FREE to See Virginia Beach

Interesting fact about Virginia Beach: The Guinness Book of Records lists Virginia Beach as having the longest pleasure beach on the planet.

Virginia Beach is also the largest city in Virginia.

FREE Music Festivals:

• PANorama Carribean Music Festival
• SonRise Music Festival
• Last Night on the Town
• Salute to Summer

Cape Henry Lighthouse

The Cape Henry Lighthouse at Fort Story is free to see, however they do charge admission if you want to go inside and climb to the top. One thing to keep in mind, since it is inside of a military base, be prepared for a complete vehicle inspection upon arrival and have photo id, vehicle registration and proof of auto insurance with you.

Museums and More offering free admission:

• Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum - located inside the 1895 De Witt Cottage
• Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment
• Beachstreet USA - free entertainment during the summer

Virginia Legends Walk

What else is FREE to See:

• Virginia Legends Walk
• Grommet Island
• 14 miles of Free public beaches
• King Neptune Statue - intersection of the Virginia Beach Boardwalk and 31st Street

Budget Travel in Virginia Beach:

• Old Coast Guard Station - Adults $4/Children $2
• Ferry Plantation House(1740) - Adults $5/Children free
• Adam Thoroughgood House (1680) - Adults $4/Children $2
• Lynnhaven House(1725) - Adults $4/Children $2
• Francis Land House(late 1700s) - Adults $4/Children $2 

Other Attractions:

• Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
• Military Aviation Museum
• False Cape State Park
• Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
• First Landing State Park

Free to See in New York City

New York City, ah, The Big Apple!  What an exciting place to visit.  And even though you know you're going to want to pay a few bucks to visit those must see places like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, there are a number of things that are still free to see!

FREE to See:
St. Patrick's Cathedral - on 5th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets

In the fall, check out the leaf foliage in one of the city's renowned parks:

• Central
• Prospect
• Van Cortlandt
• or Alley Pond!

If you're in the city on Halloween, be sure and check out the Halloween Parade!

New York City is amazing at Christmas time. FREE Things to see include:

• The Tree at Rockefeller Center
• Channel Gardens - between the Empire State Building and Maison Française
• Saks Fifth Avenue - whole first floor is transformed into a Winter Wonderland
• Window Shopping - at Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Fendi, Escada, Henri Bendel, The Disney Store, Godiva, Gucci, Fortunoff and more all within 10 blocks of Rockefeller Center.

Free Admission to Museums and More:

• The Paley Center
• Forbes Galleries
• National Museum of the American Indian
• Sony Wonder Technology Lab
• Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
• Socrates Sculpture Park
• Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
• The Federal Reserve Bank
• The Harbor Defense Museum
• The Bronx Museum of the Arts

District Sculptures, please let me know if you are aware of others:

• Diamond District - Two Torches at 47th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues
• Financial District - Wall Street Bull - Bowling Green Park 
• Garment District - Needle threading a Button - Information booth

Something unique to see if you are an art enthusiast is the over 130 bronze sculptures at the 14th Street/Eight Avenue station. The art is part of the Art for Transit program and the artist is Tom Otterness.

Transportation tips:
If you are flying in to the Newark Liberty International Airport, use the AirTrain Newark Monorail system. The system connects the airport with Manhatten (Penn Station) via the New Jersey Transit lines Northeast Corridor (red) and New Jersey Coast Line (blue).  Visit the Penn Station NJT or New Jersey Transit. Fee at the time of writing this is only $5.50.

Here is a map of the Manhattan Districts, that might come in handy.

Check out TimeOut.com's list of Cheap eats NYC. They've broken it down by neighborhood, categories and even a list of free food deals at NYC bars!

Free Festivals and Parades:

• Three Kings Parade  - January
• Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade and Festival - February
• Groundhog Day -Staten Island Zoo - February 2nd - free ceremony admission
• New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade - St. Patrick's Day each year since 1762
• Tartan Week - Celebrating Scotland in NYC - April
• Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival
• Earth Day at Union Square
• Brooklyn Zine Fest
• Bike Expo New York - May - Midtown Manhattan
• Dance Parade - May - ends at Dancefest in Tompkins Square Park
• Ninth Avenue International Food Festival - May
• 4Knots Music Festival - July
• India Day Parade - August
• Washington Square Music Festival - September
• Unicycle Festival - September
• Halloween Parade
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

More FREE to Do and See:

• Winter Village at Bryant Park - free ice skating
• Fusion Film Festival  - Free admission - New York University's Tisch School of Arts - February
• Macy's Flower Show - Visit The Secret Garden the end of March and beginning of April each year
• Metropolitan Opera in the Park
• Shakespeare in the Park - the Delacorte Theater in Central Park - June
• Feast of O-Bon - July - Riverside Park
• Movies in Central Park - August

More to see:

• Concourse at Rockefeller Center - great underground area to visit, especially if it's cold outside.
• Olympic Tower - waterfall, free Hellenic Art museum, Parthenon Marble Casts Collection
• Abandoned City Hall Subway Station
• FREE New York City Tours 

Where to Eat:
Katz's  Delicatesssen - Established in 1888, located at 205 East Houston Street (corner of Ludlow St.), New York, NY 10002
Grimaldi's Pizza - 1 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY (under the Brooklyn Bridge)
Burger Joint New York, 119 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019

Check out Thrillist.com for information on where to eat for free in NYC!


