Inexpensive Entertainment In and Around San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties:
April 28, 2009 7:42 p.m. PST
It comes as no surprise that the current economic situation is affecting everyone, particularly people who are transitioning to retirement or are currently retired. As pointed out in a previous blog post, on "Efficient Budgeting," it is imperative that our income exceeds our expenses, so that we can get out of debt and prepare for a comfortable retirement. It was also suggested that it may be easier to decrease our expenses than to increase our income. It is easier to reduce our discretionary expenses (entertainment, vacations, gifts, etc.) than our required expenses (mortgage, utilities, food, clothing, medical, etc). This article will examine specific ways to reduce entertainment expenses.
As we have discussed, the greatest joys in life are often free. We have listed some of the free activities that can bring us happiness and some of the good things life has to offer. We invite you to add to this list.
Things you can do at the library:
- Borrow great books or dvd's.
- Participate in book clubs.
- Attend readings by various authors.
- Study a subject you have always been interested in learning more about.
- Volunteer.
- Bring your children or grandchildren to story time.
- Introduce your children or grandchildren to the joys of reading.
Things you can do at the park or the beach:
- Have a picnic.
- Fly a kite.
- Play frisbee.
- Head out surfing; one of life's great free pleasures.
- Go for a bike ride.
- Walk or hike.
- Hang out with your family or friends.
- Play soccer or softball.
Things you can do at home:
- Garden; can be relaxing and helps to relieve stress.
- Talk with family and friends.
- Play board games.
- Play cards.
- Cook together; it's really fun to bake cookies together.
- Have a BBQ.
- Have a pot luck party.
- Have a Texas Hold'em Poker party.
- Watch sporting events.
- Make gifts or give gifts of service, such as giving a back-rub or washing a car.
San Diego County:
Balboa Park in San Diego
- There is free admission to specific attractions each Tuesday of the month. Some museums may offer complementary admission to their permanent collections and charge admission to special exhibits or films. It's best to call ahead first. There are several events at the Worldbeat Center, which are free, please see the schedule for a variety of multi-cultural classes for all.
- First Tuesday: Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Centro Cultural de la Raza, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego Natural History Museum (free to San Diego County residents, Active Military & their families, or children under the age of 18).
- Second Tuesday: Museum of Photographic Arts, Museum of San Diego History, Veterans Museum and Memorial Center.
- Third Tuesday: San Diego Art Institute, Mingei International Museum, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Man, Japanese Friendship Garden.
- Fourth Tuesday: San Diego Air and Space Museum (free to San Diego County residents, Active Military & their families, or children under the age of 18), San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum (free to San Diego County residents, Active Military & their families, or children under the age of 18), and the House of Public Relations International Cottages.
- Fifth Tuesday: Normal museum prices in effect. The Timken Museum of Art is always free!
- Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is located within San Diego city limits and yet remains one of the wildest stretches of land on our Southern California coast! Because of the efforts and foresight of the people in this area, 2000 acres of land are as they were before San Diego was developed -with the chaparral plant community, the rare and elegant Torrey pine trees, miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds. One can imagine what California must have looked like to the early settlers, or to the Spanish explorers, or even to the first California residents here, the Kumeyaay people.
- There are 8 miles of trails, a visitor center, and guided nature walks on weekends and holidays.
- Torrey Pines is visited by travelers from all over the world and by local residents who come daily to rest at the stunning overlooks, walk a peaceful trail, or exercise in a clean, beautiful environment. Spend some time at this web site, then come spend some time at beautiful Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. Special care has been taken to preserve it and keep it for now and forever.
- There is a parking fee for any car entering Torrey Pines State Reserve.
- General: $8 (everyday)
- Senior (62+): $7
Disabled:$4 (with qualified Dept Parks Recreation pass)
Bus with 10-24 people: $50 all days
Bus with 25+ people: $100 all days
Annual pass: $125
- The Palomar Observatory is located in north San Diego County, California. It is a world-class center of astronomical research that is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology. The observatory is home to five telescopes that are nightly used for a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The research is conducted by Caltech's faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students, and by researchers at Caltech's collaborating institutions.
