A rainy day—or one that’s too hot or cold for going outside—can be a good excuse to stay home and watch movies, or clean out your closet. Sometimes though, you just really, really need to get out of the house. (This might be especially urgent if you have children trapped inside with you.)
But where can you go? What can you do that’s fun but also affordable? There are several good options that are available in most areas:
- Get free museum passes from the library
Have you heard of the Discover & Go program? It’s a national partnership between libraries and cultural attractions. It means that if you have a library card you can often get free or deeply discounted tickets for museums, zoos, and aquariums,
- Go see a movie matinee
Movies are the obvious rainy day choice, but they can still be a fun way to pass the time. You can usually get discounted tickets when you go to an afternoon matinee. A lot of theaters also offer discounts for military service members, students, seniors, and families. And if you have a Costco membership, you’ll also want to check there—they often have movie tickets available for their members to buy at a discount.
- Visit an arcade
For some retro fun, arcades can be a great destination. You’ll need a pocket full of quarters, but they can usually buy you quite a bit of time zapping alien spaceships, racing a car around a track, or chasing multi-colored ghosts around a maze. If you’re lucky, your local arcade might even have air hockey, Skee-Ball, or laser tag!
- Catch an indoor basketball game or volleyball match
If you have a college, or even a high school in your area, going to see an indoor game can be a fun way to spend an afternoon. You can look up the schedule on the school’s website. Tickets are usually free or very low cost, and can be purchased at the door.
- Go roller skating or ice skating
Do you have a rink in your area? If you do, you probably either forgot all about it or didn’t know it was there. But most cities have at least one roller rink… and some also have an ice skating rink or two! Admission is generally between $6 and $12, and then you’ll need to rent skates, which is usually $4 to $5.
- Bowling
Bowling is one of those things that never sounds like fun, but when you go it always turns out to be a good time. It’s usually better with more people, so try to round up a group. Bowling is usually not very expensive. Some bowling alleys charge a few dollars per person for each game, and others charge $40-$50 per lane per hour. You’ll also need to rent shoes, which is $3-6 at most bowling alleys. (And they’re always ugly, no matter what you pay!)
