Here is this week’s list of family-friendly free or frugal events for around the Northwest, as well as some events going on around the country.
Don’t forget to check out Goldstar for Discount Tickets on many local activities and events, if you are looking for a specific event and want to save some money!
Goodnight Moon Play at Seattle Children’s Theater - $12.50 tickets (reg $25)
African Warrior Legend Mwindo: Family Adventure From Seattle Children’s Theatre - Discount tickets starting at $14.50
Portland Aquarium - $5/ticket (50% off)
Sherlock Holmes at the Northwest Childrens Theater -Tickets start at $10.50
If you see a fun, frugal event that’s not listed, feel free to leave a comment so we can add that event to our list.
PUGET SOUND AREA::
Friday, 9/26:
*Schack-toberfest – Everett; 9/25 – 9/28Art and harvest themed festival benefiting the Schack Art Center. Events include glass-blowing demonstrations, kids’ activities and “Make It Now” glass pumpkin classes in the hot shop.
*Bite of Broadview – Seattle; 9/26 – 9/28; Food and craft vendors, carnival games and rides (fee), live music kids’ activities and more.
*Kirkland Oktoberfest – Kirkland; 9/26 – 9/28; The Kirkland Oktoberfest Village is free and open to all ages, and includes entertainment, pumpkin carving contest, costume contest and wiener dog races.
*Samamish Valley Harvest Celebration at Dr Maze’s Farm – Redmond; 9/26 – 9/28; Pumpkin patch opens, and so does the Sunflower and Maze. Pumpkin Patch visit and Farmstand and Botanicals Shopping are all free activities (and tot farm on Friday) Farmyard entrance, including a Hayride and the big Sunflower/Cornfield Maze: $9 Hayride $2
*FreeTête-à-têter At Frye Museum – Seattle; 11:00am to 5:00pm; Frye Museum entrance and parking are free all the time. You can check their events page here, for a list of weekly events. On the first Friday of the month Children’s stories are brought to life with movement and play in the Frye Art Museum galleries by Frye educators or librarians from The Seattle Public Library.
Saturday 9/27:
*Free Entrance to National Parks – nationwide; To celebrate National Public Lands Day you can get FREE entrance into National Parks. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Celebrate with volunteers in your community at parks and other public lands – Search for an event in your community.
* Smithsonian FREE Museum Day! – Nationwide; 9/27; various times; As part of Museum Day Live!, you can get 2 FREE museum tickets (1 for you & and a guest) into one of MANY participating museums nationwide– you just need to sign up while tickets are available and they will email you a link to get your FREE printable coupon to bring with you to the museum.
*Back to School Neighborhood Block Party – Tacoma, FREE food, FREE carnival style games, and a FREE raffle for door prizes! Kids love this event, and there will be fun for the whole family at Fern Hill Elementary School. Everyone is invited!
* Fourth Annual Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival - Mt. Vernon, Giant Pumpkin show, pony rides, face painting, live music and more!
*Salmon SEEson in Issaquah – Issaquah; Saturdays & Sundays in Sept. thru Nov.; See salmon return to Issaquah Creek, where you can view spawning from the bridge or through viewing windows. Trained docents from Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) will give tours (see website for dates and times)
*Duvall Heritage Festival – Duvall; Tours, antique displays, pioneer-life demonstrations, children’s activities, and musical entertainment.
*Skykomish Mini-Train Ride – Skykomish; The Great Northern & Cascade Railway will offer free rides on a mini train to the public as well as a railroad education program on the weekends through October. Parking lot is on the left after crossing railroad tracks. FREE, donations welcome and appreciated.
*Italian Festival – Seattle; 9/27 – 9/28; Celebrity chef demonstrations, food, music and dance, bocce tournament, grape stomp, children’s activities and puppet show and more.
* Harvest Apples with City Fruit! – Seattle; Come join in the fun harvesting some of the 30 historic apple trees on the property at Amy Yee Tennis Center in South Seattle. In addition, they will also be cleaning up the park from fallen fruit to donate to some of our cider makers and cooks who will ensure no fruit goes to waste. There will be a cider press on site to press apples that are not suitable to donate!
*Return of the Salmon Celebration – Sultan; Tulalip welcoming ceremony, Northwest Native music, dance and storytelling, fish viewing, horse-drawn wagon rides, kids’ activities and more.
*Bellevue Art Museums Get Crafty Saturday – Bellevue; Free craft time for kids each Saturday. $2 material fee or free with admission.
Thursday 9/25:
(Always make sure to call the museum ahead of time to confirm that they are still participating in these discount days/events/activities)
*Half Priced Admission Imagine Childrens Museum – Everett; Thursday 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. is half priced ( $4.75/ea)
*FREE Nordic Heritage Museum - Seattle; Nordic Heritage Museum is FREE first Thursdays.
*Free Admission To Kids Discovery Museum – Bainbridge Island; First Thursday of the month Kids Discovery Museum offers free admission.
*Free Admission To The Burke Museum – Seattle; First Thursday of the month The Burke offers free admission to the museum.
*Free Admission To The Museum Of History & Industry - Seattle; First Thursday of the month MOHAI offers free admission to the museum.
* Free Admission To Wing Luke Museum – Seattle; First Thursday of the month Wing Luke offers free admission to the museum.
*Free Admission To Seattle Art Museum- Seattle; First Thursday of the month SAM offers free admission to the museum.
*Free Admission To Seattle Asian Art Museum- Seattle; First Thursday of the month SAM offers free admission to the museum.
*Free Admission To The Northwest African American Museum - Seattle; First Thursday of the month NAAM offers free admission to the museum.
*Free Admission To Henry Art Gallery – Seattle; First Thursday of the month Henry Art Gallery offers free admission.
