Vacations Blog

Seattle Central Library: Admission Always Free

If you are one of the thousands or travelers to Seattle every week and are looking for a few ‘inexpensive’ things to see to supplement your stay, read on.

Considering that the Fall weather in Seattle is still pleasant and at times beautiful, there are plenty of inexpensive ways to take in this cosmopolitan city which is surrounded by abundant natural beauty.  With that in mind, here is a short list of  FREE (You can’t get any less expensive than that)activities in my fair city that can fill up an agenda and serve as a supplement to a memorable Northwest vacation.  See you around town.

1. Free Sail at Center for Wooden Boats - Located on the South end of picturesqe Lake Union, the Center for Wooden Boats moors dozens of beautiful wooden boats of all shapes and sizes.  Most are sail boats, and on Sunday afternoons you can show up a little before 2:00 PM and sign up to take a free family sail.  It is a terrific way to enjoy the water with stunning views of the surrounding city. Read More »

Enter an underwater world at Shark Reef.

Located in the hot, dry Mojave Desert and hundreds of miles from the Pacific Ocean, one might not expect Las Vegas to be home to a variety of marine life, including sharks, dolphins and sting rays. Luckily, Las Vegas has always made the unconventional into a reality. Today, millions of gallons of blue seawater fill several aquarium attractions to provide visitors an up-close view of the world’s most fascinating marine animal species.

A favorite for our family is the Shark Reef, located inside the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, it is North America’s only predator-based aquarium and exhibit. Filled with over 1.6 million gallons of seawater, Shark Reef’s aquariums are home to more than 2,000 sea animals, including several species of sharks, along with saw fish, giant rays, endangered sea turtles, piranha, jelly fish and the rare golden crocodiles.

A popular exhibit, especially for young children, is the petting pool where visitors can touch the wet, velvety skin of sting rays as they glide by in shallow water. A washing station is conveniently located adjacent to the pool to clean the hands of curious kids.

Shark Reef's sting ray petting pool is a big hit.

Glowing jelly fish float calmly at Shark Reef.

Shark Reef is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. General admission is $16.95 for adults and $10.95 for children age five to 12. Children under four years old are free. Packages are a great buy and come with photos and souvenirs for the whole family or dinner at Mandalay Bay’s Bayside Buffet. Tickets may be purchased online or at the main entrance to Shark Reef.

Another great close encounter with marine life is at The Mirage where Siegfried & Roy’s 2.5-million-gallon Dolphin Habitat is home to a pod of Atlantic bottle nose dolphins. The habitat consists of four connected pools containing an artificial coral reef system and sandy bottom. Opened in 1991 with the purpose of educating the public about marine mammals and their environment, the habitat offers visitors the opportunity to see natural behaviors of dolphins.

Huf n Puff (mom) and new calf at The Mirage Dolphin Habitat.

Visitors are also invited to make their vacation an unforgettable experience by taking part in the Dolphin Trainer for a Day program. Participants get to work side-by-side with dolphin trainers as they participate in daily activities with the dolphins, including playing, training and feeding them. Participants must be at least 13 years old. However, participants 13 to 15 years old require an adult in the program to accompany them, either as a participant or an observer.

For general admission, group VIP and Dolphin Training for a Day prices, call     (702) 792-7889     .

For families on a budget, there are several other aquariums to visit at no cost. At The Mirage, wander over to the main lobby and see the enormous aquarium filled with a variety of fish and sharks of all sizes. Inside The Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace, an aquarium filled with tropical fish is located across from the Cheesecake Factory. It provides an excellent view while waiting to be seated for dinner.

The recently remodeled Silverton Lodge & Casino is also home to several colorful salt and fresh-water aquariums, all of which are free to the public. The main 117,000 gallon aquarium contains an artificial reef and more than 4,000 tropical fish from all over the world, three species of stingrays and three species of sharks. The octagonal aquarium offers premier viewing on all sides.

The adjacent Mermaid Lounge features two colorfully lit 500-gallon jellyfish aquariums and the nearby entrance to the Bass Pro Shop features an 18,000 gallon water feature stocked with over 100 Koi fish. Inside the large Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts there are additional freshwater aquariums, including a 4,000 gallon representation of a spring fed Nevada stream stocked with trout and a 20,000 gallon Nevada lake display stocked with channel catfish, huge carp and bass.

With so many aquarium attractions in Las Vegas, ocean lovers can experience the beauty of exotic marine life while also enjoying the excitement of Las Vegas. You’ll forget you’re in the desert.

Photos by Jason Roth and The Mirage.

What can a family of four can do in New York City with a budget of $20? Before we get to all the cheap, free and fun family things to do in New York, there’s the question of getting around New York City.

Best bet for local transport is get a MetroCard. The MTA has a 1-Day Fun Pass, good for unlimited Subway and Bus rides until 3 am, which costs $7.50. These cards are for individual use only, but this is the cheapest way to get around NYC as a family, if you’re planning to visit a lot of places. Obviously, the cost of the MetroCards is in addition to our $20 cheapskate budget.

Ok, let’s get down to the attractions. The latest addition to NYC’s pantheon of free attractions are the New York City Waterfalls, created by Olafur Eliasson, and presented by the Public Art Fund. The waterfalls are made up of four scaffoldings, set up along the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Governors Island waterfronts, with water cascading down from a height of 90 to 120 feet. A temporary park has been set up on Pier 1 for free viewing, and ‘paid’ boat and bike tours are also available. Special free tickets for a free 30 minute cruise from Circle Line Downtown can be availed of by calling (866) 925-4631. More details here.

You can also watch the waterfalls from the free Staten Island ferry, which will additionally show you the other sights (including the Statue of Liberty), plus you can visit the free Staten Island Botanical Garden. The Grand Central Partnership offers free 90 minute tours with an expert guide who will show you the wonders of famous landmarks like Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building.

Central Park is another place which has an amazing array of free attractions for people of all ages and stripes. Enjoy the shows and music at SummerStage, take a free guided and themed walking tour, visit the Loeb boathouse, and stroll the park enjoying impromptu street shows. Bon Jovi is scheduled to play at a free concert in Central Park on July 12.

NYCVisit.com, the City’s official tourism website, has a comprehensive list of free attractions including museums, parks, attractions and events.

In addition to all the above mentioned, some more famous NYC landmarks and places worth visiting (for free), include Times Square, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the New York Public Library, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Rockefeller Center. Two of the best of NYC attractions which you’re going to miss, because the tickets are priced out of our $20 budget, are the Observatory on the Empire State Building, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But we have a problem. We haven’t spent a single penny. So what say we order meals for less than $5, so all four of you can eat without spending more than $20? Visit Gray’s Papaya for their recession special (two hot dogs and a drink for $3.50), or Dumpling house at Eldridge Street in Chinatown for some cheap dumplings and sesame pancakes. I could whip out a lot more restaurants in Brooklyn and Harlem which could fill up your tank for less than $5, but that’s another post altogether…

Photo by Nexeus Fatale via Flickr (Creative Commons)