Monday, May 14, 2012

Kristin’s Kickbacks: Free and Inexpensive Summer Ideas


Bowling
● Kids bowl free program.  Select bowling centers and schools around the country are participating in the Kids Bowl Free program. Children are eligible to register for 2 free games a day, all summer long.  Check out the website to find a participating bowling alley near you! http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/
●Brunswick offers free bowling for kids during the summer! Students 18 and younger get one free game of bowling every day in June, July and August when you sign up for the bowling zone on their website.  They will also send you coupons throughout the year for discounted bowling. http://coupons.bowlbrunswick.com/ballpass/

Concerts
● LACMA has several free concerts throughout the summer.  Check their website for more details. http://www.lacma.org/
● Free Concerts in the Park in Santa Clarita at Central Park on Saturday nights at 7 p.m. from July 7 to August 25. 27150 Bouquet Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita.   http://www.santa-clarita.com/arts/concerts/
● Free Concerts in Park at Warner Center Park on Sundays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills.
● Jazz at Descanso Gardens. Enjoy live jazz on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. from June 21-August 23. Concerts are free with paid admission to the Gardens and free for members. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, 91011. (818) 949-4200.
FREE Monday Morning Concerts for Children are back from June 18th – August 13th at the Madrid Theatre! 21622 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303. 818-347-9938. Show time 10 AM until 11 AM. Recommended for children 6 to 9 years old. Monday Morning Concerts consist of a performance, a brief history lesson on the musical and cultural style being presented, and a question and answer session with the performers. Often children are invited on stage to be part of the experience.
● Thursday night summer concerts at the Autry Museum from 6-9 p.m. July 5-August 30 (across from L.A. Zoo). The taco bar opens at 6 p.m., and the museum and museum store close at 8 p.m. Complimentary dance lessons and a separate dance floor for kids guarantee fun for all! Free for Autry members / $10 for adults, children 3-12 are $4. 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, 90027.  http://theautry.org/programs/music-festivals/sizzling-summer-nights
● The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts-Pasadena is proud to present its 10th annual 50 summer concert series. All concerts are FREE to the public beginning June 16 to August 25, Wednesday through Sunday. Enjoy an evening under the stars at Memorial Park in Old Pasadena while listening to quality entertainment ranging from Grammy winners and nominees, to international touring artists, and local favorites! 323-667-2000. http://www.levittpavilionpasadena.org/

Gardens
● Admission to The Huntington is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of every month with advanced tickets.  Get tickets June 1st for July free day at 9 a.m.  Call 800-838-3006 or get tickets online at http://www.huntington.org/default.aspx. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 91108. 626-405-2100.
● Los Angeles Arboretum.  Free parking.  Admission free on the third Tuesday of the month. 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, 91007. (626) 821-3222.
● Descanso Gardens in La Canada.  Open daily from 9 to 5.  Adults $8, Children 5 to 12 $3, under 5 free.  Parking is free.  They also have musical events, some of which are free with admission. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, 91011. (818) 949-4200.

Movies
● Free Movies in the Park at Warner Center Park on Saturday evenings from 7-10 p.m., July 14-August 25. All movie start times are at dusk. Pre-feature entertainment begins at approximately 7 PM. 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills.
● $1 movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at the Regal Theatres in Simi Valley, Calabasas and Santa Clarita.  Older G and PG movies.  Check their website for schedule. http://www.regmovies.com/SummerMovieExpress2012.aspx

Museums
● Kidspace Museum in Pasadena—free admission on first Tuesday of the month from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 480 N. Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, 91103. (626) 449-9144.
● Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Museum.  Free on Thursdays.  Advance tickets required. 2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90049. (310) 440-4500.
● California Science Center.  Free admission. Open from 10 to 5.  Parking is $8. 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, 90037. (323) 724-3623.
● Getty Museum in Brentwood and Getty Villa near Malibu.  Admission is free.  Villa requires reservations.  Parking is $15. Getty Center is at 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7300. Getty Villa is at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. (310) 440-7300.
● Natural History Museum in Exposition Park is free on the first Tuesday of the month. Parking is $10. 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles. (213) 763-3466.
● La Brea Tar Pits is also free on the first Tuesday of the month. Parking is $6.00 with Page Museum validation (Page Museum parking lot only), $9.00 without Page Museum validation. Be sure to bring your parking ticket into the museum to receive your validation and get $2 off the cost of parking. 5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. (323) 934-7243.
● LACMA is free on the second Tuesday of the month, as well as Holiday Mondays. Parking is now available in the new 6th Street parking garage, located just east of Fairfax Avenue. The charge is $10 and may be prepaid at all Welcome Centers, with credit cards now accepted.  5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. (323) 857-6000.
● Did you know your children can get a free membership to LACMA?  NexGen offers free general admission to anyone 17 and under as well as one accompanying adult. To join, visit the LACMA box office or print the enrollment form and mail it in. Here’s the link for the enrollment form: http://www.lacma.org/programs/pdfs/NewEnglishNexGenForm.pdf

