Play Local Tourist on a Budget

My family’s budget was tight in the summer of 2013.  We had no travel plans.  With my children home from school, I strove to make our days feel like a vacation even though we stayed in our community.

Beach days and pool time became tiresome.  We turned our daily routines of shopping, touring, playing at parks and visiting new venues into opportunities to play local tourist.

Here were some ways I had fun with my kids without compromising my wallet:

1. Made visits to local markets – Grocery store and market trips were amusing, not stressful.  I allowed more time and had my children be involved in the shopping.  For example my kids picked out fresh fruits and vegetables.  We discussed how to tell if a watermelon or avocado was ripe.  We talked to the workers about what was in season.  My oldest daughter weighed the produce on the scale and guessed what size it would be.   I let the kids bag the produce and load them onto the conveyor belt.  If the store was not crowded, my five-year-old (at the time) drove the cart down the aisles.   We loved to visit the small farmers markets so we could support local farms and eat fresh.

2. Asked to schedule a tour – I paid attention to signs around me.  They led me to new places, people and experiences.  After reading the label on the local eggs I ate daily, I finally called to inquire about the farm.  I spoke with the owner, Rose McCurdy, of Meme’s Poultry and Quail Farm.  I asked Rose if she would share details about farm life and show the chickens to my daughters.  Rose invited me to her farm.  My kids held baby chicks and collected eggs directly from the nests.  Meme’s Poultry and Quail Farm did not advertise regular tours but I asked and the owner agreed to let us stop by.  Asking led to an educational, free visit that my family enjoyed.

3. Played at new parks – Pensacola, the city I live in, has so many parks.  We located new ones that we had not been to before. We found the Aviation Discovery Park next to the Pensacola Airport. Although this park does not have much gym equipment, my girls loved the view of the airplanes flying overhead.  We listened to the air traffic controllers announce arrivals and departures.  Our family liked visiting the Veterans Memorial Park where my girls saw statues honoring military veterans and fallen soldiers.  They ran in the open grass and fed ducks.  Other favorites were playing on the castles at Perdido Park and Cantonment’s Ascend Park.  We drove further than a few blocks from our home to locate a new park to explore.

4. Found one free place to visit each week – We found one, different and free place to visit each week.  I challenged myself to find kid-friendly venues in our area that we had not been to yet.  I discovered more fun was right here in our backyard than I realized.  For example my daughters and I went to Imagination Station at the Blue Wahoos stadium when they offered free admission on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning. At the station my children roamed around, read books and played with toys.  My kids and I also went to the Pensacola Children’s museum on one of their free days.  We spent an hour there learning about history and exploration.  In addition, we visited the southwest library near Perdido instead of going to Tryon branch like we usually have in the past.  My kids loved seeing a new variety of books and movies.  I learned that our city has so many interesting, free things to do.  I simply needed to get out there and find them.

These were several ways I played tourist in my own backyard and gave support to Pensacola.   We stayed at home but I mixed up our daily routine and found new, free things that my family enjoyed.

(Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2013 issue of Gulf Coast Parent where it was published.  It’s being reprinted here with the author’s permission).