- The Palomar Observatory is open to the public daily (except December 24 and 25) for daytime visits. Click here for our visiting hours. The observatory will be closed if travel conditions are hazardous. Whenever possible our Public Information Recording phone number- (760) 742-2119-will be updated to reflect any closures. Please see our Driving to Palomar Observatory page for directions and information on any possible road closures.
- The gallery in the 200-inch dome affords visitors a view of the Hale Telescope. Handicapped access is granted to the dome at 9:30 am, 1:00 pm, & 3:30 pm. There is no admission charge to visit the observatory or see the 200-inch Hale Telescope from the visitors gallery.
- The San Elijo Lagoon is one of few remaining coastal wetlands of San Diego County and home to an exceptional number of animals and plants. It lies along the coast between the cities of Solana Beach and Encinitas of San Diego County, extending inland to Rancho Santa Fe. The lagoon is part of San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, a county and state regional park of nearly 1,000 acres of diverse habitat including six plant communties: coastal strand, salt marsh, brackish/freshwater marsh, riparian scrub, coastal sage scrub and mixed chaparral. In the reserve you can access over seven miles of trails via eight trailheads and encounter a wide variety of flora and fauna.
- Every Saturday, the Conservancy offers a guided nature walk with a trained naturalist starting at the nature center, (2710 Manchester Avenue). The walk is free and starts at 10 a.m.
- Also, every second Saturday of each month, members of our team of trained volunteer naturalists lead free guided walks starting from the Rios Avenue trail head at 9 a.m. for a two hour tour, exploring the flora, fauna and history of San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve.
- The Conservancy also offers free guided tours for schools and other groups at other times of the week.
To schedule yours, please call Tara Fuad at (760) 436-3944, or email tara@SanElijo.org.
Orange and Los Angeles Counties:
Irvine Park and Orange County Zoo
- This is Orange Counties oldest Regional Park and is very beautiful, with lawans, lakes and meandering streams. There is a $1 admission fee to the Zoo, for everyone over the age of 6. In addition to hiking trails, there is a small train, that rides through the parts of the park, for a $2 fee.
Santa Fe Dam Regional Park (San Gabriel Valley)
- Lots of trails for hiking or biking, on paved bike trailes. Fishing is quite popular at the lake. There is also a nice swimming beach, which is also a popular place for picnics or BBQ's.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
- Free admissionon the first Tuesday of each month.
The Getty Center in Los Angeles
- The Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the Getty Villa in Malibu, both have free admission, but do charge $8 for parking. You can take public transportation to both places and avoid the parking fee. Reservations are required for the Getty Villa.
- Free admission on Thursday's.
Japanese American Natural Museum - Little Tokyo area in Los Angeles
- Free admission every Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. every third Thursday of the month.
California African American Museum - Exposition Park in Los Angeles
- Free admission every day.
Museum of Latin American Art - Long Beach
- Free admission every Friday.
Skirball Cultural Center - Los Angeles
- Free admission on Thursday's, including free parking.
Kidspace Children's Museum - Pasadena
- Free Family Night is from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.
- Free admission on Friday's.
The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens - San Marino, CA
- Free admission from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to all visitors on the first Thursday of every month, with advanced reservations.
Much of
California's history began with the Spanish Missions. The chain
of 21 missions along California's El Camino Real ("The Royal
Highway") represent the first arrival of non-Native
Americans to California. Life for the California Native Americans
was forever changed. In addition to Christianity, the missions
brought many other things to California such as livestock,
fruits, flowers, grains and industry. This was also the start of
the civilization in which we live today. However, as a result of
the arrival of the Spanish, many Native American lives were lost.
Every one of the California missions tell a story about the
history of California. All have been, to some extent, restored
and can be visited today.
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Gabriel
- San Fernando
- San Buenaventura (Ventura Mission)
- Santa Barbara
- Mission La Purisma (no longer a Mission, it is now run as a State Park)
- Santa Inez
- San Luis Obispo
This is the latest information available on the internet for these attractions. Please call ahead to ensure that this information is still accurate. Although this is not a comprehensive list, we would gladly welcome any updates or additional attractions not listed in this article. During these touch economic times, we are all looking for ways to provide friends, family and guests with fun and exciting ideas, which won't break the bank.
Mark Halsey
Financial Staff Writer at Wealth Analytics
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