Things to do in Fort Wayne for cheap/FREE???

tiny · Post by **tiny** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:01 pm

Al's zoo thread got me thinking. I'm a single dad of two young ladies that like to spend money like water. They're coming to visit this summer. How do I keep them occupied this summer for free, or cheap at best?

Alternately, how do you keep YOURSELF occupied in the most inexpensive way?

I miss Scotts' 49 cent movies.

A day in the park is fun.

Hanging out in the mall can tempt, but is otherwise fairly cost conscious.

Going to the main library is an experience and an adventure all its own, and costs you nothing if you have a card (unless you have to park on Wayne Street.)

Suggestions??

Sankofa · Post by **Sankofa** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:02 pm

ride my bike

tiny · Post by **tiny** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:05 pm

Cmon, Sankofa. I can't ride your damn bike, and you know it.

TIC=100%

Good idea though.

Oliver's Army · Post by **Oliver's Army** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:35 pm

Listen to 92.3 THE FORT's morning show.

rezin · Post by **rezin** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:39 pm

how old are these girls?

if theyre old enough, or look old enough, theres plenty of free shows around town all the time.

but im sure you already knew that.

deek · Post by **deek** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:00 pm

There's stuff at Jefferson Pointe for free. I know that Tuesday's they have a bunch of kid's events around the place. I think they have other events as well. On Friday's, I wouldn't be surprised if they do their free concerts by the fountain as well.

You already mentioned parks and the zoo. There are a ton of parks in town, so it may be fun to see how many of those you could hit over the summer.

Science Central is always a fun place to go, no matter your age.

You've got a couple museums in town still.

You might want to check if there are any functions on the different campuses. I used to have a friend that did Shakespeare in the Park at IPFW.

Don't know if they are into fishing, but that can always be a fun day.

Swimming...not sure the costs around town, but there are plenty of places to do that.

The_Dude · Post by **The_Dude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:21 pm

Red Box (DVD rental box inside Scotts/Kroger) - all DVD's are $1 (new releases, too)

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:36 pm

Observation tower at the Ardmore gravel pit kills an hour.

But really? the best kept secret is 20 minutes north of me here in Columbia City. Chain O' Lakes St Park in Albion has canoes you can rent for $5 an hour (rent it for two) and you can paddle through two different series of channels to about seven or eight different hidden lakes. Pack a lunch and take it back to the picnic area on the back lakes. After canoeing, go swimming at the sand beach, hiking on the trails, or go to the nature center.

The_Dude · Post by **The_Dude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:49 pm

Auburn/Garrett Drive-In

The_Dude · Post by **The_Dude** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:50 pm

What's the going rate for a rock of crack these days?

rezin · Post by **rezin** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:46 am

=^-..-^= wrote:Observation tower at the Ardmore gravel pit kills an hour.

But really? the best kept secret is 20 minutes north of me here in Columbia City. Chain O' Lakes St Park in Albion has canoes you can rent for $5 an hour (rent it for two) and you can paddle through two different series of channels to about seven or eight different hidden lakes. Pack a lunch and take it back to the picnic area on the back lakes. After canoeing, go swimming at the sand beach, hiking on the trails, or go to the nature center.

i love the observation tower.

ive lived a mile from it most of my childhood, so it was wonderful.

me and my friend used to go up there everyday during the summer at 2:45 to watch the blast.

theres always an alarm about a minute before the blast and we got caught at about the front of elmhurst when it went off and had to haul ass to get there in time.

that hole has gotten so much larger since i was tike.

and the graffiti/scribbles that used to be up there on the floor, ceiling and rails were fun.

good times up there.

Oliver's Army · Post by **Oliver's Army** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:16 am

Who would resist the temptation to take a leak off that thing?

The_Dude · Post by **The_Dude** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:17 am

Oliver's Army wrote:Who would resist the temptation to take a leak off that thing?

Thank you. I have plans for Saturday now.

WBOB · Post by **WBOB** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:47 am

Sankofa wrote:ride my bike

....that would be me also,....the River Greenway has expanded
(cept some spots that are floodily) and you get to put in as little
or as many miles that you desire.

deek · Post by **deek** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:50 am

Now, if your girls are into sports at all, there are some cheap options for that, too.

Wizards tickets are cheap and there are usually deals at Marathons to get free tickets with a fill-up.

If the Freedom are still playing when you have them, I think tickets are $5 now. That's always a fun time.

I'll plug the Fort Wayne Flash (http://www.fortwayneflash.org) here. They play at Saint Francis, women's full-contact football. Tickets are under $5. Home games are on Saturday's at 4pm, so even if they aren't into football, they might enjoy interacting with some female athlete role-models.

I'm sure there are plenty of IPFW or Indiana Tech games going on in the summer. I'd think those would be pretty cheap.

Again, depending on age, you might want to look at local activity groups on the web. My wife joined a mommy group a few months back and they have 3-4 events scheduled each week...those are all free and it keeps kids active.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to look through a whatzup, newspaper or even craigslist for events and activities going on. A lot of people complain about there not being anything to do in town, but there really is, you just have to take a few minutes to find it!