Today when I went to get breakfast with Abby at our local bagel store, I couldn’t help but notice the droves of glazed over mom’s walking by dragging their children. My thought was, it is only the first week of summer! Oh no! Then I logged onto my mom group and mom’s are searching for free or cheap things to do to fill in those gaps during the summer. So here are affordable family summer fun suggestions of things Abby girl would recommend.

Library & Library Passes-

Fun fact, at least in our library system, each library has passes you use to either get into attractions for a discount or even free! The library also has summer programming throughout the summer. We are enrolled in some awesome FREE k-6 programs such phases of the moon and star lab. There is even a free 2-3 and 4-6 caregiver and me dance class at Adriance Library in Poughkeepsie, NY. The library also has summer reading programs where you can earn prizes and summer story-time is also resumed!

Bowling-

Yes, bowling. We are taking advantage of kids bowl free all summer. You receive two games of bowling per a day per a child during the scheduled times. I paid additional for family members to be on the pass too. However, with a coupon, we are bowling all summer for under thirty dollars. You just have to pay for shoe rental.

We also recommend Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl. It wasn’t too expensive and so much fun. Link to post here. Their food was really good also and Bass Pro Shops is connected. They have several locations throughout the United States. Perhaps, you can make a day of it and this location isn’t far from the beaches!

Hiking-

Obviously hiking has the vote. Keep the kids off the electrics and away from the tube and get them outdoors. You can search many posts on this site that will give many, many trail ideas in the area. However, whether you are in the urban jungle or out in God’s country, there are always trails.

Ice Cream-

Go get ice cream. We have many favorite ice creams spots. However, for our local area in Hudson Valley, we vote for Maple View Cafe. The food takes a bit because it’s all fresh and made to order. The ice cream is awesome and they have a train themed play area. You can go around, try different spots and see which spot is your favorite!

Free Days-

Many local places such as Storm King Mountain and The Bronx Zoo have free days. Be prepared for it to be crowded. The Bronx Zoo, I heard is not for the faint of heart on free day.

Catch a Baseball Game-

You don’t have to go to the big stadiums in the city. Try a minor league. Our team hosts fun themed nights throughout the season. Go Renegades!

The Movies-

Catch a movie out under the stars as many parks offer free movies during the summer or try to find a place that offers dollar summer movies. We have a place right in our local mall. As far as movies under the stars, if you are local to the Hudson Valley, I have heard a lot of buzz about Movies Under the Walkway

Want to go old school? Find a drive-in! Near us we have Overlook Drive-In, Hyde Park Drive-In and Four Brothers Drive-In. That’s a lot of choices!

Farms-

Many farms are free or suggested donation. We often frequent Muscoot and Sprout Creek. Stony Kill also has a by the day summer camp. Also check their pages for events. Here is a post about a couple of the ones we have visited.

Camping-

Camping is also great and you can go as roughing it or glamping it as you want. Hiking into certain spots takes more effort and skill. However, this option is free. Your local state campgrounds are the next most affordable option. Then of course, it goes up from there. We don’t glamp. Part 2 is here

Day Passes at Resorts-

Places Like Pine Ridge Dude Ranch offer limited day pass options or passes for special events such as the fourth of July night to see fireworks. They also often have special discount rates for certain blocks and things such as a farmer’s market and car show. I’ve heard that Yogi Bear Camping Resort also has day passes. However, it is not as affordable.

Free Concerts-

Through-out the summer, many local parks offer free concert series. Pack some food and a blanket and go enjoy different types of music all summer long. Great education by learning different genres of music without the children knowing it! Here is an example of a free music series in Millbrook, NY

Museums, Aquariums & Zoos-

It doesn’t matter where you live, there are always museums from small to large scale. The other day, we had the opportunity to tour FDR Museum and it was great fun. We learned a lot and even blogged about it on our sister site. We learned all about US History and Government during the time of FDR. You are never too young or too old to learn something at a museum. Abby is 3.5!

Of course, we cannot forget art museums. Abby has only been to small art museums such as the Barrett Art Center. She loved looking at all the artwork and finding what spoke to her. She also loved taking a few photos on a hosted photography walk before falling asleep on my back. Museums often have additional programming besides just a walk through. Abby currently has a collage of her photography and painting up at a children’s art show at our local library. I just finished a solo art show at the same place. All my pieces are for sale! (Shameless plug)

Aquariums are awesome too. When we visited Gatlinburg, before Abby, I thoroughly enjoyed Ripley’s Aquarium and the Penguins are my favorite. I cannot wait to return to the area and go with my daughter. For now, we just go to our local pet store and look at what they have.

As far as zoos, there are a smaller zoos and larger zoos. For us we love The Trevor Zoo and the Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut. The facilities are clean and the animals are so well taken care of at both places. Also great for smaller legs. I still remember the last time we went to Trevor. I thought I lost my keys and my child had hidden them. The staff at the zoo searched high and low. I had to get a new key fob and everything. Over a month later, she comes in waving my keys going “oh mommy.” My then two year old, hid them behind my toilet. See a funny Video Here where Abby thinks she’s a wild cat.

Again, many places, there are free days, library passes or Groupon. So everyone, can enjoy places such as these.

The Playground-

Take it the playground. There are so many playgrounds around. One we highly recommend is Bowdoin Park. It has a splash pad! This is a huge win in hot weather. So check your area for features. You might be blessed with a splash pad too. Just don’t forget the extra clothes. We playground jump and make it almost a game to find the next awesome playground.

Go Volunteer-

Did you just say to go volunteer? Why yes I did. There are so many opportunities to volunteer from a Soup Kitchen to an Animal Shelter. Abby was volunteering at a Senior Friendship Center and her music school is starting a senior and young child event at our local nursing home. Just contact wherever interests you and your family and check rules, guidelines for things such as age requirement. Photo courtesy Dutchess County Government.

Road Trip-

All else fails, go on a day trip. Recently, we traveled to Pennsylvania for the day and a couple weeks before that, Lake George. Even heading to the beach for the day can be fun. Just research prices in advance as some beaches can be very pricey. On the way, keep them entertained in the car by stopping at fun roadside attractions or playing fun games such as Bear Hunt!

“I’m going on a bear hunt and what do I see? I see a red stop sign looking at me!”

Conclusion-

We will be adding to this as suggestions and links come our way. So stay tuned! Mom’s, worst case scenario, find a sitter or pass the children off on a relative and have a night out solo! We all need it. See my mom’s night out post!

Please remember to subscribe if you liked what you read and you can also follow us on many different social media platforms.  Also, a lot more awesome content on YouTube. All links should be on the bottom or side of page depending on what you are viewing on. Remember, to tune into Instagram this weekend when Abby answers a couple more questions for our viewers. You can view past weeks questions there too. Oh and one last thing, our sister blog is over at hvparent.com/adventures-of-abby-girl

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Lastly, I have updated the My Favorite Things Page on this blog because I’m now designing t-shirts. I do receive a small royalty from each one I sell. Many feature photos from our adventures. So go have a look. 

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