Free Stuff to do in July

Refer to my previous post where I wrote about free day time movies with the kids, free entrance to the Imagine It! Children’s Museum, Piedmont Park and swimming pools. Here’s some more stuff you can do for free in July:

Centennial Park, Downtown Atlanta

• July 4 - Children’s activities from noon – 5:00 p.m. include arts and crafts, face painting, performances, inflatables, stilt walkers and more. Free musical entertainment starts at 4:00 p.m. on the Great Lawn, including a performance by the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, followed by fireworks.
• National Black Arts Festival - July 26 and 27 from 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Free music by African-American, Caribbean, African, Latin and Hispanic artists. Los Hombres Caliente, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Toots and the Maytals, Roy Ayers, Julie Dexter and Vinx and more are scheduled to perform. There will also be an International Vendor Marketplace, International Food Vendors and children’s programming.
• Free concerts at the Southern Company Amphitheatre - Every Wednesday from 5:30-8:00pm (except July 16th). Centennial Park often has lunchtime concerts too.
• Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days – Noon – 4:00 p.m. The fourth Saturday of each month until Fall is geared towards kids. Activities include educational programming, specialty workshops, touring shows, street performers, family-friendly performances, children’s crafts, life-size chess games, appearances by on-air personalities, local sports mascots, contests, prizes and more.

High Museum of Art. 1280 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA
Check out the photographs of the civil rights movement exhibition. Fulton County residents can tour the museum for free on the first Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. If you don’t live in Fulton, the Entertainment Book has a buy-one-get-one-free ticket (usual admission $18 adult, Ages 6-17 $11, 5 and under free, military and group discounts). AAA members get in for $11.95 adult, Ages 6-17 $7.95. If you have toddlers, do some art and crafts during Toddler Thursdays (paintings, mobiles, stained glass lanterns, animal cutouts) from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in the Greene Family Educational Center (included in museum admission).

Turner Field. 755 Hank Aaron Dr SE, Atlanta. Not free, but almost…Skyline seats go on sale at the Braves Site for $1 three hours before game time. You can take your own food and unopened bottled water and soft drinks in to the stadium to avoid pricey concessions. Parking is $10 per car, but if you take Marta to Five Points, you can catch a free shuttle to the field. Check out the Tooner Field Cartoon Network amusement park inside the stadium (included in price).

Mayfield Dairy. Tour a dairy! 1160 Broadway Avenue, Braselton. Tours are Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (in Braselton, they don’t make milk on Wednesdays). I hesitated to post this, because to my dismay, they don't hand out free samples (what kind of dairy doesnt hand out free samples?), but I'm told that it's a fun outing for kids and they love the giant statue of the cow in front. Ice cream cones and beverages can be purchased in their store, so I guess for the price of an ice cream cone, you can have an almost free outing.

Attend a Free Concert!
Suwanee Smooth Jazz WJZZ 107.5 Free Concert. 1st Friday of the month – 7: 00 p.m. at the Town Centre Park, Suwanee.

Summer Jazz Series at Villa Christina. Free concerts on Sundays during the summer thru September 21st in the Villa Christina Gardens at Perimeter Summit. Park doors open at 4:00 p.m. and music begins at 5:30 p.m.

Duluth. Free concerts in downtown Duluth on Main Street every Thursday from Noon until 1:30 p.m.

Lawrenceville. Free concerts in downtown Lawrenceville. Family friendly concerts on the Historic Courthouse Lawn at 11:00 a.m. on July 14th (the Bugaboos) and other artists now thru September, at 8:00 p.m., on the fourth Friday of each month.

Norcross. Free concerts in Thrasher Park. First Thursday of each month thru November 6, 2008 from 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Williams Sonoma Cooking Classes. At participating Williams Sonoma stores, you can sign up for an hour-long free cooking technique class (usually on Sundays) taught by culinary experts. This month, you can learn how to make homemade pizza, paella, and learn about summer fruits and vegetables. They also have free demonstrations (usually on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday). This month's topics include pina coladas, getting ready for July 4, summer grilling, marinades, no-knead bread, slow cooking, dutch oven desserts, kitchen tools for kids, pies in a punch, summer salad dressing, appetizers, and more! Call your local store for more details: Mall of Georgia, Buford; Forum, Norcross; Northpoint Mall, Alpharetta; Phillps Plaza, Atlanta; Lenox Square, Atlanta; The Avenue at East Cobb, Marietta; The Avenue at Peachtree City, Peachtree City.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History. 767 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta. If you're a Bank of America cardholder (check, ATM or credit card), you can get in for free on the first weekend of every month. This offer is for cardholders only, so if you and your spouse both have cards, you would both get in for free, but would still have to pay for any children over 3 years old.