Fun and Free Family Activities!

 

Being on a budget can affect you two ways:

1. Never leave the house, wondering how in the world people afford Six Flags with children.

or

2. Find those cheap (or free!) local activities that get you and the kiddos out of the house, and having that fun family time without breaking the bank to do it.

After going with option #1 for awhile, I decided it wasn't working for me, and sought out option #2. I still wanted to spend fun time with the kids, and get them out of the house this summer, and knew I had to do some research in order for that to happen. I've compiled a small list of some local events that my kids have loved, and I'm so excited that I can write them all down here and have them to look back on next summer! Feel free to try them out too, share your experiences here, or add to my list! We'd love to try out something new!

• NEW Splash pad in Athens! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151394079391890.1073741833.47591016889&type=1. The fee is $1 per person and operating hours are Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

• Gwinnett Braves in Buford! Their lawn seats are only $6/person. http://www.milb.com/tickets/singlegame.jsp?sid=t431

• FREE bowling! Yep, go to www.kidsbowlfree.com, sign up for your children, and pick your location. It emails you passes weekly that allows your child to bowl 2 free games per day.

• Here's the website for Mall of Ga's free kids movies and concerts all summer long: http://occupymyfamily.com/2011/05/29/free-movies-and-concerts-at-mall-of-georgia-may-august/

• $1.99 kids movies in Athens: http://www.moviefone.com/theater/georgia-square-mall-5/6594/showtimes

• Funopolis, Commerce- be very careful with this one. Their individual attractions are priced affordably, it's when you combine ALL of them is when it becomes expensive. We tell our children beforehand, we are here ONLY for the inflatables, and when the time is up, we will be leaving. You can jump on their indoor inflatables for $5 a child! Generally we hit up Chick-fil-a (with coupons) afterwards for lunch.

• The Pottery Palette, Commerce- choose your pottery piece to paint, make it your own. Prices range up to $10.

• Home Depot Kids Workshop- review the schedule for the next Sat near you, but it's free projects for the kids. The next local one is July 6th, 9am-12pm.

• Jefferson Library- Storytime on Tue and Thur at 10:30am. Review their schedule for their Civic Center shows, Thursdays at 2pm. Upcoming events include a puppeteer, petting zoo, and a juggler, all free.

• Splash Zone, Gainesville- Water park! Under 2 is free, and ages 3-59 are $8.

• Everland, Buford- Indoor playground! Under 10 months are free, 10 months-2 years $6, 3-12 years $10.

• Tubing- Helen, up to $5/tube. Dahlonega, up to $6/tube.

• Website for Athens parents, full of local events, some free, some cheap: http://athensparent.com/calendar/

• Jefferson pool schedule: http://www.jeffersonrec.com/PDFs/athletics/schedules/2013%20pool%20schedule.pdf

Parks:

• Duncan Creek Park, Hamilton Mill- huge playground!!! Both my boys love it and it's hard to find something they both enjoy with the age gap. They literally run to it, and it's free.

• Sandy Creek Park, Athens- they have a beach! $2 for anyone aged 4-64.

• Hurricane Shoals Park, Commerce- free and bring a tube for the water!

• Memorial Park, Athens- playground, lake, and small zoo, all free.

• Yellow River Game Ranch, Lilburn- it's a drive, yes, but my kids love to see all the animals! The deer will literally walk right up to you. $7 for ages 2-11, $8 for above 11.

Local Festivals (free) :

June:
City Lights Festival, Commerce. Last Sat of the month.
Freedom Festival, Jefferson. Last Sat of the month.

July:
Celebrate Braselton, Braselton Park. July 4th.
July 4th Festival, Nicholson. First weekend in July. The past few years they've had inflatables, games, pony rides, and vendors selling food/drinks and other assorted items. It's HOT, but they have a great time.

Maysville Baptist Church

Join us on Wed. nights! It's free for everyone. Men's study in the Refuge, Women's study in the choir room, Youth games and missions, and nursery for those under 4. I LOVE it, the women that I have met on Wed. nights have been fantastic. It is a place where I can go and know my kids are safe, happy, and I can have my "me" time. These Wed. nights have made a huge impact on me. They serve dinner beforehand, oh...and I don't know how much it is....sorry guys, someone help me. But if you work and feel like you couldn't handle picking up the kids after work, making dinner, cleaning up and driving to church, then don't. Let Maysville cook it for you, easy clean-up, and you'll leave full in more ways than one.

Upcoming: VBS, June 23rd-27th, here's the site for the free week of fun: http://maysvillebaptist.net/#/upcoming





                                            ...........and...........




KIDS EAT FREE

Buffalo's, Athens.                                                                                   All day Sunday

 

Mama's Boy, Athens                                                                                Sunday nights

Cici's Pizza, Athens.                                                                        Monday 4pm-close

Barberitos, Athens.                                                                          Monday 4pm-close

Your Pie, Athens                                                                   Monday w/adult purchase

Beef O' Brady's, Jefferson.                                                                     Tuesday 4-8pm

DePalma's, Athens.                                                                             Tuesday evenings

Joe's Crab Shack                                                                  Tuesday kids eat for $0.99

Stevie B's Pizza, Athens                                   Wednesday kids eat for $0.99 after 5pm

Captain D's, Commerce                  Thursday, 2 free kids meals with an adult purchase

IHOP                                                                 Daily 4-10pm (or should I say nightly?)

Chili's                                           July 9th-11th, with coupon* (free from their website)


I hope your family can get some good use out of this list! I like to plan fun activities for my kids at home, but this is my go-to, last minute list for fun things to do that are within 30 minutes or less.

Please, please do not get upset with me if a business changed their prices or hours, I would never purposely try to mislead you. Always call before you go to make sure the prices/days are still valid, and if something's changed, please let me know and I'll change it on here!

Happy Summer!