Staycation: Ideas for Summer on a Budget for Over 80 Cities!

Staycation - Hundreds of Ways to Enjoy Your City on a Budget

You do not need a ton of money to have a great time this summer in your home town! Recently I shared with you my favorite ways to enjoy Clearwater Beach, Florida  on a budget as well as enjoying Indianapolis on a budget. If you don’t live close to either of those locations, you can visit any of the links below for staycation ideas for over 80 cities!

Mid Atlantic

NW (or all), Connecticut :: Parenting Miracles
Boston (or all), Massachusetts :: Maven of Savin
Central, New Jersey :: Our Good LIfe
Adirondak Mountains and Central, New York :: For This Season
Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York :: Ann’s Entitled Life
Syracuse, New York :: I am THAT lady
Erie, Pennsylvania :: Growing Kids Ministry
Greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania :: Family Balance Sheet
Hershey, Pennsylvania :: Good Deal Mama
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania :: Beyond the Cover
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania :: The Coupon “High”
Poconos, Pennsylvania :: Bucktown Bargains
Scranton, Pennsylvania :: Bucktown Bargains

Midwest

Des Moines, Iowa :: Make the best of everything
Aurora, Illinois :: A Savings WOW!
Central, Illinois :: The Homeschool Scientist
Chicago, Illinois :: Chicagoland Homeschool Network
Naperville, Illinois :: The Sensible Mom
Schaumburg, Illinois :: Ravings By Rae
Fort Wayne, Indiana :: Simplified Saving
Indianapolis, Indiana (Metro Area) :: In Good Cents
Muncie, Indiana (Central IN) :: the daisyhead
Northern Indiana :: So Dough Savvy
Kansas City Area :: Kansas City Mamas
Metro Detroit, Michigan :: Saving Dollars and Sense
Grand Rapids, Michigan :: Give Me Neither
Oakland County, Michigan :: Bargain Shopper Mom
Minneapolis, Minnesota :: Creative Couponing
Rural Minnesota (either Southern our Lake Country) :: Mommysavers.com
St. Cloud, Minnesota :: Frugal Finders
Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas :: Kosher on a Budget
Springfield, Missouri :: Getting Freedom
Cincinnati, Ohio :: Family Friendly Cincinnati
Columbus, Ohio :: Cleverly Simple
Dayton, Ohio :: Savings Lifestyle: Dayton
Mansfield, Ohio :: The Traveling Praters
NE Ohio :: Raising Lifelong Learners
Northeast Ohio (Canton, Akron, Cleveland) :: Sisters Shopping on a Shoestring
Black Hills, South Dakota :: Little House Living
South Dakota :: Moms Mustard Seeds
Oshkosh, Wisconsin :: Adventures of a Stay at Home Mom

Mountain

Phoenix, Arizona :: Mom Endeavors
Scottsdale, Arizona :: Saving For Someday
Tucson, Arizona :: Desert Chica Ramblings
Colorado Springs, Colorado :: The Greenbacks Gal
Denver, Colorado :: Bargain Blessings
Helena, Montana :: The WiC Project
Omaha, Nebraska :: Mom Endeavors
Reno, Nevada – Lake Tahoe (Northern Nevada) :: Saving in Nevada

Pacific

Fresno, California (Central Valley) :: NerdFamily Blog
Los Angeles, California :: Savings.com
San Diego, California :: Good Cheap Eats
San Diego, California :: Life as MOM
Portland, Oregon :: Frugal Living NW
Seattle, Washington :: Thrifty NW Mom

South Atlantic

Arkansas :: Discovering Arkansas
Washington, DC :: Kidventurous
Clearwater Beach, Florida :: Bargain Briana
Jacksonville, Florida :: Saving The Family Money
Southwest Florida (Ft. Myers area) :: Chaos Is Bliss
St. Augustine, Florida :: Simply St. Augustine
Tallahassee, Florida :: SwagGrabber
Atlanta, Georgia (metro area) :: Hodgepodge
Atlanta, Georgia (metro area) :: The Couponing Couple
Annapolis, Maryland :: The Happy Housewife
Hagerstown, Maryland :: Cheryl Pitt
Asheville, North Carolina :: Paradise Praises
Charlotte, North Carolina :: from our front porch lookin’ in…
Raleigh/Southeastern, North Carolina :: Upside Down Homeschooling
Upstate South Carolina :: The Tween & Me
Charlottesville, Virginia :: How to Have it All
Richmond, Virginia :: Teachers of Good Things
Smithfield, Virginia :: Walking in High Cotton
Virginia Beach, Virginia :: The Coupon Challenge

