Are you planning summer vacation for you and your family but know that there is a limited budget for fun? Whether you are interested in heading to the beach, the mountains or prefer a road trip where you can see lots of fun destinations, I’ve got some great Summer Vacation Ideas to help you make memories and not break your budget! Check out this list of FREE museums, destinations, and attractions to fill your summer vacation days!

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Ultimate FREE Summer Vacation Ideas

Whether you are staying close to home this summer or looking for something a little farther away, I’ve got some great ideas for you divided by states. And ALL of these ideas are FREE! (Some of these ideas may have suggested donations or admission fees to tour the facilities.)

Just click on the links and discover some amazing destinations to fit into your summer plans.

Alabama

• Calera (Near Birmingham):  Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
• Columbiana: George Washington Museum
• Montgomery:  Hyundai Factory Tour
• Tuskegee:  Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

Arkansas

• Bentonville:
  • Walmart Museum
  • Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
  • Museum of Native American History
• Little Rock:  Arkansas Art Center

California

• Free and Cheap things to do in San Fransisco
• Lombard Street
• Fairfield:  Jelly Belly Factory Tour
• Los Angeles:
  • The Getty Cente
  • The Broad – Contemporary Art Museum
  • Hollywood Sign
• Inverness:  Point Reyes Light Station

Florida

• Sanibel Island Lighthouse Beach Park
• Pensacola:
  • National Naval Aviation Museum 
  • Another perspective of the Naval Aviation Museum
• Little Talbot: Hunting Island

Georgia

• Columbus: National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center
• Warner Robins:  Museum of Aviation
• McDonough:  Heritage Park Veterans Memorial Museum
• Atlanta:
  • Martin Luther King Jr Historic Site
    
  • Fernbank Science Center
  • Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking

Illinois

• Chicago:
  • Millenium Park (Cloud Gate Sculpture)
  • Check out Free Museum Days in Chicago 
  • 20 Things to do in Chicago in 24 hours
• Tampico: Ronald Reagan Birthplace Museum

Indiana

• Charleston: Indiana Dunes State Park
• Clifty Falls State Park

Iowa

• Des Moines: Des Moines Art Center
• LeClaire: Antique Archaeology Store
• Moline:  John Deere Pavilion 
• Waterloo:  John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum
• Des Moines – PappaJohn Sculpture Park
• LeClaire: Antique Archaeology Store

Kentucky

• Bardstown: My Old KY Home(FREE/$)
  • Bernheim Forest: find the Giants (FREE on weekdays)
• Berea:  Anglin Falls
• Corbin: Colonel Sanders First KFC
• Corbin: Cumberland Falls
• Danville: Central KY Wildlife Refuge
• Fleming County: Covered Bridge Capitol of KY
• Frankfort: 
  • Free Things to Do in Frankfort
  • Josephine Sculpture Park
• Harrodsburg, KY:  Osage Orange Tree
• Land Between the Lakes (FREE & $)
• Jamestown: Wolf Creek Fish Hatchery
• Russell County: Rock House Natural Arch
• Lexington: McConnell Springs
• McCreary County: Yahoo Falls
• McCreary County: Princess Falls
• Springfield: Mt Zion Covered Bridge
• Whitley City, KY: Natural Arch
• Stearns:  Blue Heron Mining Camp
• Somerset – Mill Springs Battlefield Mill
• Mill Springs Battlefield Driving Tour
• High Bridge Park
• Knob Creek: Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home 
• Louisville:
  • Speed Art Museum (FREE on Sundays)
  • Big Four Pedestrian Bridge
  • Fairmount Falls
• Kentucky Waterfall Hikes
• Winchester: Ale-8-One Bottling Company
• Shallowfee:  Switzer Bridge

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to travel long distances for vacation to make it amazing.  One year we did an experiment and focused on places close to home. Each day we woke up in our own beds, ate breakfast in our own kitchen and then drove to a new place for a day of fun!  We discovered that with a little creativity and planning, you can find something amazing to do right in your own local state!

Massachusetts

• Boston: Freedom Trail
• Springfield:
  • Springfield Armory
  • Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden
• Plymouth Rock

Michigan

• South Haven Beach
• Chelsea:  Jiffy Mix Plant Tour
• Lansing: Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in East Lansing

Minnesota

• Austin – The SPAM Museum
• Minneapolis –
  • Minnehaha Falls
  • Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Bloomington  – Mall of America

Mississippi

• Bay St Louis: Bay St Louis Mardi Gras Museum 
• Jackson: Museum of Mississippi History (Free on third Saturday of each month)

Missouri

• Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City
• St Louis:
  • The Saint Louis Museum of Art
    
  • James S. McDonnell Planetarium
  • St Louis Zoo

New  Hampshire

• Lyme: Hike to Holt’s Ledge
• Portsmouth:  Waterfront and city walking tour

New York

• Buffalo: Niagara Falls
• New York City:
  • New York City Public Library
  • Staten Island Ferry
  • Brooklyn Heights Promenade
  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • Free Things to do in New York City
• Rochester:
  • Lake Ontario Chimney Bluffs State Park
  • Susan B Anthony Memorial Park

North Carolina

• Raleigh:
  • North Carolina Museum of History
  • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Ohio

• Cincinnati:
  • William H Taft Presidential Home
  • Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Jungle Jim’s International Market
• Cleveland: 
  • President Grover Cleveland’s Gravesite
  • Cleveland Museum of Art
• Dayton:
  • National Museum of the Airforce
    
  • Aviation Heritage National Historical Center
    
  • Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site
• Jackson Center – Airstream Factory Tour
  Toledo:  Toledo Art Museum

Pennsylvania

• Erie: Presque Isle State Park
• Roadside Giants – Lincoln Highway
• Gettysburg National Park
• Mercerburg:  President James Buchanan’s Birthplace
• Philadelphia:
  • Independence National Park
  • Valley Forge
  • Reading Terminal Market

South Carolina

• Free Things to do in Hilton Head
• Yemassee:  Old Sheldon Ruins

Tennessee

• Knoxville:
  • Ijams Nature Center
  • Sunsphere & World’s Fair Park
• Nashville:
  • Antique Archaeology Store
  • Cooter’s Place Museum
  • Tennessee State Museum
• Monterey: Muddy Pond Community
• Pikeville:  Fall Creek Falls
• Sparta: Burgess Falls
• Rugby: Visiting Historic Rugby & RM Brooks Store

Virginia

• Fairfax:  Firearm Museum
• Roanoke: Historic Star
  • Black Dog Salvage
  • Free Things to do in Roanoke, VA

Washington DC

• National Museum of American History
• Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
• National Gallery of Art
• Ford’s Theatre
• Washington DC Monuments
• Arlington Cemetary
• Museum of Natural History

Vermont

• Quechee: Vermont Toy Museum

Wisconsin

• Pleasant View: Jelly Belly Visitors Center
• DeForest: Roadside Attraction – Pink Elephant

Look for LOVE Sculptures

What free things when you will and your family do on Summer Vacation?  I’d love to have more Summer Break ideas to put on our bucket list!