Visit New York City's Official Web Site and NYCGo.com for more things to see and do during your vacation to New York City!

Free To See San Francisco

Most everyone thinks of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge when traveling to San Francisco. I know it's definitely on my bucket list.  However, few know about Fort Point, which is a fort built in 1853 at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The fort is a great location for taking photos of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Fun Fact: The Golden Gate Bridge is continuously painted and repainted all the time. The bridge is so long that by the time the paint crew gets from one end to the other, it’s time to start over again.

Now, for what's Free to See!

• San Francisco City Guides  offers several free tours daily
• San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park
• Ghirardelli's factory tour and free samples
• Cable Car Museum
• San Francisco Railway Museum 

FREE Admission the first Wednesday of each month:

• San Francisco Zoo
• Steinhart Aquarium

FREE Admission the first Tuesday of each month:

• San Francisco Modern Art Museum
• Asian Art Museum
• de Young Museum 
• Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum 
• Cartoon Art Museum 

FREE Concerts:

• San Francisco Chamber Orchestra
• Chamber concert music at Yerba Buena Gardens on Wednesdays

Check out some of San Francisco's fairs and festivals:

• Stern Grove Festival 
• San Francisco Free Folk Festival
• Jaight Ashbury Street Fair

What's Nearby:

• Alcatraz Island
• The Fillmore Auditorium
• Fisherman's Wharf 
• Yerba Buena Gardens 

Free to See Las Vegas

A trip to Las Vegas doesn't have to be expensive.  Skip the gambling and quite a bit of your adventure can be Free!

Check out the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino.  In addition to flamingos, you'll see ring tealed ducks, sacred ibis, swans, ducks, koi fish, turtles and pelicans.  You might also show up just in time to watch one of the two live feedings daily.

The Atlantis Aquarium in Caesar's Palace has small tiger sharks, stingrays and other unique ocean creatures.  It is located in the Forum Shops Mall, just outside of The Cheesecake Factory restaurant. Show up at the top of the hour and see the 'Fall of Atlantis' show for free, every hour after 11am daily.  On your way to the show you'll see the Fountain of the Gods.

Check out the Fountains of Bellagio.  This is a free show of water, music and lights.  The shows are every 15 minutes nightly.

Also, free to see at the Bellagio, is the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  The gardens is ever changing, and if you've been there before, that doesn't necessarily mean that you've seen it.

The Volcano at The Mirage begins at 8:00pm and runs every half hour until midnight, with the exception of 8:30pm.

The Mirage also has a 20,000 gallon aquarium behind the front desk and a 100 foot dome Atrium with towering palms, lagoons, waterfalls and exotic blooms.

Sirens at TI is the 'Pirate Show' for which Treasure Island is famous.  The show times are 5:30pm (winter only), 7:00pm, 8:30pm, 10:00pm and 11:30pm (summer only).The show lasts 18 minutes. Get there early, so you don't have a lot of people in front of you.

Time the shows properly, and you can walk from Treasure Island, the Volcano at The Mirage and the Fountains of Bellagio, all right in a row.

Treasure Island also has live country music at Gilley's Saloon,  free admission if you get there before 10:00pm, and only $10 cover after 10:00.

Circus Circus features the largest permanent circus in the world.  Free shows begin every half an hour from 11am to midnight.

The Lake of Dreams at Wynn has a waterfall and light show starting at dusk until 12:30am nightly.  It's a 3 acre lake surrounded by forest.

Free Transportation:
Free transportation in Las Vegas includes:

• the Aria Express, which goes from Aria/Monte Carlo to Crystals to Bellagio
• free tram between Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay
• and the free tram between The Mirage and Treasure Island.

More Free to See:

• Golden Nugget - World's largest gold nugget at the Golden Nugget Casino
• Picture with $1,000,000 - Binions
• Fremont Street Experience - light show
• Big Elvis Show - Bill's Gambling Hall on the Strip
• City Center Fine Art Collection
• Elvis Memorabilia at Westgate Resort - well worth the trip off the strip

If you have a FaceBook account, you can get free hotel nights stays, free buffets, free monorail rides, and more by playing myVegas.  Check it out!

Indiana Dunes State Park

The Indiana Dunes State Park is located at 1600 N CR-25 East, Chesterton, IN 46304.

The park consists of 3 miles of beachfront on Lake Michigan and 2,182 acres of unique landscape.

The park includes sand dunes, some of which rise more than 200 feet above the level of the lake.  These dunes have taken thousands of years to form.

The park has free admission from Labor Day until Memorial Day.  The entrance fee to most Indiana state parks is $5.00 for in-state and $7.00 for out of state vehicles from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The beach closes for swimming on Labor Day weekend, and some weekdays prior.

Trails in the park range from 3/4 of a mile to 5-1/2 miles in length.

Onsite:

• Swimming
• Camping
• Hiking
• Cross country skiing
• Birdwatching

Nearby:

• The Calumet Bicycle Trail
• Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop and Fantasy Museum
• Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve

What's Free to See:

• Butler Winery - Free Tasting
• The Lustron Home - All-Steel Historic Home
• Westchester History Museum

Check out Chesterton, Indiana's Calendar of Events, to find what's free to see during your visit!

Indiana State Parks