Best Tourism Bargains in America?

[Narnia_girl]

What are the absolute best bargains for tourism/sightseeing that you have experienced?
We love to see America and it's always great to find a hidden gem that's fun, educational and inexpensive. I don't mean you got in free because the clerk messed up your ticket price, but those truly affordable, don't-miss-when-you-are-in-town spots.

I can think of three off the top of my head:

Celestial Seasonings Free Factory Tour in Boulder, Co. Free samples of unique tea, a factory tour, and even the gift shop has affordable items. (Tour not for kids under age 5.)

Kit Carson Carousel in Burlington, Co. Historic carousel, just off I-70 and the rides are 25 cents per person! There is also a museum for $1.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Co. $20 gets your entire family in for one week. We love spending the week exploring, hiking, picnicking in this gorgeous park.


Just realized these are all in Colorado, although I'm not from the great state--but I'd like to be! What are your best values in America? I'm making a list for future trips!

 

[hsmamato2]

a National Parks pass- either a weekly for around 20.00 or a year for around $80....
camping in those parks
Washington DC Smithsonian museums/zoo for free (hotels in nearby towns on the railway line for cheap)
St. Louis,MO, free zoos/parks/activities abound- cheap hotels in town
go camping at a beach,love it.
I have found when visiting an area to look for nature centers, National Park run visitor centers, libraries, for ideas and great local stuff to do.
We visited Puerto Rico, and found a GREAT Nature preserve that gave guided night tours ,about 2.5 hours long for 15.00 a person....(it was awesome) and paid 5.00 to get a pass to the forts in Old San Juan, that provided lots of walking and sightseeing
ALso in PR we rented a beachside apt. rather than a hotel, much cheaper and great location-
Rented a camping Cabin near Acadia Natl. Park in Maine, beautiful....
In Yellowstone, a budget cabin is around 65.00 per night,and is the BEST place ever.
While in Disney, we like wander the WHOLE place,visit the resorts, esp. Fort Wilderness,and just walk and enjoy. There are numerous little 'beaches' in Disney, pretty pools, lovely boat rides,window shopping,walking,and snacking while at Disneyworld,without spending an extra penny.

 

[nsmith]

No better bargain than FREE. Most of the museums in DC are free.

 

[Narnia_girl]

a National Parks pass- either a weekly for around 20.00 or a year for around $80....
camping in those parks
Washington DC Smithsonian museums/zoo for free (hotels in nearby towns on the railway line for cheap)
St. Louis,MO, free zoos/parks/activities abound- cheap hotels in town
go camping at a beach,love it.
I have found when visiting an area to look for nature centers, National Park run visitor centers, libraries, for ideas and great local stuff to do.
We visited Puerto Rico, and found a GREAT Nature preserve that gave guided night tours ,about 2.5 hours long for 15.00 a person....(it was awesome) and paid 5.00 to get a pass to the forts in Old San Juan, that provided lots of walking and sightseeing
ALso in PR we rented a beachside apt. rather than a hotel, much cheaper and great location-
Rented a camping Cabin near Acadia Natl. Park in Maine, beautiful....
In Yellowstone, a budget cabin is around 65.00 per night,and is the BEST place ever.
While in Disney, we like wander the WHOLE place,visit the resorts, esp. Fort Wilderness,and just walk and enjoy. There are numerous little 'beaches' in Disney, pretty pools, lovely boat rides,window shopping,walking,and snacking while at Disneyworld,without spending an extra penny.

Great ideas!
Living near St. Louis, I've taken advantage of a lot of their free offerings--great zoo, museums, tours, etc.!

One thing I also learned: the free Busch brewery tour is awesome, the free Coors brewery tour is just okay.

 

[pink_fins]

I'll put this in here.... How about a trip up to Lake Superior. You can do some free sea glass collecting along the beach.
There are very reasonable priced motels in Ontonogan on the water.
Or you can head over to Bayfield or the other way to Mackinac Island. Lots of pretty country around there.

 

[laurafergie]

I love this thread!

Chippokes State Park in Surry, VA-walking along the James River on the beach, it it COVERED, and I mean COVERED, with sea life fossils everywhere. They erode out of the river banks. It is the coolest hike ever.

