With gas over $4.20 a gallon where I live and I hear $4.65+ in the Chicago areas, we have taken our calander and matched up our off days with the FREE day visits to the Chicago Museums, Zoos and outings. Last night I was looking up what's free to do in Rockford because with Six Flags season tickets being $67.00 dollars for one individual, that is $201.00. Ouch! And that's with tot2 being free! Then an hour and a half drive, plus gas.
Chicago Museum FREE Days 2011
Now in the Rockford Park District this looked interesting.
Sapora Playworld $1.00 a child and there's half price Tuesdays!
I wonder if its anything like Monkeys Joe's?
The Sinnissippi Gardens looked interesting, too. A long time ago I found a garden place in Wisconsin or Rockford that was free for kids and also offered workshops and hands on things for them. Lost the link. Anyone heard of it?
Don't forget the Discovery Museum pass for $70 for 4 of us.
They have a new exhibit called The Spin. "exhibit opens for members at 10:00 a.m., May 28 and at 11:00 a.m. for the general public. Spin: The Science of Rotation is an exciting exhibit that explores the fun–and science–of objects that rotate. Using interactive exhibits and real-life examples, visitors can explore how objects spin, why things spin at different speeds and how we use spinning objects in our daily lives."
Not to mention monthly activities, daily science experiments, updated planetarium, 2 levels of indoor hands on play areas and and outdoor play area with swings, dinosaur digs and watermill. This is a definite for us in the wintertime when there isn't much to do in -10 weather but even in the summer its great to picnic there and get wet outside.
Also the Dells was an option, compared to Six Flags. I found this:
Riverview Park and Waterworld for $35 for all 4 of us. The drive is over 2 hours and with 2 kids I looked into the option of camping and found Red Oak Campground for $22 a night for the pop-up camper.
In Naperville there is the Splash Country Waterpark with the Blackberry Farm combo $10 a piece.
In Elk Grove Village there is Pirate's Cove, which is FREE for adults and $9 per kid. If you want to swim its costs $8 each.
We still haven't decided on which park to get a pass at or to just visit them all once. But with the museum FREE days, going swimming in our pool, FREE Lincoln Park Zoo days and more we are booked. I even signed child8 up for Sport Camp and Vacation Bible School for 2 weeks for $10! At the end of the year I'm looking forward to researching the Pick-Your-Own farms for the kids. I can buy produce and they can have fun.
What are your plans this summer?
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