Summer Comes Cheap: 5 Hot Items to Check Off July's To-Do List
It might be summer, but there isn't any traditional slowdown in activities yet. Here are five fun and inexpensive adventures you and your family can take during the month of July.
1. Go bowling.
When it’s too hot to even think about outside activities, enjoy the AC at Professor Bowl West, Conway Family Bowl or Allfam Bowling Center in Cabot, where children ages 15 and under can enjoy two free games every day of the summer. Shoe rentals still apply, but can you complain?
2. Watch a film.
Thrifty families know that you can find cheap and free movie screenings all summer long—you just have to know where to look. Three local spots offer up options for families this summer: Movies in the Park at the First Security Amphitheatre and Dickinson Chenal 9 Theatre at The Promenade at Chenal show movies for free, while Regal McCain Mall Stadium 12 charges a $1 donation, a portion of which benefits the Will Rogers Institute. Get more info about these programs and others in the area here.
3. Read a book.
The Central Arkansas Library System and Laman Library encourage kids, teens and adults to “Dig into Reading.” When they do, they’ll receive fun prizes. Plus, participants are invited to attend storytimes, performances and workshops each week. Get more information here.
4. Soak up some culture.
Downtown cultural centers like Heifer Village and the Clinton Presidential Center offer up affordable family fun while the kids are out of school. Through August 31, the free “Heifer Hour” features a craft, game, children’s book or outdoor activity for children in grades K-5 at 11 a.m. each Tuesday and Saturday. Also on Saturdays, the Clinton Center puts on its Super Summer Saturday programs, free with the price of admission.
5. Take a hike.
Get out on the trails and enjoy Arkansas’ natural scenery. In central Arkansas, you’ll find plenty of spots to spend an afternoon. Pinnacle Mountain State Park boasts 13 trails, five of which are marked “easy.” Or, take a day trip to the beautiful Petit Jean State Park where you’ll find more than 20 miles of hiking trails.
Learn more about these five fine things and browse our Family Fun section in the July issue of Little Rock Family. Click here to read the free digital edition.