South Central

Coastal Alabama :: Meet Penny
Huntsville, Alabama :: The Traveling Praters
Northern Kentucky :: Simply Sherryl
Chattanooga, Tennessee :: Living Chic on the Cheap
East Tennessee (Smoky Mountains, Knoxville) :: Finding Joy on the Journey
Nashville, Tennessee :: Montessori Tidbits
Arlington, Texas :: Grocery Shop For FREE
Austin, Texas (Hill Country) :: Ponder the Path
College Station, Texas :: How to Homeschool My Child
Dallas, Texas :: Surviving The Stores
East Dallas, Texas :: Funky Faith Girl
Fort Worth, Texas :: Coupons & Freebies Mom
Houston, Texas :: MomsToolbox
Houston, Texas :: MyLitter
Katy, Texas :: Moms Confession
McAllen, Texas (Rio Grande Valley) :: iLoveMy5Kids
San Antonio, Texas :: Melissa’s Bargains

Staycation: Enjoy Clearwater Beach on a Budget

Clearwater Beach Florida Staycation

If you are on a budget, there are still plenty of fun and inexpensive or free things to do if you live near Clearwater Beach, Florida. Unfortunately, I don’t live in Florida but we do try to vacation there often as you will probably be able to tell from the wide range of pictures I have below. The sand is some of the most brilliant, white, and soft sand you will find., which is one of the many reasons we love to visit Clearwater Beach.

The Pier

Balloon Animals

Photo Credit: Aunt Beth

One of our favorite things to do during the day or during the evening while in Clearwater is to visit the Pier. There is a playground for the children or take a walk down the Pier and watch the boats come in or see what the fishermen are catching. There is oftentimes free entertainment in the evenings as well as vendors set up along the Pier and surrounding sidewalks. Check out Sunsets at Pier 60 to see the latest information.

When we were here on Spring Break this year, they had some blow up water attractions near the Pier that were inexpensive for the kids to enjoy! It was around a $1 a turn, which I thought was decent when you compare the cost of a water park. Enjoyment without spending your entire day gone from the beautiful beach.

IMG_5961

There are many artisans along the Pier and will vary from time to time including musicians, street performers, and artisans. The kids – even the big one – had some balloon animals created by a nice man, who was only asking for donations. This year we were able to watch part of a man-eating fire show before the rain started. There is always a variety of entertainment!

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Save 25% when you buy your tickets online for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. General admission includes entry to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure along with a FREE Jolly Trolley ride to and from! In case in you didn’t know, Winter is the dolphin that inspired the movie Dolphin Tale!

24415_401296873840_7981316_n

 The Beach

The beach is FREE, just find yourself a place to park and you can have an entire day of enjoyment in some of the most beautiful sand you will find in the world. Sand toys are inexpensive and cups and bowls always work too! I will admit that when we go to the beach, I sort of become a bum. I would personally be happy to stay on the beach the entire day just enjoying the sand, the fresh air, and relaxing with a good book.

IMG_5960

Find a seashell or two. Hey it’s free entertainment. The best kind, right?

Photo Credit: Aunt Beth

Photo Credit: Aunt Beth

Plus, you will find these fun spots to take photos with your kids! They are all over the beach for your photo enjoyment.

IMG_5933Parks

It seems like no matter which area we stay at in Clearwater Beach, Florida, there is always a nice park nearby with play equipment for the kids. If you know my family, you will know these are super old photos as the kids are still so little.

Photo Credit: Aunt Beth

DSC01374Small

DSC01378Small

Our typical day is usually hitting the beach, grabbing a bite to eat, and enjoying a walk around the Pier area and down the main drag. Let me know your favorite things to do in Clearwater Beach!

Come back tomorrow to see links for staycation ideas for over 80 cities!

staycation-2012-wide

Staycation Fun Around the Country: Enjoy Your City on a Budget

As part of the Staycation Fun Around the Country series, I posted about some great ways for a Staycation in Indianapolis, which I will be updating often in the future. Whether you are planning a Staycation, a mini vacation, or a full blown vacation, you can take advantage of these great ways to enjoy all of the below cities.

Read on to see the complete list.

[Read more...]

Staycation Fun in Indianapolis

Staycations aka vacation in your own state or area, has gained popularity over the past few years. This year will be no exception with the expensive gas prices around the country. Today, I’m going to share some of my favorite places to “Staycation” in the Indianapolis area. If you aren’t local to Indianapolis, don’t worry as I will be sharing links to other “Staycations” areas tomorrow including locations that are close to Indianapolis like Dayton and Cincinnati, OH.

I’ll be sharing quite a few of our favorite places. However, the top two that always come to my kid’s mind are the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and the Indianapolis Zoo. I’ll be updating this list all summer long so you may want to bookmark this “Staycation Fun in Indianapolis” page for easy access.

[Read more...]