Water Fun
● New pool and aquatic center at Northridge Park. 10058 Reseda Blvd. Northridge, CA 91324. 818-709-7475. Call to find out hours and prices, as they do not have a great website. Bring a library card for discounts! 
● Aquatic center in Santa Clarita. $4 for adults, $3 for kids, 2 and under free.  (These were last year’s prices.  Hopefully the same this summer). Family Movie Nights at Aquatic center-- $7 a person, various dates. 20850 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita. 661-250-3766.
● Rancho Tapo Community Park—Water & Climbing Playground.  3700 Avenida Simi, Simi Valley. (Also known as Lemon Park)

Other Discounts
● Miniature golfing at Castle Park in Sherman Oaks.  Weekend Early Birds $3 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 
● Griffith Observatory.  Open Wednesday-Friday 12 noon to 10 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Free admission.




Friday, May 4, 2012

Kristin’s Kickbacks 5-4


Activities

May 4-May 13. 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Starbucks Happy Hour.  You’ll be able to get your Frappucino for 50% off! (Thanks To Frugal Girls for this kickback!)


May 4-12.  Various Mother’s Day crafts events at Michaels arts and crafts store.  Some are free, some require a purchase.  Check out the link for details.  http://www.michaels.com/Store-Events/store-events,default,pg.html

May 5. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. (Every first Saturday of the month). Home Depot's Free Kids Workshop. The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin.

May 5. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. CAAM’s Free Annual Celebration of National Children’s Book Week.  There will be celebrity readers, local authors and storytelling, along with live music, art activities and other things for families. California African American Museum. 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. 213-744-2024. (You probably have to pay for parking, which I believe is $10 now).

May 5 (and every Saturday). 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Make a free craft at Lakeshore Learning Store. There is a store on Devonshire near Balboa and another in Pasadena. Check out their website for more information. (Next week on May 12 the children are making a handprint keepsake that looks cute!) www.lakeshorelearning.com

May 5-6. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sesame Street Live Weekend at the L.A. Zoo.  Bert, Ernie and Grover will be there to take pictures with you.  Admission to zoo: $16 adults, $11 children ages 2-12 (or get a discount on membership using the code below).

May 6. 12 noon-2 p.m. Sunday Afternoon for Kids: All That Can Live ON a Page. Writer/illustrator Lee-Roy Lahey shows kids how to create genre-based comics. Ages 8-13. Free event at the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 310-305-8418.

May 10 (and subsequent Thursdays). 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free Mommy and Me Class at The Church on The Way for children under 5 years of age. Please bring a snack for your child. King’s Kid’s Building, West Campus, 14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, 91405. Call 818-779-8000 for more information.

May 10. 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Participating Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations will be selling 12 oz. Cookies & Cream Ice Blended or Mocha Mudslide Ice Blended for just $1 each.  (Note: I have seen a flyer posted on a deal site I follow, but I have not been able to verify it directly.  Hopefully it’s happening near us! I would call ahead before going.)
On May 11th, you can get free admission to a garden near you! Descanso Gardens is one of the beautiful gardens nearby, in La Canada. You need to follow the directions to get a coupon ahead of time. Here’s the link. http://www.bhg.com/gardening/celebrate-national-public-gardens-day/

Ongoing Deals

We are members of the L.A. Zoo.  We received an email with a promo code for anyone who is interested becoming a member. Offer expires June 30, 2012.  You can save $10 on the cost of the membership by using this code:  11203FFW  

Upcoming Events

May 20. 12 noon-5 p.m. MOTA Day!  The five MOTA institutions (Museums of the Arroyo) will all offer a free day of activities and free entrance!  Shuttle service will be provided, offering one way to get to all of the locations. Great interest in MOTA Day is expected, so visitors are advised to arrive early.  For more information, got to www.museumsofthearroyo.com  This includes The Gamble House, Heritage Square Museum, The Los Angeles Police Museum, The Lummis Home and Garden and the Pasadena Museum of History.