It was only a few weeks into the summer when we realized that our budget was going to be tight this year. Since we wouldn’t be taking any major vacations, we needed to find a way to entertain our three kids without spending a bunch of cash. To make things even more complicated, our kids range in ages from 14 (about to start high school) down to 4, which can make it challenging to find activities that amuse all of them at the same time.
Luckily for us, our city is packed to the gills with free forms of entertainment. We ended up spending time this summer at a variety of parks, the zoo, at museums, and at a number of free festivals. We also took full advantage of the area where we live. This meant that we spent a ton of time visiting with the neighbors, and swimming in the neighborhood pool.
A few weekends ago, we decided that we wanted to give the kids something special before school activities got started again. We had managed to save up a little bit of money, and were looking for something that would capture plenty of smiles and create some lasting memories. We ended up looking at the major amusement park in our area, Six Flags. Now let me state up front that we are well aware that Six Flags is no Disney World. The parks typically smell funny, they nickel and dime you for everything, and the rides and shows aren’t of the same quality. However, for us– the kids are at a ripe age for amusement parks. My oldest boys are finally at the point where they can enjoy roller coasters (and other thrill rides) without endless whining, and my young daughter is now tall enough where she can ride enough of the rides to make the ticket price worthwhile.
Well, kind of worthwhile. Looking at the Six Flags website, the cheapest that I could get prices down to was about $45/person (plus $20 for parking). Having great faith in my deal hunting skills, I was confident that I could find a way to get us in for half of that price. But after doing an hour or two of research, I was still coming up dry in finding any major discounts. Many of the offers that the park had used in the past to draw in visitors (buy one, get one free with a soda can) weren’t available this year– meaning that we were going to be spending $250 to take the family to Six Flags, before food was even factored in.
We decided to step back and look at some alternatives. I reasoned that for far less than $250, we could give the kids a super time over the course of the last few weekends of summer. Since we are always a family on the go, trying to give our kids new experiences, we wanted to try and find some activities that the kids hadn’t done in the last couple of years (if ever).
For the first weekend, we ended up settling on a local place that featured a go-kart track, bumper boats, and a mega arcade. After running the numbers, we found that we could entertain the entire family here for an afternoon for about $60. Even the grown-ups would get to play! The best part about this place was that they also featured dual karts for small kids, allowing them to ride with a parent. On the go kart track, the kids got to experience the thrill of speed (and a little bit of competition), and they had fun doing the other activities as well.
The next weekend, we decided to spring for Sky Zone, which is an indoor trampoline park. Sky Zone is a fun place that works well to entertain kids of all ages, and adults alike. You can jump off the walls, practice doing flips and somersaults, and even play a little dodgeball. The whole family had a good time, and as a nice bonus– you get a workout while you are playing! You just have to be a little bit careful when landing and pivoting, to make sure you don’t twist a knee or sprain an ankle. Luckily, we all came out of it injury-free.
At this point, the kids are getting ready to head back to school and our family schedule is about to get seriously nutty. As we always do, we’ll try to build in some time for relaxing and some time for play.
How do you entertain the kids on a budget?
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We’re doing A LOT of outdoor playing. Daughter is a year and a half and LOVES to play in the park. Sure, there are many playgrounds in the malls, but they are ‘stuffy’ and pricey. And she’s already loving her tricycle and balls, so why pay when we are having so much fun. There’s also a nice forest few miles away and we’re taking her there every once in a while. She absolutely loves it.
And just think how quiet they’ll be after hours of bouncing on trampolines. I bet they went to sleep nice and early that night.
I never understand how families afford to take two or more kids to Disneyworld or similar parks. The cost must be astronomical! I agree that fun stuff around town will keep most kids happy. Granted, here in Arizona that means a lot of sweltering in summer temperatures. Other than arcades, nothing is indoors for some unknown reason.