Finding free activities for the whole family to enjoy this summer was so much fun for us! It took some digging and researching but we found a few that we loved as a family of 3 (plus doggo). Here are 5 free activities we did this summer with our family…
Free Little Library Hunting
If you don’t know about Free Little Libraries, they are the best! There’s an app you can download to find them in your area. We loaded up with snacks and drinks, followed the app, and found a bunch of free books! I try to take a stack of mine to replenish but it’s great to find adult and kid books for free! You can usually find some good ones in there and people like to decorate their libraries so it’s cute to see too. Plus you get to explore your neighborhood a little more! CLICK HERE for the APP/WEBSITE
Community Splash Pads (no doggo)
Nothing beats the heat more than finding your neighborhood splash pad. They are usually free and are so much for kids of all ages. Some have age-specified areas but most or open to all ages so you can decide what’s best for you and your littles. You can make a whole day of it and bring picnic supplies and sun-covers. Unfortunately, no dog-friendly ones that I’ve found yet but I’m still looking!
Local Walking Trails and Parks
One of our favorite things to do is to find new parks with walking paths that are stroller accessible and dog friendly. We have found some of the best trails just by looking on Apple Maps and picking places we’ve never been before. We make a whole day by bringing food or looking up local places to eat after.
Cute Downtown Areas to Walk
Similar to parks, finding cute downtown areas can be so much fun. We try to pick a city we’ve never heard up within a certain radius and then either lookup things to do there or just go and be surprised. Sometimes being surprised is the best because you can just wander and live in the moment without having a plan in mind.
City Festivals and Markets
Most cities now days have yearly, summer festivals or farmer’s markets that can be so much fun to attend! A lot of the festivals and markets I have been to have kid zones where there are crafts, foam pits, etc for your littles to have fun with. Attendance is usually free (check to make sure with larger festivals) so it can be a fun, low-cost day with the family.
Each area can be different in terms of what activities are available but these have been pretty consistent in places I’ve been. So load up the kids, grab the dog and picnic supplies, and go have a fun summer exploring with free family activities!