*Free Admission To The Museum Of Flight - Seattle; First Thursday of the month Museum of Flight offers free admission.
For more lists of local events in WA check out these websites::
*Sounds Fun Mom - Maegen always has a great list of events local to the South Sound area of WA – her site is based on family activities around the South Sound area.
*Grays Harbor Deals – Annaliese lists some great events each weekend for Grays Harbor county (Long Beach, Hoquiam, Aberdeen, Moclips, Ocean Shores, Raymond, Elma & more!)
PORTLAND AREA:
Here’s our list of weekly events for the Portland area:
Friday, 9/26:
*Red Yarn at Warehouse Cafe – Portland; Red Yarn is a dynamic Portland family performer. Weaving together energetic live music, puppetry and storytelling, he teaches positive values while reviving American folklore for a younger generation. Join Red Yarn every Friday morning at Warehouse Cafe. Cost: $5 suggested donation
* Tillamook Forest Center – Tillamook; They have daily talks & walks (typically for free) related to bears, eagles, water wonders, birds, trees of the Tillamook forest & more. Check their website for a full schedule.
*American Indian Day at Pioneer Courthouse Square – Portland; Join the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) and other local Indian organizations for “American Indian Day Celebration”. The event will include Northwest Tribal leaders, Indian advocates, drum groups, dancers, and arts and crafts vendors who will share their talents and experiences with the Portland community.
*Free admission to the Portland Art Museum – Portland; On the fourth Friday of every month, enjoy free admission to the Portland art museum.
*Swift Watch at Chapman School – Portland; through 9/30; Watch thousands of Vaux’s swifts swirl into the chimney at Chapman School. Audubon Society has info table most nights. Be courteous guests! Parking is very limited.
Saturday, 9/27:
*Free Concert with the Alphabeticians – Part of Musicalu Summer Music Series; Saturdays at 11am
*Kids Storytime at Powell’s Books – 11- 12pm at Powell’s in downtown Portland
* Oregon Pacific Railroad Train Rides from SE PDX – The Oregon Pacific Railroad offers public train rides for all ages between the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and Oaks Amusement Park every Saturday from now through this fall. $5 per ticket
*Free Entrance to National Parks – nationwide; To celebrate National Public Lands Day you can get FREE entrance into National Parks. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Celebrate with volunteers in your community at parks and other public lands – Search for an event in your community.
* Smithsonian FREE Museum Day! – Nationwide; 9/27; various times; As part of Museum Day Live!, you can get 2 FREE museum tickets (1 for you & and a guest) into one of MANY participating museums nationwide– you just need to sign up while tickets are available and they will email you a link to get your FREE printable coupon to bring with you to the museum.
*Flock and Fiber Festival Clackamas County Fairgrounds – Canby; 9/27 – 9/28; Animals, music, demos, hands-on activities. Take your mama to see the llamas!
*Harvest Fun Day at 78th St. Heritage Farm – Vancouver; 9/27; 10:00am – 3:00pm; Pie eating and corn shucking contests, scarecrow making and pumpkin decorating, food for sale by the Lions Club Booth (to help raise money for the museum), live music and other hands-on activities for families. Donations gladly accepted to benefit the Clark County Historical Museum.
*Cider Squeeze at Philip Foster Farm – Eagle Creek;Cider Squeeze is a day filled with crafts, food, music, and history-inspired activities. Bring your own apples and press your own cider on our authentic cider press, or purchase apples and cider from us on site. See local artists and craftsmen in action, watch historical demonstrations, play pioneer games, purchase fresh produce, and much more. All our usual farm activities – from tours of the Foster’s 1883 home, to cabin building, to corn shelling and log hewing – will also be available.
*Ekone Ranch’s Barbed Wire Ball – Goldendale; Bring the whole family out to the ranch for the day or the whole weekend. Pony rides, kids activities, cakewalk, horse training demonstration, hikes to Ekone’s beautiful canyonlands and wilderness cemetery, and a jump start on your holiday shopping with the silent auction, packed with one-of-a-kind items and experiences. Overnight camping is $40 for adults or $20 for kids, or day passes are $20 adults and $10 kids, but it includes meal and stay, so looks like it might be a good deal. Let us know if you have been in the past, and what you thought!
*Oregon Pacific Railroad Train Rides – Portland; $5 train rides on Saturdays! The Oregon Pacific Railroad is continuing to offer passenger train rides on Saturdays between Oaks Amusement Park and East Portland (near OMSI) and back. Round trip rides last approximately an hour and take guests along the Willamette River, through the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. Cost: $5 round trip or $10 to ride in the cab of their locomotive, limited space available for locomotive cab rides. They’re the only full size passenger excursion train in the Portland area.
*Oktoberfest Celebration at Grand Lodge – Forest Grove; through 9/28; Join in the celebration! They’ll have food and drink specials (bratwurst, anyone?) as well as live music, and a balloon man and face painter will also be on hand.
For more lists of local events in western OR check out::
* PDX Kids Calendar - this is a comprehensive events-based website for families in the Portland area.
NATIONAL EVENTS:
*Barnes & Noble Story Day – Sat at 11am; Please call your local store to confirm as they do not all participate
*Lakeshore Learning Centers - Kids make & take a Keep the Beat Den Den Drum; 11am – 3pm
*Michael’s Kids Club – There is a kids craft day on Saturdays from 10am – 12pm typically; This week they will be hosting a FREE FAMILY EVENT – BOO HANDPRINT BANNER & BEWITCHING BOOKMARK
Fun & Frugal Family Events – 9/25- 10/02; Oktoberfests, Harvest Festivals, Free Museum Days & more! is a post from Thrifty NW Mom