Comments on: Frugal Vacation Notes: Great Free Things to Do in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:06:09 +0000

To Robin

There is one, I have started VisitForFree.com which is small now but I hope to become worldwide, if anyone would like to contribute please get in touch.

Sarah

By: reulte

reulte — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:04:18 +0000

Oh yes — I am not a travel agent and haven’t lived in San Antonio for 2 years, so double check prices and times.

By: reulte

reulte — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:34:11 +0000

By the way, I am not a travel agent and haven’t been back home (San Antonio0 in 4 years, so double check my information.

By: reulte

reulte — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:25:29 +0000

I really enjoyed this post and look forward to future posts like it. I would prefer to see only free stuff highlighted here. There are plenty of enjyable free things to do in almost everyplace you can image without going into things that are a great value for their cost.

For Adrienne – In San Antonio, there’s the McNay Art Institute (mcnayartmuseum.org) which is free on Thursday nights and the 1st Sunday of the month for the general exhibition, also free for kids under 10. It’s well – art – so younger kids may not enjoy it much.

The San Antonio River runs through Brackendrige Park (not near the Riverwalk which is downtown) and is a nice experience. You can swim there or dangle your feet in the water, feed the ducks and the park has nice picnic areas, a Japanese garden and the San Antonio zoo is right next door to this enormous park. I don’t believe the Japanese garden has a charge. The Witte Museum is in Brackenridge Park and admission is free on Tuesdays and for kids under 3. It is a very kid-oriented museum and most kids I know really love it. Across from the Witte Museum are some places to eat but if it’s lunchtime, it’s more enjoyable to take a picnic lunch.

The San Antonio Missions (not the team mentioned by Sarah!), dating back to the 1700′s, are part of the National Park Service and are also free.

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:19:20 +0000

And don’t forget the fantastic Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth – FREE admission to the main exhibit. Guest exhibits cost extra.
Also free, love the Monnig Meteorite Gallery over at TCU in Fort Worth

By: Georgia

Georgia — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:02:27 +0000

I like the idea of knowing where to look for free or low cost places to visit. I belong to AAA and they usually give out booklets for your itinerary that list pages of places to see, their hours, and their costs. Spendid help.

I just learned from my daughter that she had company and they had a big list of things they wanted to see. She is in Huntsville, AL area. She has said that we will go to several when I go down in July. She was surprised because she hadn’t heard of these places before and she has lived in northern AL for at least 15 years.

By: Su

Su — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:22:33 +0000

I just love the picture of your daughter… she’s totally adorable!

It’s nice seeing pictures of you and your family… it makes your writing more personal for me because I have a picture of the people you care about most, and write about frequently.

Thanks!

By: Mary W

Mary W — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:33:58 +0000

I always try to visit farmer’s markets when I’m on vacation. It’s always fun to see what’s grown in the area and the food is usually inexpensive and delicious.

I thought I was the only one.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:07:18 +0000

I’ve got one more fabulous freebie. The next time you are in the DFW metroplex check out the Federal Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It’s just north of FW. We went with our 6 yr olds last summer and it was a blast. You get to see how money is printed from start (plain paper and engraved metal) to finish (enormous stacks of bills). The workers there really make the tour fun and informative. The kids had a blast and even purchased an uncut sheet of real $1 bills. Very cool.

Best,
Leigh

By: Robin Crickman

Robin Crickman — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:52:27 +0000

You know, Trent’s report suggests to me an interesting possible business idea for someone.
Start a website which has various cities and regions and gathers suggestions from contributors
about what free or low-cost sites to see while
visiting. Could have a section for families, some specialty areas for various interest groups (golfers, baseball fans, art lovers,…). Maybe it
is already out there and I just don’t know about it. But I could see it being interesting to anyone
who is visiting or planning a visit to places.

By: The DepressingTruth

The DepressingTruth — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:26:35 +0000

If you are going to San Antonio, drive the 15miles North to New Braunfels and go “Tube’n” down the Guadalupe River…and/or visit Schlitterbahn Waterpark (just DON’T try it on a Weekend…It’s Packed)

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:56:05 +0000

Omaha, NE (where I live) also has a Pioneer Plaza very similar to the Dallas one. We even have a wagon train with a family and lots of animals, if you’re ever in the area.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:10:24 +0000

@ Adrienne,

I live in San Antonio, be sure to check out the riverwalk if you go to the Alamo, they recently expanded it.While there be sure to tour the Menger hotel and the Emily Rose hotel, they are supposed to be some of San Antonio’s most haunted places. (Free thrills!) If you’ll be here during the week, San Antoino Missions has dollar night on Thursday, you can get in and see the hometown
baseball team for a buck. (not quite free but not exactly pricy either)

Trent,

Great post, I lived in the DFW area, it was nice being reminded of some of the places I enojoyed while there.

By: Juliska

Juliska — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:39:01 +0000

Adrienne, isn’t the Alamo near San Antonio? I’d certainly check that out!

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:21:47 +0000

Any suggestions for the San Antonio area? I’ll be there in mid-July with my family (husband and four kids–7, 5, almost 4, and 20 months). We are going to visit family, but we’re also planning some sight-seeing. We might splurge on Sea World (AAA has a great deal for members–kids are free, adults get in for kids’ price), but I’d also like free attractions.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:23:20 +0000

I’d be curious to see this about other cities. We went to San Francisco a couple weeks ago (we have family in the area) and my Aunt gave me this book called, “Bay Area Mama’s Handbook” and it was a guide to kid friendly stuff in the bay area. It was awesome! Not only did the book have an entry for just about anything you could want to do in the bay area, it had hours, and admission prices and a review of just how “kid-friendly” something was. It was a great resource, and I’m sad we won’t have something like it when we visit other cities!

BTW- if you’re in San Fran with kids, the Bay Area Discovery Museum is a great place to take kids! And the view of the Golden Gate Bridge can’t be beat!

By: beth

beth — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:19:01 +0000

This would be a great series of posts for cities all over the country, though you would, of course, have to rely strictly on reader input for a lot of them. Trying to find interesting free things to do in a city when all you have it the Chamber of Commerce’s point of view can get tiring.

By: Trent

Trent — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:38:45 +0000

@MegB: we went to the museum, but it’s not a free attraction so I didn’t discuss it here.

@NYC: No amusement parks for us. Our kids are really too young to enjoy it, and corralling them at Six Flags Over Texas seemed nightmarish.

I wish someone had mentioned the Water Gardens – I don’t think it was suggested even once. Sounds cool.

By: MegB

MegB — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:31:17 +0000

I’m a little bummed that you didn’t check out the Sixth Floor Museum. With the audio tour, it is well worth the price of admission. Very educational and very moving. Although, I admit that it might have been difficult to get the full experience with two small children.

I love our Farmers’ Market. I think it’s one of my favorite things about Dallas. I have great memories of my dad taking us there to pick out fresh fruits and veggies, and as an adult I love to go, especially in the summertime.

Sounds like you enjoyed your visit. I hope you’ll come back sometime!

By: Sherry

Sherry — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:28:42 +0000

Yes great post – I live just north of Dallas – been here over 5 years and still learning about some great things. Stock yards is a lot of fun. Glad you had a great time here!