ETA Since it is a State Park, I think the day use cost is $5.

 

[havaneselover]

I'll put this in here.... How about a trip up to Lake Superior. You can do some free sea glass collecting along the beach. There are very reasonable priced motels in Ontonogan on the water. Or you can head over to Bayfield or the other way to Mackinac Island. Lots of pretty country around there.

I love Mackinack island. We celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary there two years ago. It is a special place. Lake Michigan/little traverse bay in northern michigan is gorgeous too. We escape to that area annually. So much better than summer in central VA.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Pack a picnic and the east coast beaches are a pretty cheap trip.

In Raleigh, NC the Museum of Natural History and Science (there are three next to each other, I can't remember what they're all called) are free. The art museum in Raleigh is also free.

If you're into history a lot of battlefields are free or very cheap, we've visited them across the country.

The Flight Museum in Kitty Hawk, NC is part of the National Park system and very cheap (I want to say $5 per car) and really cool. All of my kids enjoyed it.

If you visit the National Parks with kids make sure you ask about their Junior Ranger program. Also, if you're military you can get a free parks pass.

As far as getting the most for your money, I think Disneyworld is a bargain compared to other theme parks.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

No better bargain than FREE. Most of the museums in DC are free.

Not to get too off topic, but any tips on saving on food there? I want to take my family on a trip to DC, but with 5 kids I'm afraid food would blow my budget.

 

[worm761]

I have never been but am dreaming about mining in North Carolina. Hiddenite Gems costs anywhere from $5 to $20 a person. http://www.hiddenitegems.com/

And while not necessarily budget friendly, it is really cool... I found a website that lets you plug in your starting point and your ending point then tell it what you want to find along the way, acctractions, parks, restaurants, etc. Really handy for road trips! https://roadtrippers.com/welcome

 

[pjlla]

Not to get too off topic, but any tips on saving on food there? I want to take my family on a trip to DC, but with 5 kids I'm afraid food would blow my budget.

Well.... I'll share what we did and I'll be the first to admit this plan/idea isn't for everyone, but it worked well for us.

We spent about a week in DC in 2006 when my kids were about 11 and 8. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in VA to save on hotel prices (staying IN D.C. is pricey) and used their free shuttle to the Metro every single day without any troubles. The hotel was undergoing renovations and didn't look like much from the outside, but the parking was free and the room was fresh and clean and the staff was friendly, so no complaints!

The hotel offered free breakfast daily, so obviously the first meal of the day was a no-brainer. Sure, it isn't fancy or cooked-to-order, but it is certainly suitable for a family vacation.... fruit, cereal, bagels, yogurt, juice, and a hot option every day. We made sure to eat our fill every morning (and the kids loved the junk cereal options that we NEVER have at home! ).

For lunch we just did our best to find a decent affordable option while touring the museums every day.... Subway turned out to be our best choice most days, but also had McDonald's (salads) and sandwiches from Boston Market. The biggest budget busters on most of those days was buying cold bottled water. So I would definitely suggest bringing along a refillable water bottle for every person in your group. We also carried some snacks with us (granola bars, nuts, etc), but it wasn't always enough and we did end up buying ice cream one day and soft pretzels another day.

But dinner is where we really saved time and money.... we brought along a big cooler (and refilled our ice container daily at the hotel) and a rolling backpack full of food. Hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, bagels, peanut butter, fruit (apples, oranges, grapes), carrots and celery sticks, hummus, juice boxes, crackers, snack bars, individual applesauce/fruit cups, nuts,Starkist Lunch kits, pretzels, Diet Coke (for DH ) etc. I also brought along flatware, salt/pepper, a roll of paper towels, and four "cafeteria" style trays. We were able to eat a picnic style dinner in the room most nights.... easily and neatly! And the kids thought it was fun!

We did splurge on a pizza delivery once (no pizza delivery where we live, so this was a HUGE treat for the kids) and I think we went out once while there and once on the way home.... but those two meals combined (one at Applebee's and one at Ruby Tuesday) cost us well over $125 (combined).... two adults and two children each time, without cocktails or dessert.

