Free & Cheap Things To Do On A Budget
August 21st, 2014
Horniman Aquarium
1. Visitor Attractions FREE To Visit
Nothing beats a FREE day out & there are plenty of visitor attractions up & down the country that offer free entry! Some of our favourites include;
i. National Coal Mining Museum, (Yorkshire); travel 140 meters underground in the company of an ex-miner to explore the life of a miner.
ii. Tate Liverpool; within you’ll find modern art that will challenge & inspire young & old minds alike. Great free taster tours too!
iii. Scottish Parliament; you can arrange free tours around this prestigious building that gives you a great insight into democracy at work.
iv. Horniman Museum in London; from an over stuffed walrus to a sound garden & music gallery, this museum has a range of old & new exhibits, (small charge for the aquarium).
v. Ulster Museum; come face to face with dinosaurs, meet an Egyptian Mummy or enjoy child-centred interactive discovery areas.
2. ‘Pay What You Like’ Basis
A firm favourite with me must be the ‘pay-what-you-like-basis’ that can be particularly beneficial for those with larger families.
Often these relate to the quirkier attractions such as;
Street entertainment in London
3. Apply for a Blue Peter Badge
Keep the kids busy during the holidays by helping them to apply for a Blue Peter Badge. Not only will they receive the iconic Blue Peter Badge, (haven’t we all coveted one of those in our time), but badge holders can also gain free entry to over 200 UK visitor attractions too!
More details available at Apply for a Blue Peter Badge.
4. In My Backyard
Sometimes we can all forget what we have around us & just a little re-packaging can make an old haunt new & exciting for the kids.
Skate Parks; they’ve been sprouting up everywhere over the past few years & kids love to watch even if they don’t feel up to taking part.
Parliament Hill
Fly a Kite; the old ideas can be the best & a great way to spend quality time with the kids.
Libraries; look out for classes & workshops, (usually free), running in the school holidays.
Cycle Paths; Local authorities have worked hard to improve the cycle paths over the past few years so why not dust off those bikes and take the kids for a jaunt.
B&Q Kids Can Do It Workshops; make a toothbrush holder, a toy boat or a nesting box…just some of the workshops available to kids! Join up for the B&Q club & these are free of charge.
5. Cheap Family Movies
Both Odeon Cinemas & Vue Cinemas run cheap family movies most days during the school holidays.Movies tend to run each day around mid morning where children, (age 2 to 12 years), & parents/carers can take advantage of these reduce price tickets.
More details available at Cinema Deals.
6. Late Entry Reduced Price Tickets
Plenty of visitor attractions run extended opening hours & are keen to offer incentive for people to visit during quieter times of the day. Keep an eye out for late entry tickets running in your local area.
7. Freebies; Adventure Playgrounds
There are some fantastic adventure playgrounds around the country free of charge and often the only charge you will incur is your parking ticket. Arrange a day out with friends, pack a packed lunch and the cricket set for a budget day out.
8. Free Annual Pass Upgrade Tickets.
There are plenty of visitor attractions that offer a Free Annual Pass Upgrade but did you know only about 20% of visitors return for a second visit!
9. Secondary offers
Often current membership will include offers to other visitor attractions such as;
Twycross Zoo; free visits to 10 zoos around the UK.
English Heritage; free & discounted entry to over 100 other visitor attractions.
National Trust; has reciprocal arrangements in place for Scotland, Wales & N Ireland.
11. Loyalty Card Deals
A great way to gain ‘free’ or discounted entry to top visitor attractions is by using loyalty club points & vouchers. A firm favourite with us must be the days out tokens with Tesco Clubcard where for every £5 in vouchers, you will secure £20 off entrance charges!
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How do you redeem tesco club card points in exchange for money off entry fees please.
Hi Kate, simply log onto your Tesco clubcard account and redeem you clubcard vouchers for days out tokens, (there are hundreds to choose from). You can then present these days out tokens at the visitor attraction of your choice. Please note that visitor attraction do not accept clubcard vouchers but must be redeemed for days out tokens prior to you visit. Also worth checking out the terms & conditions for each specific attraction you wish to visit as some settings will take part payment in days out tokens, (that you can top up with cash/card on the day), but others will require full payment in clubcard vouchers. A great way to keep the costs down for regular Tesco shoppers:)