Cheap (or Free!) Things to Do with Kids in Bucks County This Spring and Summer

My kids are now both in school fulltime but we still love to get out of the house together whenever they have a day off. And they don’t go to summer camp, so we have all those summer days to fill! As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, when we’re not home, they’re not making a mess in the house! And we’re truly all happier when we’re going places. That being said, I don’t like to spend a lot of money on our outings!

Here’s a list of cheap (or FREE) things to do in the Bucks County area (or within a short driving distance) this spring and summer!

Indoor Play Spaces at Local Fast Food Restaurants

We love spending a day at places like Kids Empire, but if we don’t have time (or don’t want to spend the money) on a big outing like that, fast food playgrounds are great for burning off some energy! Especially on a rainy day.

Here are a few that I know are open:

McDonald’s in Penndel (shown above)
Burger King in Langhorne
Burger King in Feasterville
Burger King in Souderton
Chick-fil-A in Bensalem (Street Road)
Chick-fil-A in Langhorne (NEW on Route 1)
Chick-fil-A in Newtown
Chick-fil-A in Warrington
Chick-fil-A in Warminster

Free Museum Passes

Bucks County Free Libraries do NOT offer free museum passes. HOWEVER, many of the District Libraries do! (They’re different – I know, it’s confusing.) Visit THIS link to see what the different library locations are. Then use the online catalog to search for “Museum Pass.” It’ll tell you the different passes available, and which library offers a pass. The library has a Membership to many local spaces, and you’re able to borrow the pass for a day of admission and then return it when you’re finished! Elmwood Park Zoo, Pearl S. Buck International Museum, and Pennsbury Manor are just a few of the locations you can visit with one of the library passes. Headsup though, I have found that museum passes can be reserved a month or more ahead of time, so you probably won’t be able to use this for spur of the moment outings.

Season Passes

While obviously not free, you might also consider buying a Membership to a local spot that you and your children love. Most Memberships tend to “pay for themselves” after a few visits. Having a Membership will definitely motivate you to get out of the house because you’ll want to get your money’s worth. Plus, you won’t feel bad if you only go for an hour or two. Some of our favorite places to get passes include: Sesame Place, Grounds for Sculpture, Morris Arboretum, Elmwood Park Zoo, Adventure Aquarium, Bucks County Children’s Museum, Crayola Experience, and Legoland Discovery Center. We also love to get Summer Season passes to Shady Brook Farm.

And if you’re looking for FREE passes, I know of two options that you’ll want to keep an eye out for! Dorney Park typically offers FREE Pre-K passes. Your child just needs to be 5 or under when you register. And registration ends in September. Adventure Aquarium also offers FREE pre-K passes, but you need to watch for when that begins (typically in August).

Free Bowling

We’ve done the Kids Bowl Free program the past few years, and it’s a great very low cost activity when it was rainy or TOO hot to be outside! What’s great about this one is that is starts early and runs late. Each child registered can get two free games of bowling per day. You just need to pay for shoe rental, which is typically $3-5. When you go to the website, just check for bowling alleys which participate in your area. (TIP: Times vary by location! I suggest checking the times before registering because you can only register at one lane. You might decide to drive a few minutes further if the times work better for your schedule.) They also offer discounted passes for adults if you want to bowl with your child. Download the app to your phone before you head to the bowling alley. When you sign in, they’ll check for a code on your app to give you the discount.

I also sign us up for a free bowling program at Colonial Bowling in Lawrenceville, NJ. Sign up on the website to receive a coupon each week good for 2 free games of bowling AND A free $5 game card with each shoe rental purchase for any kids under 15 years old from June until September.

Altitude Junior Jump and Saturday Night Special

This one isn’t free and isn’t just for summer, but I thought it was a good enough deal to make this list! Altitude is a trampoline park in Feasterville, and they offer Junior Jump every weekday (and select dates so check the calendar) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Junior Jump is for kids 6 and under and is only $12 per child and $3 for adults. It’s a really great deal for the amount of time, and it WEARS the kids out!

If you have older kids, you might want to try out the Saturday Night Special. It’s $20 for 2 hours of jumping from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Check Out Your Local Library

We love spending time at local libraries! Penn’s Little Village (Langhorne) and Career Corner (Yardley) are two of the best for playing! These are adorable and totally free indoor play areas with kid-size “town” areas for imaginative play. I have a post ALL About the different play areas inside the libraries as well as storytime events and nearby playgrounds HERE!