Again, this isn't an idea that everyone would jive with, but I'd rather travel more and eat from the cooler! Assuming that the cooler/backpack contents (other than the flatware and trays) cost me $100 and dinner every night in the city was at least $50 for the 4 of us, after two nights I was ahead of the game!

Honestly, after walking and walking and WALKING all day, the kids (and adults) were pretty dead tired and it was nice to get back to the hotel room and know that we didn't have to go out again! Plus, to get into some of the more popular attractions in DC, you need to get there EARLY (we had to make two or three attempts to get into the National Archives!).

It can be done and there are probably even more options available than I have mentioned. Good luck and safe travels!.............P

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Well.... I'll share what we did and I'll be the first to admit this plan/idea isn't for everyone, but it worked well for us.

We spent about a week in DC in 2006 when my kids were about 11 and 8. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in VA to save on hotel prices (staying IN D.C. is pricey) and used their free shuttle to the Metro every single day without any troubles. The hotel was undergoing renovations and didn't look like much from the outside, but the parking was free and the room was fresh and clean and the staff was friendly, so no complaints!

The hotel offered free breakfast daily, so obviously the first meal of the day was a no-brainer. Sure, it isn't fancy or cooked-to-order, but it is certainly suitable for a family vacation.... fruit, cereal, bagels, yogurt, juice, and a hot option every day. We made sure to eat our fill every morning (and the kids loved the junk cereal options that we NEVER have at home! ).

For lunch we just did our best to find a decent affordable option while touring the museums every day.... Subway turned out to be our best choice most days, but also had McDonald's (salads) and sandwiches from Boston Market. The biggest budget busters on most of those days was buying cold bottled water. So I would definitely suggest bringing along a refillable water bottle for every person in your group. We also carried some snacks with us (granola bars, nuts, etc), but it wasn't always enough and we did end up buying ice cream one day and soft pretzels another day.

But dinner is where we really saved time and money.... we brought along a big cooler (and refilled our ice container daily at the hotel) and a rolling backpack full of food. Hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, bagels, peanut butter, fruit (apples, oranges, grapes), carrots and celery sticks, hummus, juice boxes, crackers, snack bars, individual applesauce/fruit cups, nuts,Starkist Lunch kits, pretzels, Diet Coke (for DH ) etc. I also brought along flatware, salt/pepper, a roll of paper towels, and four "cafeteria" style trays. We were able to eat a picnic style dinner in the room most nights.... easily and neatly! And the kids thought it was fun!

We did splurge on a pizza delivery once (no pizza delivery where we live, so this was a HUGE treat for the kids) and I think we went out once while there and once on the way home.... but those two meals combined (one at Applebee's and one at Ruby Tuesday) cost us well over $125 (combined).... two adults and two children each time, without cocktails or dessert.

Again, this isn't an idea that everyone would jive with, but I'd rather travel more and eat from the cooler! Assuming that the cooler/backpack contents (other than the flatware and trays) cost me $100 and dinner every night in the city was at least $50 for the 4 of us, after two nights I was ahead of the game!

Honestly, after walking and walking and WALKING all day, the kids (and adults) were pretty dead tired and it was nice to get back to the hotel room and know that we didn't have to go out again! Plus, to get into some of the more popular attractions in DC, you need to get there EARLY (we had to make two or three attempts to get into the National Archives!).

It can be done and there are probably even more options available than I have mentioned. Good luck and safe travels!.............P

Thanks for the tips, those are some great ideas

 

[Colleen27]

Our budget trips this summer are all KOAs and state/national parks. We're not able to fit in a big trip this summer but we're spending a few long weekends in camping cabins, visiting various parks with low/no admission cost and relatively low priced activities (ie the $12pp tour at Mammoth Caves national park). I don't tent camp but most of the KOAs we've stayed at not only have cabins but also some hotel-style amenities like pools, game rooms, kids' activities, etc.

 

[SEA333]

I love Mackinack island. We celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary there two years ago. It is a special place. Lake Michigan/little traverse bay in northern michigan is gorgeous too. We escape to that area annually. So much better than summer in central VA.

