Fun Stuff To Do With The Kids For Under $10
1. Dan Nicholas Park. At this amazing park in Rowan County, about 45 minutes from uptown, your kids can ride an old-fashioned carrousel and train, play mini-golf, climb on cool playgrounds, splash in the water play area, ride the paddleboats, pet farm animals and more. The best part? Most of the activities cost less than $2 per person. (Note: one thing does cost more: panning for gemstones. That’s $7 for a beginner’s bucket, which two kids can share.) www.dannicholas.net
2. Matthews Play Station. For just $2 per child (and $1 for each additional child), you can bring your kids to this new indoor playroom for children ages 0-5 in the Matthews Community Center in downtown Matthews. You’ll find Little People sets, musical instruments, dress-up costumes, dinosaurs and more. The playroom was started by local moms who thought the town needed an indoor space for young kids to play. Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 704-321-7275. 100 East McDowell Street. www.matthewsnc.com/html/commcenter.
3. Knights Baseball. Enjoy a summer night out with the Charlotte Knights. Watch a game and let the kids play in the Rookie Play Zone, which has inflatables, slides and more. Single game general admission tickets are only $7 apiece, and the team’s schedule is filled with promotional events that offer ways to get two for the price of one, free tickets and half price tickets. Find the schedule and a list of promotional events here.
4. McDowell Nature Preserve. This 1108-acre preserve along the banks of Lake Wylie in southwest Mecklenburg is a great place to take the kids hiking or on a nature walk. The preserve also has a great playground and a free nature center with snakes, frogs and other creatures. On weekends and holidays, admission is $3 for a car licensed in Mecklenburg county and $5 for all others. (Other days are free.)
5. McDowell Nature Preserve, Part II – Camping out. For an additional $6 per family, you can pitch a tent on a campsite that has a fire ring, a grill and an electrical hookup, plus nearby bathrooms with hot showers. This summer, the preserve is doing campfire songs and marshmellows for free for campers every Friday night. On Saturdays, they offer free programs for campers including nature hikes, wildlife art, treasure hunts, and even family movie nights. Call 704-588-5224 or go to http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Park+and+Rec/Activities/Outdoors/Camping.htm for more information.
6. Reed Gold Mine. The site of the first documented gold find in the United States is just north of Mecklenburg County in Midland, N.C. Watch an orientation movie about the discovery, check out the museum and take an underground tour for free. But the best part is panning for golf, which costs $2 per person. (Kids 8 and older can pan by themselves; younger children must pan with an adult.) www.reedmine.com
7. Belmont Drive-In. Take the family to one of the few remaining drive-in theaters. For $8 a carload, you can take in a double feature that typically starts around 9 p.m. It’s a great place to take the kids to see a movie and not have to worry about trying to keep them quiet. Most families come about an hour early to get a good spot and spend the time talking, kicking around a soccer ball or throwing a frisbee until showtime. The season typically runs from about March to the week before Thanksgiving, depending on the weather. Sometimes the theater is open seven nights a week, but it’s always open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The food — standard hamburgers and hotdogs — is pretty good and reasonably priced, especially compared to regular movie theater fare. 314 McAdenville Road in Belmont. 704-825-6044 www.belmontdrivein.us.
8. Go tomato picking. Tomato picking season typically runs from early July through October. Check out the Observer’s comprehensive list of pick-your-own farms at www.charlotte.com/pickyourown. One of our favorites is Patterson Farm, a third-generation working farm about 30 miles north of Charlotte. The tomatoes are 50 cents per pound or $10 per five-gallon bucket. (Bring a container to bring your tomatoes home.) In addition to picking produce, the farm offers a petting zoo that’s open during tomato season. Or, if you’re with a group, you can schedule a tour for $7 a person that allows the kids to feed farm animals, take a hayride and plant seeds. (704) 636-4005. www.pattersonfarminc.com
9. Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Do the kids love racing? For $5 a person, the “Feel the Thrill Tour” will let them visit areas of the speedway that are off-limits on race days, such as the NEXTEL Cup garage and take a picture in Victory Circle, plus ride along the speedway in a van (Bring a car seat if your child needs one) and feel the full-tilt force of the 24-degree banking. Tours are available on non-event days Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 704-455-3204. www.lowesmotorspeedway.com
10. Ride the trolley. Climb aboard the replica streetcars with your kids and you’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time. A round-trip adult trolley fare is $2.60, youth is $1.30 and kids under 5 are free. Take it uptown, have lunch, visit ImaginOn or Discovery Place, or just walk around and people watch. The trolley currently runs Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. www.charlottetrolley.org.
11. U.S. National Whitewater Center. Sure, it costs money to raft the whitewater. But for $5 to park, you can sit on rocks next to the rapids and wave to the kayakers and rafters that splash by. This one-of-a-kind center also has a walking trail that hugs the course and large rocks with plastic climbing footholds for young kids to scamper on. 820 Hawfield Road. 704-391-3900. www.usnwc.org.
12. Target Saturdays At the Mint Museum of Art. The second Saturday of each month, children get in free with an adult admission ($6) and the museum hosts a family art-making experience. Prepare to get messy! Drop in anytime between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. 2730 Randolph Road. 704-337-2050. www.mintmuseums.org
13. Plaza Fiesta Carolinas. This giant, two-story play place near Carowinds — billed as the largest indoor play center in the southeast — has tons of slides, tunnels and other features for kids to climb, swing on and crawl through. Gated so the the younger ones can only enter and exit from one spot. Only $1 per child. Don’t forget to wear socks! Also, it’s closed every day from 3:30-4:00pm so it can be cleaned and inspected. Kids must wear socks. www.plazafiestacarolinas.com/site/
Click here for our list of FREE things to do with the kids.
Have more ideas? E-mail us at news@momscharlotte.com and we’ll add them to the list.
