Affordable Family Outings

[Faith]

I have been having the best outings with my children and not really spending much money. With the price increases everywhere (fuel, food, etc.) it is difficult to to afford Frontier City, White Water, etc. I wanted to share what I have done and to see if anyone else has any good information to share as well!


1) Family Skate Night - We have a blast one night a week when we go to Family Skate Night. For my children and I it costs a total of $7.50 to skate and rent the skates! The good thing is the skating rink isn't that busy and it is only families that come on Family Night.

2) CiCi's Pizza Night - This is so cheap! For my children (2 kids) and myself to have salad bar, pizza buffet, and drink it only cost $12! That is cheaper than what I could buy the groceries at the store for to cook a full meal! Plus there is always a quarter candy machine that you play until you win candy!

3) Picnic in the park (pack sandwhiches and Kool-Aid from Home)! The kids love this and after we eat we play at the park. Then we buy sno cones ($2.50 for 2 small sno cones). A very nice fun filled afternoon for only $2.50

Please share your ideas!

[FritterGirl]

Don't forget the OKC Parks Department's 15 spraygrounds located at area parks metro wide.

Great summer fun for the whole family, and 100% free!

Douglass Park, 901 North Frederick Douglass Ave.
E.B. Jeffrey Park, 4432 NW 16
Harvest Hills Park, 8235 NW 104
Lippert Park, 5500 S Shartel
Macklanburg Park, 11700 N Stratford Drive
McCracken Park, 425 SE 64
McKinley Park, 1300 N McKinley
Melrose Park, NW 5 & Council
Memorial Park, 3600 N Classen
North Highland, 301 NW 81
Reed Park, 1217 N May Avenue
Sellers Park, 8301 S Villa
Taylor Park, 1113 SW 70th
Wiley Post Park, SW 17 & Robinson
Youngs Park, SW 44 & Youngs

[oneforone]

Incredible Pizza in Warr Acres use to be a good place to go. Have the prices changed or have they gone down in quality?

A friend of mine works at Integris Southwest in the ER, he tells me they see more injuries from the spraygrounds come into the Emegency Department over every other summertime activity.

[AFCM]

- For less than $15 bucks you can all hit up the batting cages and have a few rounds each.

- Volunteering as a family. It's free, helps the community, makes you feel great, and teaches the kids life lessons they most likely wouldn't anywhere else.

- Go play a game of hoops at the nearest court, excluding some in the inner city.

- Assuming you have some bikes and necessary safety equipment, find some trails, safety-up, and go for a ride.

- Fly a kite at a nearby park.

- I'm not sure how much a fishing license costs these days, but an annual should cover a year's worth of fun, assuming the kiddos don't get bored with fishing like I did when I was a kid.



I might have some info about getting cheaper tickets to Frontier City/White Water. I'll check back on that.

[FritterGirl]

The City's Parks and Recreation Department is offering FREE Fishing Classes for Kids aged 5-15 on select Saturdays throughout the summer. Equipment, bait and tackle are provided during the class, and no State fishing license or City permit are required during class hours.

Instructors from the Muncipal Fish Hatchery and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Education will be on hand to teach kids about knot tying, fish identification, bait selection, fishing regulations and more.

Classes run from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Dates and locations for 2008 are:

Metro Tech Springlake, 3600 NE 36th Street
June 7, July 12, August 9

Dolese Youth Park Pond, NW 50th and Meridian
June 14, July 26

Crystal Lake, SW 15th and MacArthur
June 21, August 23

Edwards Park Lake, 1515 NE Bryant
July 9, August 16

A State fishing license AND City permit are required to fish on all Oklahoma City based "Close to Home" fishing waters for all anglers between the ages of 16 to 62, unless otherwise exempt by disability. "Close to Home" fishing waters include Lakes Draper, Hefner and Overholser, the basins of the Oklahoma River, Route 66 park and all other in-park lakes.

A daily City permit costs: $3
An annual City permit costs $15.

[Karried]

Mathis Brothers is offering Annual Zoo Memberships for $45 bucks a year.....

ZooFriends Membership Savings @ Mathis Brothers Furniture

Throughout May and June

Come to Mathis Brothers Furniture during May and June and save $15 when you purchase a ZooFriends Family Membership at their store! Also, receive a free gift from Mathis Brothers with your Zoo Friends membership purchase, while supplies last.

ZooFriends members enjoy a full year of unlimited admission to the Oklahoma City Zoo, discounted membership to nationwide zoos, special Members ONLY entrance, members only ZooSounds newsletter, invitations to special events and discounts on Zoo gift shop, Zoo Buddy Shop and concessions purchases and Education classes. For more information on ZooFriends membership benefits, please visit Zoo Friends - Oklahoma City Zoo Friends or call (405) 427-2461 ext. 618.

Contact: OZS ZooFriends
Phone: (405) 427-2461, ext. 618

[Faith]

Wow! Thankyou all for the great ideas! We've gone and played basketball together at the YMCA and we are starting summer baseball tomorrow! So we should stay busy. I forgot about the spray parks (now I will be paranoid with the high rate of injuries!)

Please let me know about the discounted season park passes if you find that information.