Agree on all points except the budget friendliness....last time we were there it was $50 for me, DH, and DS who was one year old at the time, just to step foot on the island with our bikes...and that was 13 years ago this month!! Now with proce increases and two more kids, I cannot imagine how expensive it is. But beautiful and a must see/do at least once, absolutely!!

 

[SEA333]

Northeastern Illinois! You can actually spend a lot of time in downtown Chicago walking around seeing tons of stuff without paying a penny, and minimal parking $$ if you can snag a street spot with a meter instead of a parking garage. And if you happen to come on a free museum day...voila! You can also use hotwire for hotel rooms, and if you look outside the city in the suburbs (oak brook, downers grove, western springs to name a few, you can get better rates on hotels then take the metra train into downtown for about $7.50 roundtrip...and kids are usually free on the weekends)

You can also hit the jelly belly warehouse for a free tour and decent size bag of free jelly belly's literally just over the Wisconsin border (about 45 min from Chicago), or drive an hour west to Cantigny...an estate and 1st Division army museum in Wheaton IL where for $5/car the whole family can tour a really immersive museum, tons of beautiful gardens, kids can climb all over real tanks (probably close to 2 dozen of them!) from all of the wars, and you can tour the McCormick mansion...this was the mansion that was used in "A League of Their Own". I love this place. We go all the time and bring out of town visitors.

Starved Rock is another awesome park about 90 minutes southwest of Chicago...free to get into, and beautiful hiking trails, waterfalls, canyons, etc.

 

[Colleen27]

Agree on all points except the budget friendliness....last time we were there it was $50 for me, DH, and DS who was one year old at the time, just to step foot on the island with our bikes...and that was 13 years ago this month!! Now with proce increases and two more kids, I cannot imagine how expensive it is. But beautiful and a must see/do at least once, absolutely!!

IIRC, and I might not, the price now is something like $23/adult, $12/child, $10 per bike. We thought about going this summer for one of our budget weekends but 2 of my 3 kids are now adults for ferry purposes, so for the 5 of us with our bikes would be nearly $150 just for the ferry. Add in lunch and ice cream or fudge at the high island prices and it is easily a $250+ day. We do enjoy going every few years but I wouldn't call it budget friendly even when staying on the mainland.

 

[barkley]

Well.... I'll share what we did and I'll be the first to admit this plan/idea isn't for everyone, but it worked well for us.

We spent about a week in DC in 2006 when my kids were about 11 and 8. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in VA to save on hotel prices (staying IN D.C. is pricey) and used their free shuttle to the Metro every single day without any troubles. The hotel was undergoing renovations and didn't look like much from the outside, but the parking was free and the room was fresh and clean and the staff was friendly, so no complaints!

The hotel offered free breakfast daily, so obviously the first meal of the day was a no-brainer. Sure, it isn't fancy or cooked-to-order, but it is certainly suitable for a family vacation.... fruit, cereal, bagels, yogurt, juice, and a hot option every day. We made sure to eat our fill every morning (and the kids loved the junk cereal options that we NEVER have at home! ).

For lunch we just did our best to find a decent affordable option while touring the museums every day.... Subway turned out to be our best choice most days, but also had McDonald's (salads) and sandwiches from Boston Market. The biggest budget busters on most of those days was buying cold bottled water. So I would definitely suggest bringing along a refillable water bottle for every person in your group. We also carried some snacks with us (granola bars, nuts, etc), but it wasn't always enough and we did end up buying ice cream one day and soft pretzels another day.

But dinner is where we really saved time and money.... we brought along a big cooler (and refilled our ice container daily at the hotel) and a rolling backpack full of food. Hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, bagels, peanut butter, fruit (apples, oranges, grapes), carrots and celery sticks, hummus, juice boxes, crackers, snack bars, individual applesauce/fruit cups, nuts,Starkist Lunch kits, pretzels, Diet Coke (for DH ) etc. I also brought along flatware, salt/pepper, a roll of paper towels, and four "cafeteria" style trays. We were able to eat a picnic style dinner in the room most nights.... easily and neatly! And the kids thought it was fun!

