Finding free things to do can seem daunting, but opportunities abound all around you. Here are some ideas on how to find free things to do in your area. As a bonus for Lancaster County residents (this is where I live), I’ve included links to make it easy to find free things to do.
Check Your Local Resources
If you’re looking for events or even just some ideas, your local resources will be a great first stop. Look for county, city, and community websites and publications that offer a calendar of events. Possible resources include newspapers, government agencies, schools, radio stations, churches, libraries, museums, recreation centers, parks, tourism websites, volunteer organizations, and so on.
Some groups offer online calendars that are updated regularly. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to sort out the free things to do. If not, you’ll have to sort through your options to find the free things. If you’re a family, make this a group effort to find something everyone is interested in.
The links for Lancaster County residents are below. The rest of this article is just a list of ideas (93 ideas to be exact!) for things to do. Most are free or at least very cheap (unless you make them expensive). You won’t like everything on these lists, but you’ll probably find at least one thing you’d like to do. Enjoy!
Links for Lancaster County residents:
- Lancaster County Online List of Schools & Libraries (Government Website)
- Lancaster County Parks
- Lancaster County Conservancy
- Lancaster Historical Society
- Lancaster Online (The Intelligencer’s website)
- Engle Online (Publisher of The Advertiser and other community papers)
- PA Dutch Country’s List of Free Things to Do (Tourism website)
- WJTL (Local Christian Radio Station)
- WDAC (Another Christian Radio Station)
- United Way of Lancaster County
- Water Street Ministries
Get Outside
- Take a walk
- Take a Hike
- Go birdwatching
- Go stargazing
- Just go outside and sit
- Go to a park
- Take a walking tour (of your neighborhood or city)
- Garden or landscape
- Forage for wild foods (Be careful! Be sure you know what you’re picking!)
Get Creative
- Cook something new
- Write poetry
- Read a book
- Paint or draw
- Bake some bread
- Make something with your hands (woodcraft, knit/crochet, crafts, etc.)
- Take digital photographs
- Create some graphic art
- Start a blog
- Try origami
- Watch a classic, foreign, or independent film
- Make your own movie
- Stock up on homemade greeting & holiday cards
- Write a journal
- Play some music
- Listen to some music (really listen)
- Read some poetry
- Act out a play
- Write a play
- Make up a game
Get Smart
- Go to the library
- Learn a new skill for your career
- Take a free community class or workshop
- Read a newspaper
- Watch an educational video or show
- Memorize Bible verses
- Do some puzzles (crossword, sudoku, jigsaw, etc.)
- Learn a new language (or just 10 words in a new language)
- Refresh your brain on school subjects you’ve forgotten
- Visit a museum or zoo
- Learn auto, home, or appliance maintenance & repair skills
- Study the basics of a new subject
- Read about something you’ve always wanted to do & learn how
- Learn to play a new musical instrument
Get Personal
- Play a board or card game together
- Write a letter to an old friend, your parents, or a relative
- Go meet your neighbors (combine with baking cookies)
- Take time to be intimate with your spouse
- Call someone and keep in touch
- Study and research your genealogy
- Talk about your goals with your spouse/family
- Join an interest group (like a book club)
- Write a letter to your future descendants
- Play with your pet(s)
- Host a potluck & movie night with your friends
- Go to church
- Pray and read the Bible together
- Clean up your neighborhood (with your neighbors!)
Get Organized
- Clean out a closet or a room
- Plan your next vacation
- Make or buy Christmas gifts
- Work on your will & estate documents
- Clean your whole house (inside or out)
- Have a yard sale (get rid of stuff you don’t use & make some money!)
- Scan your old pictures and documents, then organize them in folders on your computer
- Organize your financial papers
- Review your budget & net worth (and look for savings)
- Create a to-do list (with deadlines, next actions, and categories)
- Inspect your house for maintenance tasks that need to be done (make a list)
- Sort through your books, CDs, DVDs, etc. and get rid of what you don’t want
- Create an emergency information binder (health & financial records, account #’s & passwords, etc.)
- Clean off your desk, refrigerator, or table (wherever you pile stuff)
- Cook some meals in advance and freeze them
- Rearrange your furniture
Get Active
- Play some Frisbee
- Join a community sports team
- Exercise
- Go for a bike ride
- Play football, soccer, or catch
- Learn yoga or tai chi
- Take martial arts lessons (the first one is often free!)
- Go swimming (at a friend’s house or in a stream/creek/river/pond/ocean/etc.)
Give Back
- Volunteer your time
- Help out an elderly or disabled neighbor or friend
- Take a nap (give back to yourself)
- Donate some stuff to charity (combine with organization activities!)
- Be a friend to the needy and the outcast (spend time & develop a relationship)
- Help out with a church project
- Plant a tree
- Gather the recycling for your neighborhood (if you don’t have a service)
- Write a how-to or knowledge article for Instructables, Wikipedia, etc.
- Make a useful video for YouTube
- Help out with an open-source software project (if you know or want to learn programming)
- Hold a fundraiser for a charity
Share Your Ideas
The best ideas are the ones you come up with yourself. If you’ve got a good idea on how to find free things to do or just know some free things anyone can do, share them in the comments below!
Wow, I really expected to see a list of about 10 things or so. This is great! I especially love the “get smart” and “get personal” sections.
Glad you liked it, Khaleef! It was a lot of work to come up with that many ideas. I added the total count (93!) to the post so people know what they’ll find below the links.