Free and cheap things to do for $5 or less


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Bloggers from all over the world have submitted tips about their cities to help us create our ultimate $5 fun list.

This is a work in progress, and many more cities need to be included! Read submission rules and instructions in the sidebar.

Click on the state and city names to jump down to its listing. Or you can scroll the page to browse.

United States

Canada

Germany

Netherlands

 

 

Vulcan Park
Vulcan Park - | CP | / Flickr

Alabama

Birmingham, AL

Things to Do in Birmingham for $5 or Less by No Debt Plan

  • Pepper Place Market
  • Vulcan Park
  • Oak Mountain State Park
  • Samford University

 

California

Bay area, CA (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz)

Less Expensive Ways to Enjoy San Francisco by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge - Luis Gabriel Rivas
  • Legion of Honor
  • de Young Museum
  • Japanese Tea Garden
  • Inner Richmond (real Chinatown)
  • Golden Gate Park
  • Cliff House
  • Fisherman's Wharf Pier 45
  • Castro Theatre
  • Kabuki Springs
  • Palace of Fine Arts
  • Sho Chiku Bai Takara Sake Brewery

The activities and events in bay area under $5 by Learning the ropes

  • Santa Clara Farmer's Market
  • San Jose Flea Market
  • Bike and jogging trails
  • Gay parade
  • Mystery Spot
  • Big Basin Redwoods State Park
  • San Jose Tech Museum
  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • Sausalito
  • Fruit picking in Brentwood
  • Open air movies
  • Santana Row
  • Intel Museum
  • Maker Faire
  • Santa Cruz beach and Half Moon bay
  • Pier 39, San Francisco
  • 17 mile drive, Monterey
  • Santa Clara county fair
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Boardwalk - richardmasoner

santa cruz on a shoestring by the part-time life

  • Simpkins Family Swim Center
  • Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
  • Salsa party at Palomar Ballroom

Urban development by The Long View

  • Lake Meritt

Los Angeles, CA

Top Ten Things To Do In Los Angeles For Less Than Five Dollars by Yield To Pedestrian

Santa Monica Beach Pier
Santa Monica Pier - Spoon Monkey / Flickr
  • Point Dume Beach
  • Aidan's Place, a Universally Accessible Playground (UAP)
  • Huntington Gardens, Library, and Art Collection
  • Griffith Park & Observatory
  • The Getty Museum
  • The Grove & The Farmer's Market
  • La Brea Tar Pits
  • The Peterson Automotive Museum
  • Santa Monica Pier
  • Venice Pier
  • Manhattan Beach Pier

Free and Frugal Things to Do in Los Angeles by Our Fourpence Worth

  • Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade and Pier
  • The Grove
  • The Original Farmers Market
  • Downtown Burbank
  • The Hollywood Bowl
  • TV show tapings and film screenings
  • Universal City Walk
  • Grand Performances Series at California Plaza
  • Griffith Park & Observatory
  • The Getty Center
  • The Getty Villa
  • Skirball Cultural Center & Museum
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
  • Los Angeles Central Library
  • California Science Center
  • The Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society Hollywood Museum 27
  • Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

Less than $5? by Gen Plus

Del Mar Racetrack, San Diego, CA
Del Mar Racetrack - Banamine / Flickr
  • Balboa Park
  • The Stand
  • Skirball Center

San Diego, CA

San Diego: The Land of Five Dollar Entertainment by The Art Of Frugality

  • Free Flamenco at the Sky Lounge, Sheraton Suites
  • Balboa Park free tuesdays
  • Del Mar Racetrack
  • La Jolla Cove
  • Julian Apple Days Festival every fall

 

District of Columbia

Free Museums: National Museum of The American Indian
Museum of The American Indian
- Phillip Ritz / Flickr

Washington, DC

Smithsonian museums by herbertanzer

  • National Museum of Natural History
  • National Museum of American History
  • American Art Museum
  • National Gallery of Art
  • National Museum Of The American Indian
  • Air and Space Museum
  • Arthur M Sackler Gallery
  • Freer Gallery of Art

 

Florida

Daytona Beach, FL

Ten things to do in greater Daytona Beach under $5.00 by Treading Softly

Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach - chenines / Flickr
  • Daytona Beach
  • Free concerts at the Bandshell
  • Fish at Granada Pier
  • Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station
  • Tomoka State Park
  • Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
  • Bulow Creek State Park
  • Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens
  • Southeast Museum of Photography
  • African American Museum of the Arts
  • Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail See map and info from official site
  • The Casements, former winter home of John D. Rockefeller

Gainesville, FL

Your guide to a fun (and cheap) vacation in Gainesville, Florida by All About Appearances

