It’s hard to turn down spending money on experiences, especially when those memories are priceless. But if you’re fortunate enough to live in or plan to visit a big city during the summer, there are often plenty of free activities you can do that won’t cost a dime. New York City is a shining example! These ideas below will help you plan your visit to the Big Apple as well as get inspiration for activities in other cities around the country (and even globe).
Kayaking
Several piers in Manhattan and Brooklyn offer free kayaking throughout the summer. To take advantage of this offer, you just have to show up, sign a waiver, don one of their lifejackets and you can spend 20 minutes (or longer if it’s not busy) paddling around the Hudson River.
These piers are equipped with changing rooms, lockers and locks and even sunscreen, all available free of charge. Each location has an entirely optional donation bucket. You can find more information, locations and hours of operation at The Downtown Boathouse website.
Roller Skating
If you’re willing to trek over to Brooklyn, there are several free skating sessions at Brooklyn Bridge Park, if you have your own skates. If not, skates are available for a $6 rental fee. The park a well-maintained rink, so if you want a free (or cheap) place for some exercise and some nostalgic good times, it’s worth it.
You can find the free skate sessions and other information about their location at the Pier 2 Roller Rink website (incidentally, it’s also a free kayaking spot, so you could do that right before or after).
Free Opera
If opera seems interesting to you, but you’re not ready to commit to the hefty ticket price, check out the Metropolitan Opera’s Summer HD Festival at the end of each summer. It screens 10 operas for free over about two weeks outside the Met. Seats are first-come, first-serve and there’s quite a wide variety of operas to choose from.
You can find their show times and additional information about each opera at The Metropolitan Opera’s Summer HD website.
Free Theater
Summer is the time to brush up on your Shakespeare and enter the lottery for Shakespeare in the Park. Each summer two Shakespearean classics are brought to life in Central Park. You can get tickets by showing up at the theater and waiting in line for the noon distribution or entering the online lottery at the Public Theater’s website.
If Shakespeare’s not your thing, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation website also tracks the free theater events occurring in all the area parks. They range from (surprise) more Shakespeare to experimental musicals to circus.
Free Museums
There are more museums than you can even imagine in New York City. Even the most famous museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim have free or pay-what-you-will hours weekly and if you’re interested in history in general, a large number of smaller museums scattered throughout the boroughs are free all the time such as the African Burial Ground Memorial Site, the Harbor Defense Museum, National Museum of American Indians and Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthplace.
For a more comprehensive list of free NYC museums, you can check out the free museums page at nycgo.com.
Free Zoos
If you’re visiting the City on a Wednesday, you can check out the Bronx Zoo or the Staten Island Zoo for free.
The Bronx Zoo has an incredible collection of animals that you can view for free all day on Wednesdays. You can see cool events like penguin feedings, learn how to garden and check out musicals about recycling. They have everything from bison to tigers to reptiles. You can check out more information about the Bronx Zoo on its website.
On Wednesdays from 2pm to 4:45pm, the Staten Island Zoo has free admission as well. There you can also see all sorts of animals from foxes to ostriches to otters. You can check out more information about the Staten Island Zoo website.
Even turning one day of a vacation into a free-activities-only day can save you quite a bit of money. It’ll make fitting a few souvenirs, like the famous “I Love New York shirts,” into your budget a breeze!
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6 Free Things to Do in New York City originally appeared on usnews.com