And if you just want a great spot to enjoy the outdoors with a book, be sure to visit the garden spaces at the Doylestown, Langhorne, Perkasie and Yardley branches. Grundy Library in Bristol is beautiful, too!

Between storytime events, the play areas, and picking out new books, DVDs and videogames, you can spend an entire FREE day at the library and then enjoying what you picked out!

The summer is a GREAT Time to visit the local libraries because they have so many performances and other special events. Check out the calendars for events such as Eyes of the Wild, Elmwood Park Zoo, Lolly Hopwood, magicians, and more!

This July (2025), my kids have been loving a FREE drawing class presented by Young Rembrandts at the Morrisville Library!

Get Reading … and Redeeming!

After you pick up some books from the library, be sure to print out a Summer Reading Log from Mommy’s Lil’ Black Book. This program is for kids ages 2-18 and includes a list of prizes from local businesses that your child can redeem after completing their reading list. Free Chick-fil-A kids’ meal, free open play pass to We Rock the Spectrum, and a free water ice from Yardley Ice House are just a few of the prizes!

Barnes & Noble also has a Summer Reading Program for children in grades 1-6 where you complete a Reading Journal and then bring it in to choose a free book from a list of selected titles.

Visit a Local Farm

There are quite a few farms in Bucks and neighboring Montgomery County that allow families to visit to see the animals or pick-your-own produce. Here are a few:

Terhune Orchards offers pick-your-own events as well as Read & Pick events, which is really great for younger kids. In the past, we enjoyed programs such as the Strawberry Pick & Read. For $12, the kids listened to a few stories and learned about strawberries and then filled a container with berries they picked themselves. They then also got to see animals, ride trikes, and climb and play in the tractor playground. If you don’t want to do one of these events, you can also just go to visit the animals, check out the play area, and maybe stop in the farm market. There’s no admission fee unless there’s a festival or other event going on. (Most weekdays are safe!)

None Such Farms in Buckingham offers pick-your-own crops such as strawberries. You only pay for what you pick. No admission fee, and no reservations needed. It’s offered Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At Snipes Farm in Morrisville, families can visit with the animals and playground and then shop the weekly farm market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ryerss Farm in Pottstown is a unique experience for any horse enthusiast. The country’s oldest non-profit organization of its kind, it provides a comfortable retirement for horses. Visiting the horses is free, though donations are appreciated. You can also purchase treats to feed the horses. No reservations are needed. Current hours posted are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And at Tanner Brothers Dairy Farm in Ivyland and Merrymead Farm in Lansdale, you can visit the animals outside and then stop in the market for ice cream!

Shady Brook Farm offers many pick-your-own events. While it isn’t free, it’s relatively inexpensive for a day out. Plus, Shady Brook has a very cute playground area by the Market and Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream, which you do not need to pay to play on. There’s live music (no admission charge) on the patio stage on Thursday nights, Saturday day and night and Sunday afternoons. Very kid friendly. Shady Brook also has a brand new Kids Korner in the Garden Center with free hands-on activities.

PLUS, Miss Sally is hosting SingAlongs on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. on the patio stage (next to the ice cream and playground) from July 9 through August 20.

Movie Deals

My kids’ first experience in a real movie theater was during Summer Movie Express at Regal Cinemas in 2021. It was a great low-cost way to test it out. The movies aren’t new, but that actually made the experience less stressful since we chose movies I knew they liked/thought they’d be okay sitting through. Tickets are just $1! These movies are shown on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are typically the early showtimes. It’s 10 a.m. this year at Oxford Valley! Summer Express movies run through August 6. All Summer Movie Express guests can purchase a specially priced $5 Snack Pack, which includes a junior-sized drink, snack-sized popcorn, and fruit snacks.

Regal at Oxford Valley also offers discounted NEW movies on Tuesdays for anyone signed up for Regal Crown Club (which is free!) Tickets are $7.99 or less. You also get 50% off popcorn on Tuesdays.

AMC Neshaminy (and other locations) offers 50% off tickets for NEW movies on Tuesdays for anyone signed up for AMC Stubs. While you do need to pay for some of the levels of Stubs, Stubs Insider is the most basic level and it’s FREE and gets you access to the discounted tickets. Sign up HERE.

We don’t have one by us, but Movie Tavern also offers Value Tuesdays with Free popcorn and $6 tickets. There’s one in Collegeville if you’re out that way.