Florida Museum of Natural History
Florida Museum of Natural History
- spakattacks / Flickr
  • Devil’s Millhopper
  • Paynes Prairie
  • Gainesville to Hawthorne Trail
  • San Felasco Hammock
  • Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
  • Kanapaha Botanical Gardens
  • Florida Museum of Natural History
  • Ham Museum of Art
  • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
  • Haile Homestead at Kanapaha Plantation
  • Plaza Series Concerts

 

Hawaii

View from Diamond Head Crater, Honolulu, Waikiki Oahu, Hawaii
View from Diamond Head Crater
- Go Card USA / Flickr

Honolulu, HI

Honolulu Now on the Dollar Menu! by Go Visit Hawaii

  • Free hula show at Kuhio Beach Park
  • Free Polynesian dance and fireworks show at the Hilton
  • Visit the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
  • Diamond Head Crater
  • Self-guided Waikiki Historical Trail walking tour
  • Waikiki Beach

 

Illinois

Ape with girl, Krannert
Krannert Art Museum
- Philip Brewer

Champaign-Urbana, IL

Free and cheap things to do in Champaign-Urbana by Philip Brewer

  • Strawberry Jame
  • Downtown Festival of the Arts
  • Taste of Champaign
  • Jazz Walk
  • Bach's Lunch
  • Krannert Uncorked
  • Parkland College Theater and Art Gallery
  • Art Fair
  • Heartland Gallery
  • Cinema Gallery
  • Classes, Talks, and Demonstrations
  • Allerton Park
  • Arboretum
  • Spurlock Museum
  • Early American Museum
  • Orpheum Children's Science Museum

Chicago, IL

Things to in Chicago do for under $5 by The Writer's Coin

  • Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier
  • Art Institute
  • The Bean
  • Botanical Gardens
  • Garfield Park Conservatory
  • Five Buck Club

 

Louisiana

Baton Rouge, LA

Things to do for under $5 in Baton Rouge by Personal Finance Analyst

  • Bluebonnet Swamp Tour
  • BREC Zoo
  • Highland Road Park Observatory
  • Magnolia Mound Plantation House
  • BMX Raceway & Velodrome Skate Park
  • Sunshine Socials
  • USS Kidd

 

Maine

Aroostook County, ME

Family Fun for Five Dollars or Less: Houlton, Maine and Around Aroostook County by Myscha Theriault

Portland Museum of Art
Portland Museum of Art
- girl_named_fred / Flickr
  • Driving tour around Presque Isle
  • Free summer concerts
  • Cary Library
  • Peanut Carnival
  • Memorial Park
  • Star gazing
  • Summer programs for kids
  • Big Stop
  • Agricultural Museum
  • Aroostook State Park

Portland, ME

An absolute gem among America's small cities by Mary Webber

  • First Friday Art Walk Portland Museum of Art

 

Massachusetts

Boston, MA

Enjoy Boston Every Day of the Week (On the Cheap!) by The Concrete Gardener

Boston Common Frog Pond
Boston Common Frog Pond
- kthypryn / Flickr
  • Memorial Drive
  • DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park
  • Boston Public Library
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • The Institute of Contemporary Art
  • The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

Best activities in Boston for under $5 by The Simple Me

  • Crane Beach
  • Cambridge Summer in the City
  • Carson Beach
  • Capitol Theater
  • Boston Common Frog Pond Skating Rink
  • Swan Boat Rides
  • Boston Landmarks Orchestra
  • Freedom Trail self-guided walking tour
  • Roller Skating at Chez-Vous
  • Walden Pond State Reservation
  • Arnold Arboretum
  • Sculpture Garden at the Forest Hills Cemetery

Things to do in Boston for $5 or less… by Living Almost Large

Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library - redjar / Flickr
  • Freedom Trail with free audio guide
  • U.S.S. Constitution
  • Boston Common
  • Swan Boat Ride
  • Minutemen Bike Trailway
  • Quincy Marketplace and Faneuil Hall
  • Newbury Street
  • JP Licks
  • Trinity Church
  • Public Library
  • Harvard University
  • Charles River
  • Free museums (on certain days): Museum of Fine Arts, Children's Museum, Harvard Art Museum, Harvard Museum of Natural History
  • Zoos
  • Berkshire Mountains
  • Cape Cod

Boston, MA by Amber

USS Constitution Boston MA
USS Constitution
- Bunny Red / Flickr
  • Boston Common's Frog Pond
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Karaoke at the Limelight
  • Live Music at Wally's Cafe
  • Open night at the Observatory
  • Harpoon Brewery tastings
  • Sam Adams Brewery tours
  • USS Constitution
  • Free concerts at Copley Square
  • Castle Island

Holyoke, MA

$5 Fun 2008 update by The Wonders Of

  • DAR State Forest and Lake
  • Look Memorial Park
  • McCray's Farm
  • Holyoke Children's Museum
  • Eric Carle Museum
  • Forest Park Zoo

 

