Free Summer Activities for Kids in Jacksonville, Florida

With summer fast approaching, many people are looking for things to do with their children without breaking the bank. Whether you live in Jacksonville, or are just visiting, there are many things you can do for free. Here is a list of our familes' top 10:

1) Go to the beach! Who doesn't like to have a little fun in the sun?Provided the weather is nice, you can spend as much time as you like at the beach. Bring a cooler with drinks to stay hydrated and food to eat if you or the kids get hungry, and don't forget the sunscreen! You can build sandcastles all day or swim in the ocean. My kids like to hunt for buried treasure with a metal detector. You can play Frisbee, fly kites, the possibilities go on and on.

2) Regal and AMC theaters offer free children's movies on certain days in July. Call theaters for more details.

3) Visit Kids Kampus in downtown Jacksonville, right across from the Jaguars Stadium. This park has free bike rentals inside their miniature city, sand play areas, playground equipment, and even a water park-all for free! Kids are sure to enjoy themselves there!

4) Visit Treaty Oak Park on Prudential Drive. The park surrounds the Treaty Oak, a magnificent oak tree that is over two centuries old. It's trunk is over 25 feet in circumference and it's over 70 feet tall. Bring a picnic lunch.

5) Check out our local libraries! They offer story times for all ages and other activities such as movie days and family fun events.

6) Visit Hanna Park, where you will find hiking and biking trails, beach and water playground, covered and enclosed pavilions along the lake and ocean front, picnic tables, outdoor bar-b-que grills, fishing, kayaking, paddle boats, canoes, and a great camp ground. It's free to go, but equipment rental is not.

7) Visit Mandarin park, a 36-acre park with beautiful river views, a small pond with ducks, short trails for all ages, a nature discovery center, picnic pavilions, grills, a fishing area, playground, restrooms, observation pier, and a boardwalk.

8) Go Letterboxing! Check out www.letterboxing.org for details. People all over the country have buried boxes and you get to look up clues and hunt for the boxes yourself. There are boxes hidden in Jacksonville too! Your kids will love this real live treasure hunt!

9) Barnes and Noble on San Jose Blvd offers storytime for pre-schoolers at 10:30 on Mondays.

10) Visit Sally Animatronics downtown. Free tours for ages 5 and up of Sally Animatronics Production studios. See how realistic animals, dinosaurs, human figures, dark rides for attractions and theme parks world wide are made. You can make tour reservations online.

Have fun and enjoy our city!