Summer on a Budget.

 10 Inexpensive, fun summer activities that won’t drain your wallet

1. Check out neighborhood business freebies. This includes shows, demonstrations and activities that local businesses host to generate summer traffic.
2. Visit one of Columbus’s public libraries. You’ll find free crafts for kids, story time, discussion groups and other fun ways to enjoy summer at no cost. Columbus has one of the top-ranked public library systems in the county!
3. Embrace the outdoors. Think hiking trails like Hocking Hills, beaches like Alum Creek State Beach, scenic lookouts such as Dawe’s Arboretum and beautiful local parks like Schiller Park, the Topiary Park of Columbus and the Park of Roses.
4. Volunteer at a local humane society or animal shelter.
5. Start a vegetable or flower garden.
6. Have a backyard cookout with friends and split the cost of food to keep costs low for everyone.
7. Check out local farms for free admission hours.
8. Have a picnic in the park.
9. Go for the weekday matinee special and save loads on theater tickets… check out CAPA’s Summer movie series at the Ohio Theater.
10. Check out free, local concerts and theater productions like Shakespeare in the Park (in Schiller Park).
11. Go camping in you own backyard.
12. Visit the Columbus Museum of Art on a Sunday. Admission is free all day on Sundays!