Outdoor Movie Nights

If you’d rather watch a movie while sprawled on blankets or in lawn chairs, there are outdoor options in Bucks County! Some are completely free, and the others are very reasonable when you consider you won’t be dropping big bucks on movie theater concessions.

Here are a few to check out: Upper Southampton Parks & Rec’s Movies in the Park, Warwick Township Movies in the Park, Newtown Borough Movies in the Park

Grounds for Sculpture

We’ve been Members here for over 10 years! Children 5 and under are free. I have a post all about it with a free printable scavenger hunt that I made HERE.

New Jersey State Museum in Trenton

This FREE museum features fossils, Civil War flags, fine art, Native American artifacts, and more. There’s also a small play area for kids with different activities. While not free, the favorite feature of our family was seeing the Planetarium show.

Check out the calendar on the website for storytimes, crafts, and other free kid activities happening this summer.

Visit a Nature Center

If you and your kids love to explore the outdoors, consider visiting a local nature center! When we lived closer, we visited Silver Lake Nature Center in Bristol a lot because we could take a nice shady walk, stop by the playground and then visit the turtles inside the Visitor Center on the way out. We’ve also enjoyed the Churchville Nature Center!

Go For a Walk Someplace Different

Getting outside for a walk isn’t limited to just parks or your neighborhood. If you’re not feeling particularly “naturey” but still want to take the kids somewhere, consider visiting a location like downtown New Hope, Lambertville or Peddler’s Village. You can get outside in the fresh air, do some window shopping, and grab an ice cream. There’s plenty to look at that you can kill an hour or two without spending a lot of money. For the past several years, Peddler’s Village has really impressive sand sculptures (this pictures is from 2024) that are on display all summer. This year’s theme is Safari in Sand. On Friday, July 25 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., there’s a Safari Party with live music, a foam party, and other activities!

TIP: If you visit Peddler’s Village or live in that area, be sure to check out the grounds at Best of France Antiques off 202! It’s completely free to walk around outside, and my kids have so much fun checking out the sculptures!

Summer Concerts & Music Events

Several places in Bucks County offer free (or cheap) outdoor concerts throughout the summer. These events are completely family-friendly, so bring the kids, some blankets and snacks, and enjoy music in the fresh air. If you’re looking for concerts near you, your Township’s Facebook page is usually a good place to start.

Here are a few Summer 2025 schedules/details:

Penn Community Ampitheater, Bensalem: Concerts are Wednesdays and tickets are $5 for residents/seniors, $10 for non-residents.

Langhorne Summer Concerts are held every other Wednesday, and they’re FREE to the public.

Falls Township Community Park, Levittown: Free concerts by the soccer fields on Sunday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Yardley Music Off Main: Select Saturdays and Sundays, at Buttonwood Park.

Peddler’s Village offers free live entertainment during many summer weekends. Plus, they have lunchtime concerts on Friday afternoons.

Shady Brook Farm has live music every weekend! You can buy tickets for their Summer unWINEd shows on the Festival Field Friday nights, which includes access to the big playground, bounce pillows, go-carts and more. Or, you can opt to visit The Stone’s Throw Pub for live music during their Patio Parties Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Music on the patio is free, and kids can play on the small playground right next to the stage.

National Night Out

Tuesday, August 5 is National Night Out – an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships. Several townships throughout Bucks County hold festivals with free family-friendly activities. Here are a few:

Parks & Playgrounds

There’s no way I could make this list without including our favorite pastime – visiting local parks and playgrounds! The kids and I probably visit a playground at least once a week. If you’re getting tired of the same ol’ slides and swings, make it a point to try out some NEW (to you) parks and playgrounds this summer! Take a look at this Playground Guide that I’m constantly updating for some ideas. TIP: Go for a two-fer and visit a playground that ALSO has a spray pad!

If you want to go beyond playgrounds, hike Ringing Rocks (with a hammer in hand), picnic waterfront at Nockamixon State Park or the Bristol Waterfront, or bike the many local trails like those in Tyler State Park.

Kids Eat Free Deals

Here are restaurants that offer free kid meals with purchase of adult entree!

Sundays at J.B. Dawson’s in Langhorne

Mondays and Tuesdays at Arirang in Langhorne

Tuesdays at Continental Tavern in Yardley

Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Red Robin in Bensalem

If you’re looking for outdoor dining, I have a list of kid-friendly spots HERE.

There are plenty of things to do this spring and summer without breaking the bank!