free entertainment with magic trick demonstrations that leave children wide-eyed with wonder. Moms can make their own bath soaps and dads can enjoy the boats in the marina. The Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop makes the perfect stop for the entire family to enjoy an old time soda fountain. Families on a budget will be glad to know that at Mickey’s Mart, everything is $10 and under.

Disney’s Days of Christmas allows families to take a look inside Santa’s Toy Shop. Hand painted personalized ornaments can be ordered to commemorate the family visit to Disney. The shop even ships orders home, so there is no need to carry around packages. Nighttime is when Downtown Disney changes. Families will enjoy Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, an outstanding production that amazes visitors of all ages.

The nightlife at Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island is for adults only, and is the perfect spot for parents to be able to let loose and like the kids that are still inside them. If you are searching for a budget friendly family place to spend the day and still get that Disney feel without the Disney ticket prices, Downtown Disney just might be the spot you are looking for during your family trip.

Photo of Lego Imagination Station by Shannon Hurst Lane

Detroit skyline viewed from Canada.

Finding five cheap things to do in Detroit, MI is easy. The only hard part is deciding what to do. The definition of cheap I’m using with this post is under $10. All of the items are kid friendly, girlfriend friendly, but not necessarily dog friendly. Each activity requires little planning and does not include meals, back rubs, or gas. Amenities such as these will have to provided by yourself or a paid stranger.

1. Detroit Institute of Art

Greatly underrated the DIA is the fifth-largest fine arts museum in the United States with holdings of over 60000 works. Pow! Did you know that? The DIA has more than 100 galleries, an 1,150-seat auditorium, a 380-seat lecture/recital hall, and an art reference library. It has presented exhibitions comprised of works from all over the world and from its own home grown collection. It has co-organized such famous exhibitions as Van Gogh: Face to Face in 2000 and Magnificenza! The Medici, Michelangelo and the Art of the Late Renaissance Florencein 2003. It also has a store to buy sourvenirs and knickknacks. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children (6-17).

2. Belle Isle

Belle Isle, located 3 miles north of the city, is the largest island park in the United States. It has been through many phases and renovations since it’s inception in the 1880s, but it still houses many landmarks and avenues for cheap entertainment. The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, which is the nation’s oldest conservatory, has botanical gardens and a greenhouse that cover 13 acres. It’s open to the public for free. Belle Isle is home to the Dossen Great Lakes Museum, a maritime museum that holds The Miss Pepsi, one of the fastest hydroplane racing boats of all time. Lastly, the reason I go to Belle Isle… to swim. There is a half mile of sandy beaches and grassy nooks for picnicking, barbecue, and free old swimming in the sun. Passage to Belle Isle is free and it’s open all year.

3. The Motown Museum

Cast in gold as one of Detroit’s hottest spots The Motown Museum is dedicated to preserving the memory and impact of the Motown Record Corporation. Exhibitions include historical photography of the founders and artists, rare artwork, costumes, memorabilia from the booming era, and of course music. Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross or members of The Temptations will not be on hand for guided tours, but their spirit and influence can be felt. Admission is $10 dollars for adults, $8 for children and seniors.

4. The Renaissance Center

I stayed here for my 30th birthday. The weather was rabid but spending time in the Renaissance Center was like an oasis. Built by GM as its world headquarters it also contains within its pinnacles many restaurants, hotels, shopping boutiques, health clubs, spas, banks, a theater, and of course the latest GM automobiles and concepts. Exploring this circular glass structures inside and out is like walking in and around a futuristic city in space.  The Renaissance Center offers free hour long tours which educate attendees on the history of GM and the secret to their world domination.

5. Detroit Derby Girls

Roller derby is seasonal but with the out-of-league play and the extended road to the national championship, this is almost a year around must for cheap entertainment. The Detroit Derby Girls, the toughest girls in the Motor City, strap on four-wheeled skates and battle on the flat track until a winner prevails. The competition is gruesome, the blood is real, and the blocks will drop your jaw. With halftime entertainment for the kids consisting of Rockabilly bands, hula hooping, and musical chairs, it’s fun for the whole family. I myself like the licorice ropes and festive refs. Tickets are $12 at Ticketmaster, but you can pick up presale tickets at various local locations for $10. No one ever said cheap entertainment was easy.

The great thing about these five activities is they’re cheap but they’re also worth every penny. If you want more fluff and less ruff in your entertainment you’ll need to go elsewhere and pay for it. Again, each activity requires little planning and does not include meals, foot massages, or ethanol. Amenities such as these will have to provided by yourself or a homeless entrepreneur.