Minnesota

Spam Museum Austin, MN
Spam Museum
- thalling55 / Flickr

Austin, MN

New Ulm, MM

Owatonna, MN

Twin Cities, MN (Minneapolis and St. Paul)

St. Paul for under $5 by Dad By Dawn

  • ComoZoo and Conservatory
  • Amateur sports at local clubs
  • Walker Art Center
  • Free tours at Summit Brewery

The Twin Cities for under $5. by Dark Style Blog

  • Como Zoo
  • Lake Harriet bandshell
  • Woodlake Nature Center
  • Minnesota Heritage Park
  • Minneapolis Institute of Art
  • Walker Art Center
  • Bell Museum of Natural History
  • Summit Brewing Company
  • Mall of America
  • Foshay Tower
  • Minnesota Fringe Festival
  • Hollidazzle
  • St. Paul Winter Carnival

Travels with Children by Minnemom

 

Missouri

St. Louis, MO

 

Nebraska

Omaha, NE

10 Things to Do for Under $5 in the Omaha Metro Area by Linsey Knerl

Heartland of America Park Omaha, NE
Heartland of America Park
- Michael Cornelius / Flickr
  • Joslyn Art Museum
  • Gerald Ford Birth Site and Monument
  • Boys Town Hall of History
  • Cancer Survivors Park
  • Memorial Park
  • Motto McLean Arena
  • Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
  • Mahoney State Park
  • Gene Leahy Mall
  • Heartland of America Park

 

New York

New York City, NY

Rochester, NY

Things to Do In Rochester for Under $5 by Poorer Than You

Mendon Ponds Park Rochester, NY
Mendon Ponds - mamamusings / Flickr
  • Mendon Ponds Park
  • Legal Wall
  • Geocaching
  • ARTWalk
  • Mount Hope Cemetery
  • Free self-guided walking tours
  • Ice skating at Ritter Ice Arena
  • Cell phone tours
  • Dollar Theater
  • Bowl-A-Roll Lanes

 

North Carolina

Winston-Salem, NC

Reynolda Gardens Winston-Salem NC
Reynolda Gardens
- mbtphoto / Flickr

Fun Things For Five Dollars Or Less In And Around Winston-Salem, North Carolina by Julie Rains

  • Salem Lake
  • Tanglewood Park
  • Reynolda Gardens
  • Shallowford Square
  • Stone Mountain
  • "On the Same Page"
  • Live music downtown
  • Yadkin Valley Wine Trail

 

North Dakota

Fargo, ND

 

Ohio

Cincinnati Art Museum, OH
Cincinnati Art Museum
- Mike Willis / Flickr

Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati, Ohio by ichristine

  • Shakespeare in the park
  • Cincinnati Art Museum

 

Pennsylvania

McKean County, PA

Regional Events and Things to do for under $5 by On a Quest To Be Debt Free

  • Allegheny National Forest
  • Crook Farm Country Fair
  • Kinzua Bridge State Park

 

Washington

Seattle, WA

Free and cheap things to do in Seattle by Andrea Dickson

Space Needle Seattle WA
Space Needle
- Paraflyer / Flickr
  • Asian Art Museum
  • Wing Luke Asian Museum
  • Frye
  • Burke Museum
  • Lakeview Cemetery
  • Volunteer Park
  • Jimi Hendrix Memorial
  • Golden Gardens
  • Arboretum
  • Central Library
  • Science Fiction Museum
  • Self-guided walking tours
  • Burke Gilman Trail
  • Lakewood Park Disc Golf Course
  • Pike Place Market
  • Space Needle
  • Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
  • International District
  • U-District

 

Virginia

Norfolk, VA

 

Canada

Toronto, Canada

Toronto The Good & Cheap by Living With Money

Toronto Centre Island
Centre Island - bensonkua / Flickr
  • Dufferin Grove Farmer's Market
  • Free Friday Films
  • Toronto Islands
  • Bluegrass night at the Tranzac Club
  • Crazy Strings night at The Silver Dollar
  • Trampoline Hall Lecture Series
  • Music Garden
  • Repertory Theatres
  • Steamwhistle Brewery

 

Germany

Munich, Germany

10 things to do in Munich for less than $5 by This non-American Life

 

Netherlands

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Fun on the cheap: Good times in Amsterdam for less than $5 by Liz K

  • Free public ferries
  • NDSM Werf
  • Windmill Brewery
  • Muziekgebouw
  • Free jazz shows by the Amsterdam Conservatory
  • Amsterdam Library (largest in the whole of the Netherlands)
  • NEMO children's science and technology museum
  • Amstel Park
  • Amsterdamse Bos
  • Open Atelier
  • Roots Festival
  • Grachtenfestival
  • Uitmarkt

 

 

Are we missing your city? Submit a post!

Are we missing your city? Do you know of some free or cheap things to do in your hometown? Want to get a link to your blog? Submit your post and update our map! Submission guidelines and instructions in the sidebar.