How Much Free Stuff is There to do Where You Live?

[Gimesalot]

I consider myself lucky to live in a place where there are free things to do EVERY day.  For example, I got to between 3 and 4 free high quality artistic dance classes a week.  I also attend 2 to 3 free social dance classes a week.  There are at least 2 to 3 free yoga classes a week.  I have a job where I get paid to attend Broadway shows, dance performances, opera etc.  There are at least 40 free festivals a year, all with great live music.  There are tons of free movie showings, theater performances, comedy shows, museum days, etc.  I spend at most $5 a week on entertainment, and most of it is tips (musicians or performers), or donations.

I am excited to leave here and travel around the world, but sometimes I worry that there may not be as many free things to do, and I will end up spending a lot more on entertainment.

Are there as many free things to do where you live? 

[MakingSenseofCents]

We're currently traveling in our RV and we pretty much only do free things. Well, almost free. We have an $80 annual National Parks pass that gets us into national parks and national/state recreation areas (this is something that many do not realize!). We go paddle boarding, hiking, rock climbing, and more all for free at least a few times a week (after paying for the gear).

[shelivesthedream]

In all honesty, there is not that much free stuff where I live, and what there is tends to be aimed at children ("Dinosaur Activity Day! at the museum"). There are a few free buildings (museum, cathedral) but one can only go round them so many times! However, it's quite studenty so we have a lot of REALLY cheap stuff - orchestra concert for £3, play for £5, choir concert for £2 - put on by student groups which, if you get to know which ones to look out for - can be REALLY good.

However, when I lived in London there was free stuff all the time if you were willing to travel a bit (though with Tube prices the cost was probably a wash...). Time Out is a fantastic resource for that kind of thing in major cities - their search has a "free" filter.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I live in northeast Ohio and I'm always surprised by all the nice things we have around here that are free. The Cleveland Metroparks has a lot of free programs and the parks are free to use. We also have the Cuyahoga Valley National park which is free and unusual. Most national parks I have visited in other states have a gate an an entry fee. The Cleveland Museum of Art is free. The only thing you have to pay for are special traveling exhibits. Cleveland's art museum is actually super nice. It's a vestige/legacy of the 19th century robber barons that lived their and a renovation expansion was just completed within the last few years. There are other free things to do around northeast Ohio but those are the ones I use the most frequently.

[Daisy]

Miami is really growing and there are a ton of free things to do.

Just this weekend, I spent a whole afternoon and evening at the book fair opening and saw a couple of authors speak, had a FREE bbq and beer since it was opening day, and then a free circus type performance. Although now I feel I should donate to the fair as they are requesting.

We have an active and growing cycling culture with a lot of free group rides.

They just started a free monthly skate in downtown with DJ music playing.

Some towns have free movie nights in the non-summer months.

The beach is free.

[Hotstreak]

There aren't a lot of formal, organized activities put on for free around here.  The ones I've found are geared either towards children, like another poster mentioned, or put on as charity events, in which case it would be weird to attend with no intention of spending money.


So most of my free activities end up being things I do or organize with friends, like hiking, dinner parties (sort of free since we were going to eat anyway!), playing cards, etc.

[jengod]

We live in Southern California and if you have access to a car, you can find free activities 24/7/365.