Are you looking forward to summer? You most likely are, and you will be needing something free to do! Today I am going to be listing three free things to do this summer, right here in Emporia, KS.

#3 Visit the zoo

Here in Emporia, our zoo is called the David Traylor Zoo, and is located at 75 Sodens Road. This is a tranquil paradise, full of ponds, trees, animals, and flowers. Their spotlight animals include lemurs,  a mountain lion, ducks, turtles, llamas, and many more! The landscaping here is beautiful, and the zoo is 100% free! The Zoo Education Center just barely down the road is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:00-4:00 pm. If you visit their website, you can find other events* there to attend throughout the summer, David Traylor Zoo website.

*Not all other events here over the summer are free.

#2 Attend The Summer Band Concerts

Over the summer at Fremont park, you can attend the summer band concerts. These are performed by the Emporia Municipal Band. The concerts are every Thursday and they start at 8:00 pm. The first is June 2nd, and the last is July 14th. All of these concerts are free, and kids can play on the playground and here the music! Adults often bring a lawn chair or blanket, but these are optional. Here is the LINK to their Facebook page.

#1 Attend Open Gym at the Rec Center

Open gym at the Emporia Recreation Center is free for anyone under the age of 18 (it is $1 for adults). It is almost always open and you can bring balls and friends to play with in the gym, or use theirs. The availability of the gym may vary due to different programs, so I would recommend calling ahead to make sure it is open. The normal hours are Monday thru Friday from 5:00-8:00 am and 12:00-3:00 pm. This is a super fun activity for you and your friends to do over the summer. You might even make some new friends here. Here is a LINK to their website.

Summer vacation is a wonderful time, but kids don’t always have money. Above I listed three free summer activities here in Emporia. You can bring friends or just go by yourself. These are just some from around town. I hope these activities will bring you some entertainment this summer! 🙂