The  economy has most families  looking for ways to save money and as summer approaches the lingering question  may be whether or not to take a vacation.

If a vacation seems out of the question then you may want to consider a “staycation” and explore the area you live in for free!

A few summers ago when my children were easily bored at home, I decided to explore our city for a week and make it an adventure for them.  So, for the next five days we had a blast.  On Monday we took our own tour of the downtown area.  After finding the best place to park which happened to be $5.00 for the day (if you got a stamp from a local establishment) we started out on foot.  We visited 2 very old churches, a museum and touch a trolley ride.  We packed our lunch in our ready to use picnic basket and ate a picnic, too.  On Tuesdays the zoo offers free admittance so that is where we spent the day.  We made sure to go to all the shows and also took advantage of  the zoos wading pool.  Wednesday was our day to volunteer to deliver meals to the needy.  This was a great experience for my children to see the great need in our city and be a part of the solution.  On Thursday we went to a sprinkler park and we made sure to pack a picnic lunch with lots of water.  Don’t forget the sunscreen either.  On our last day I let them decide where they wanted to go from a short list I had come up with.  They chose the discount movie theater and off we went.  It was nice to be in the air conditioned theater.  We went out for ice cream afterwards and talked about our stay-cation.

My children were definitely surprised at the fun they could have without leaving town!

If you are new to a city there is usually a directory that lists most of the attractions and the chamber of commerce is also a great resource.

Have a great summer no matter where you go – you may surprise yourself!