Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids in Raleigh, North Carolina

It doesn't take a lot of money, sometimes it takes no money, to keep a child entertained in Raleigh, North Carolina. If you're like the rest of the struggling parents in America, you look for ways to occupy the children in a meaningful way, yet keep a watchful eye on the pocketbook so you can spend your money or more frivolous things like groceries. Well, in Raleigh, you won't have to make the choice between a day out with the children and dinner.

The key is to think like a child. Adults make life way too complicated. Remember snow angels, forts, lemonade stands and making a scrapbook out of dried up leaves? If you do, perhaps you're not entirely lost. Maybe connecting with some of these no- or low-cost activities in Raleigh will respark your own inner child. Repeat the mantra: children want to explore EVERYTHING.

Here are some things to see and do with children in the Raleigh, North Carolina area that are free for the taking. Mix these sites with normal, everyday activities. You'll be amazed to learn that children will be just as impressed with those small things much the way you were before grown-up life intervened.
Along the way, it will be up to you to make the journey equally as entertaining. Add in games of I Spy, License Plate Bingo and the like to make the drive nicer. If you tap into that inner child of yours, you won't be lost for activities.

Science
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, http://www.naturalsciences.org , 11 W. Jones St.
The Museum draws you in from afar. It has a domed roof of glass and spans downtown Raleigh, at the corner of Jones and Salisbury Sts. Before you visit, check out the Web site to find out about events and time-oriented exhibits.

Kids can explore some atypical science-related stuff in floor after floor of the museum. How many places allow children to take in the art of taxidermy? On a kinder, gentler note, there's an open butterfly area, where butterflies light here to there as visitors stroll through. It's the bug exhibit that's the big draw, however. The children will get to play with, and examine bugs, with fear of parental reprisal. Not enough? Add in the dinosaurs, and your children will have enough to do to make the zero admission price more than a bargain.
Flea markets and yard sales.

Raleigh Flea Market Mall, 1924 Capital Blvd., 919-839-0038; Watsons Flea Market, 436 Rock Quarry Rd., 919-832-6232; Fairgrounds Flea Market, 1025 Blue Ridge Rd., 919-829-3533.
These are permanent sites, but check out local shopper-type newspapers to find weekend sales. A trip to a flea market can trigger lots of remember when discussions with children. They might see a toy they used to own back when they were little, or an object they remember seeing at their grandma's house. It sparks creativity, kindles relationships and costs nothing.

Food
The State Farmers Market in Raleigh, 1240 Farmers Market Dr., 919-755-1550.
We're not talking about a trip to a city supermarket here, the weekly trip where parents come out muttering that they'll never take the child in again. Go outside your comfort zone and introduce your children to something they might not see often enough: a real Farmer's Market.

The Farmers Market is state run and features all things fresh, including two building devoted to plants and flowers. Turn the visit into a see and do activity. Ask the child to pick out x number of peaches, for example. Let them smell, feel and touch to take in the full experience. You'll come home with fresh goods for the family, and the kids will have spent some enjoyable time exploring things they don't generally see. Don't expect for all of your produce to make it home as the kids will expect some reward for all of their help.

Lunch time.
This summer, have a tailgating luncheon with the kids. I invested about $5 into a picnic basket, and would routinely pack the kids into my Blazer and head out to someplace they'd never been. Often it would be just to share lunch with their dad at a construction site he was working at. A simple lunch becomes an adventure if you do it correctly. I'd put down the tailgate to the truck and let the kids perch there to eat, taking in all the scenery around them. Mere peanut butter and jelly sandwiches turned into high tea at the Ritz when they were eating them with a tailgating view.

Lunch at Pullen Park
Better yet, make a real picnic of it in Pullen Park, the first public park in North Carolina and offers tons to see and do during an afternoon picnic. Let them feed the ducks at the pond, play a rousing game of tag or just roll around in the grass (preferably not near where the ducks have been).
There's so much more at this site than just all that nature has to offer. Fans of The Andy Griffith Show will recognize a statue of Andy and his son Opie (Ron Howard). Also on site is a Railroad caboose which children can explore at will.

Not free but not affordable.

Marbles Kids Museum, http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org. Hours: Tues.-Sat., 9-5 and Sun., noon-5. Closed Mondays. General admission to the museum is $5.

Kids (and grown ups) love marbles. Imagine a building with a wall that wraps entirely around the museum that is filled with marbles! The fun can begin before you get inside. Have the kids try and guess how many marbles are in the wall. For the record, it's more than a million, and they are illuminated at night.

The Museum's mission statement is one that echoes what most parents want for their children: 1)developing creativity and innovation; 2)building healthy and active families; 3)strengthening foundations for successful learning; 4)introducing children to diverse people and places; and, 5) growing up green.

The Museum itself takes about 2 hours to explore, so that's just $2.50 an hour which stretches your entertainment budget quite a bit.