My boys would love fishing!

[Karried]

Frontier City / White Water Bay.. both parks all Season $65 bucks.

That's a great deal if you'll go quite a bit.

https://parc.cygnus.com/parc/store.jsp?merchant=PC-FC

[FritterGirl]

Wow! Thankyou all for the great ideas! We've gone and played basketball together at the YMCA and we are starting summer baseball tomorrow! So we should stay busy. I forgot about the spray parks (now I will be paranoid with the high rate of injuries!)

Please let me know about the discounted season park passes if you find that information.

My boys would love fishing!

As the signage indicates, we strongly recommend kids wear shoes while at the spraygrounds - and by shoes we mean old tennis shoes, swim booties or something similar - NOT flip-flops.

You might also try the City's two FAMILY AQUATIC CENTERS:

1. Earlywine Family Aquatics Center, SW 119, just West of May Ave.
2. Will Rogers, in Will Rogers Park (NW 36th and I-44).

Individual season passes run $50 per participant.
Family passes run $150 for a family of 4.

[PennyQuilts]

Incredible Pizza in Warr Acres use to be a good place to go. Have the prices changed or have they gone down in quality?

A friend of mine works at Integris Southwest in the ER, he tells me they see more injuries from the spraygrounds come into the Emegency Department over every other summertime activity.

OMG - you are reminding us that injuries result from the spraygrounds. When I first read this, I thought you were suggesting hanging out at the ER with the kiddies as a form of cheap entertainment...

Okay, so now I'm awake.

[Jesseda]

In south okc by crossroads there is the 1 or is it 1.50 movies, smuggle in some store bought candy or some healthy snacks and there you have a outing under 10.00....

[kevinpate]

There is also, or at least was a few years back, dobber or dobber fifty movies at Northpark Mall, and the same type venue is still in Norman at a theater in Robinson Crossing, just west of I-35 off Robinson, catty-wampus across the strip mall lot from the Braum's

[mcbee04]

You can check the dollar movie times at Starplex Cinemas
They have a dolla' theater in Norman, by Crossroads, and in Northpark.
50 cent Tuesdays!

[Faith]

50cents? Are you serious? THANK YOU! : )

[oneforone]

Stay away from the Crossroads Theater. Unless you enjoy watching your movie with rats.

One of the local news outlets interviewed a man that took his grandson there to see a matinee movie. He sat the popcorn bucket in the empty seat next to him. A few minutes later he went grab the bucket and saw a rat looking back at him from inside the bucket.

[Jesseda]

The rat thing is propbably true, the last time i took my niece to the crossroads dollar movies was about 2 years ago, the floor wasreally dirty and you couldnt see what was on the floor and made it all uneven, well after the movie wehn I stood up I actually hand o yank my foot and shoe to get it unstuck not justa little tup I actually had to work at it it was like glued to the floor. It was the worst floor I ever well cant say scene (felt). But I guess you get what you pay for, but common at least run a mop once a day over that floor please, I will donate a bottle of pinsole or a bottle of bleach.

[Karried]

The Zoo was absolutely beautiful yesterday. We ended up just gettting the Membership without Mathis brothers because we decided once we went there, fought off the sales people, waited in line.. with gas prices etc, it wasn't worth saving $15 bucks.

Anyway, $5 bucks a month for a family of Two Adults and Five Kids... well worth it.

[NE Oasis]

How about FREE??
The 45th Infantry Museum is near NE 36th and MLK (Eastern).
Outside- Aircraft, Tanks, Trucks and Big Guns.
Inside - Firearms, Uniforms, actual artifacts from one of Hitlers residences, orinal "Wiilie and Joe" artwork, AND MORE. Plan at least a 1/2 day to see it all..

[cindyl57]

Free!!! The Train Museum at NE 50th and Grand...Pretty cool place...The train rides are only given certain days of the month and are not FREE, but the other stuff is pretty neat...And Free...

[ewoodard]

a state fishing license is $20 for a person over the age of 16, and is good for one year starting in January ending in December . You must show a drivers license for the information.

[Karried]

That's a great idea.. fishing.

One thing I've found recently, is the kids are really getting a kick out of sitting around a firepit (safe of course) and roasting marshmallows and making S'mores.

It's the little things they remember .. like stargazing or watching lightening storms, catching fireflies and spending time with the family ... and that can't be bought.

[sammiam832]

Ya know, I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed that OKC does not have a children's museum. Or much of a "children's" anything. For LITTLE kids. My son is 4 and other than the zoo, it's tough to find anything where he can go and just be a kid other than the park. It would be nice to have more indoor activities on Saturdays at least.

[FritterGirl]

Karrie,

You might try the City's free fishing classes, as listed above.

[sammiam832]

Karrie,

You might try the City's free fishing classes, as listed above.

I thought about it, but I dont think my son would have the patience for fishing. He doesnt' have the patience for a movie either. We have to be moving or doing something all the time. He's not a sit still kid. Thanks though.

[striker]

Wanted to bring this back up to the top because it's been awhile since the topic was raised and because I now have a young daughter and I'm looking for fun inexpensive things to do/see

Any new ideas? Thanks!