With the high price of gas right now, many people are opting to forgo the family vacation. However, that doesn't mean that you can't have a good time...instead have a Staycation! You can explore your own city with FREE and inexpensive things to do around town.
Since I live in the metro Detroit, Michigan area (on the west side of the city), I am going to list some of our favorite activities. However, you won't miss out even if you don't live in my area, since tomorrow I will post a huge list of Staycation posts from around the country. Hopefully, you'll be able to find a someone who lives in your area.
Splash Parks or Sprayscapes:
There are a variety of FREE sprayscapes around town that are fun for a morning/afternoon or even a full-day of fun, including:
- Sprayscape at McClumpha Park in Plymouth Township (I've been to this one)
- Splash Playground at Heritage Park - Canton
- Splash Pad at Heritage Park - Farmington Hills
- H2O Zone Spray Ground - Westland
Although this is a suburban area, there are still several parks where you can go hiking, including:
- Woodland Hills Park in Farmington Hills
- Saturday in the Park - a large section of Hines Drive is closed to car traffic on Saturdays from 9 am to 3:30 pm for biking
Check your local metro Detroit library to see if they are participating in the Museum Adventure Pass program. Basically, you can pick up a FREE pass to local participating museums for either 2 or 4 people using your library card. You have a certain number of days to use your pass, and there are limited passes available at any given time for participating museums.
Visit the Henry Ford Museum for FREE on Target Family Days for FREE admission to the museum as well as FREE parking. This summer, FREE Family Days are scheduled on 7/16 and 9/5/11.
Detroit Science Museum:
Several times per year, Ford sponsors Ford FREE FunDays with FREE admission to the Detroit Science Museum. This summer the dates are:
June 12, Diggin’ for Dinosaurs — Enjoy special hands-on activities and demonstrations on these prehistoric wonders. Experience the center’s special exhibit Dinosaurs Unearthed, the IMAX film “Dinosaurs Alive!” and the Planetarium show “Dinosaur Planet” General museum admission is complimentary, however there is an additional charge for the special exhibit and theater shows.
Cranbrook Institute of Science:
Get FREE admission, courtesy of MASCO Corporation Foundation, on 6/3/11 between 5 and 10 pm. If you subscribe to the Cranbrook newsletter, you can be informed of any additional FREE admission events.
Events:
- Fireworks - there are lots of fireworks shows around the 4th of July, including the the Livonia Spree fireworks on 6/26/11
- Mud Day - 7/12/11 between 11 am and 1 pm at Hines Park - Nankin Mills Area, Westland. Combine two hundred tons of topsoil and 20,000 gallons of water and you have created every child's fantasy and every mother's nightmare. The Westland Fire Department will be on hand to hose off all the muddy kids
- Woodward Dream Cruise - sit along Woodward Avenue and watch classic cars cruise along the road - 8/20/11 this year
Library Programs:
Check your local library for fun programs. In the past, we've been able to go to a program on Bats, Legos, etc. Also, our local library shows FREE kids movies one afternoon each week during the summer.
I'm sure that I missed tons of great activities to do around town. If you have a favorite that I missed on the west side of metro Detroit, leave a comment, and I'll add it.