kids are expensive, but getting them outside doesn't have to be
Yesterday my kids were begging to me to take them to an indoor play place. They LOVE this one place and I so badly wanted to say yes, but then I checked the admission fees… $17 per kid. That fee x3 is $51, plus they would have begged to play the games there as well! And before you know it, you’re spending so much more money than you had planned!
I ended up taking them to a VERY cool playground we had not been to yet and it was completely free. There was also only a couple other kids there! And for a Saturday in the summer we weren’t that hot because this playground was mostly shaded. They loved it and it was a perfect afternoon!
When I got home I was thinking of all the places we love to go and how so many of them are free or under $10 because parking is cheap. Sometimes trying to please 3 kids is hard and our trips are short. That’s also a huge reason why I need something cheap. I hate to feel like I HAVE to stay somewhere just because I paid for it.
I know there are SO many other options for outdoor play, but these are some of our favorite! Also- there are more below and read the notes about these adventures- I give a quick overview of prices on all of them, like Fort Foster… I KNOW it’s not free during hours it is open…
To add to the above list (places we love that I haven’t yet written a blog post on):
- Great Bay Discovery Center- located at 89 Depot Road, Greenland, NH
- Portsmouth Skate Park
- Moharimet Elementary School in Lee, NH (this is the playground I mentioned above, it’s AMAZING)
- Wagon Hill Farm walk in Durham, NH
- Newmarket, NH Splash Pad and playground (check the hours before going here, they are closed until 4:30pm during the week because of summer camps)
Additional notes on the above locations
- Seapoint Beach- parking is free, but limited and there are no bathrooms
- Downtown New Castle, NH walk- free parking
- Downtown Portsmouth, NH walk- parking is $2/hour
- York Beaches- parking is $4/hour (make this a quick trip, it gets so crowded anyways, so go early in the morning for a couple hours and it’s under $10)
- Wiggly Bridge- free parking, but only 3 spots for out of town residents, so go early!
- Mount Agamenticus- parking is $2/hour and you can drive to the top and there’s trails and ocean views!
- Fort Foster- the gate opens at 10am and after that it is $25 to enter, even if you walk in. BUT if you go early and get there before 9:45 you can park outside the gate and walk in for free. It is quite a long walk, so bring a wagon or stroller.
- East Point Sanctuary- street parking is limited so go during the week or get there early.
- Peirce Island- plenty of free parking right next to a playground. Bathrooms are a little far away, they are on Four Tree Island.
- Downtown Ogunquit, ME walk- parking is $4/hour and right next to the playground on Cottage Street.
- Willard Beach- free parking
- Portland Head Light in Fort William Park- entrance to the park is free and parking is $2/hour
- Wells Harbor Community Park- free and plenty of parking!
- Parker River Wildlife Refuge- $5 per vehicle to enter and this includes entrance to the beach too
- Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge- free
- Stratham Hill Park- the pump track is here and it’s free
- Great Bay Discovery Center- free parking next to a small outdoor play area and a boardwalk
- Portsmouth Skate Park- free
- Moharimet- free since it’s a school playground, but you can’t go during school hours, obviously
- Wagon Hill- free, so beautiful and so easy. Porta-potties in the parking lot.
- Newmarket, NH splash pad- free and it’s really fun! The playground is huge too!