We did splurge on a pizza delivery once (no pizza delivery where we live, so this was a HUGE treat for the kids) and I think we went out once while there and once on the way home.... but those two meals combined (one at Applebee's and one at Ruby Tuesday) cost us well over $125 (combined).... two adults and two children each time, without cocktails or dessert.

Again, this isn't an idea that everyone would jive with, but I'd rather travel more and eat from the cooler! Assuming that the cooler/backpack contents (other than the flatware and trays) cost me $100 and dinner every night in the city was at least $50 for the 4 of us, after two nights I was ahead of the game!

Honestly, after walking and walking and WALKING all day, the kids (and adults) were pretty dead tired and it was nice to get back to the hotel room and know that we didn't have to go out again! Plus, to get into some of the more popular attractions in DC, you need to get there EARLY (we had to make two or three attempts to get into the National Archives!).

It can be done and there are probably even more options available than I have mentioned. Good luck and safe travels!.............P

we are kindred spirits when it comes to selecting lodging to save money on food expenses

when we travel I try my best to get lodging at places that include (1) complimentary breakfast, (2) mini fridge in room, and (3) microwave/wet bar in room (my family also likes it if the place does free fresh cookies in the evening). having these in place can save us loads on food expenses.

we bring along our drinks, and some food items but I've also usually scoped out what grocery stores I'm familiar with (national chains) that are in proximity to the hotel. i'll stop and grab some more substantial items to put in the fridge (cold deli fried chicken or chicken strips, deli salad or soup are popular with my family) along with some milk (we do low fat milk in our coffee, and I've got one kid who doesn't eat breakfast but loves cereal in the evening so she grabs a bowl at the breakfast buffet, leaves it dry and puts it in the room to eat later on).

some evenings we just want to eat out but it's not usually an expensive place, so in the morning or the evening before I go on-line to see if the place has a website with any kind of promotional deals OR if they have an e-club. many let you sign up and within an hour or two send an initial printable coupon for a free appetizer or even a free meal w/the purchase of another

 

[HM]

We join our state zoo or aquarium each year. We get reciprocal admission free or discounted for aquariums/zoos/exhibits within NC and most other states, as well.

As mentioned before state historic sites are often free. We just did a free tour led by a young man in civil war uniform at the Fort Fisher Historic Museum a couple weeks ago, after our free trip to the Fort Fisher Aquarium there.

 

[MomToOne]

Fairfield, CA (between San Francisco and Sacramento) - Jelly Belly factory tour. It's more fun to go on a weekday when they are actually manufacturing.

San Francisco - Chinatown and other neighborhoods. (Parking will cost you, but otherwise just wandering the streets is fun, esp. when there are festivals like Chinese New Year)

Far Northern California (near Oregon border) - Redwood National Forest

Central-ish California - Yosemite National Forest (not completely free, but the entrance fee is cheap - $20/car for a week. Of course, lodging is what drives up the cost)

 

[barkley]

around Spokane there are a variety of free/low cost things to do. riverfront park in downtown Spokane has free entry and is a great place to wander around or have a picnic. for a reasonable fee a person can ride the antique carousel or do the sky ride over the falls (and in the winter the outdoor ice skating rink is reasonably priced). if you're a johnny depp fan you can enjoy sitting where he filmed his 'hat scene' in benny and joon. if you're a history fan and enjoy seeing beautiful restoration work then the free walking tours of the davenport hotel is lovely. near Spokane there's cat tales zoological park where for a reasonable fee you can observe rescued exotic cats and learn about zoological training. there's also turnbull national wildlife refuge, a bargain at only $3 per car. there's over 200 species of birds that live beside deer, elk and moose.

i think some of the best bargains in places can be found by researching what events are going on during a visit (visitor's bureau websites are good resources). every winter in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene there are free horse drawn carriage rides which is a fun way to see the downtown areas on a snowy winter day, during the summer both have tons of free entry events. this weekend alone there's Spokane hoopfest (42 city blocks turned into 450 basketball courts for 7000 3 on 3 teams of all ages), and in Coeur d'Alene-Iron Man. one of favorites though is Spokane's yearly 'pig out in the park'-multi day event with free entry. a huge number of food vendors from near and far all offering plated meals that have a capped price, and over 100 free concerts.