In these tough economic times, it can be hard to give your family the good time you know they deserve. Trips to the cinema are getting close to ten dollars per ticket, going out to eat even at fast food restaurants is becoming unaffordable, and trips to amusement parks? Forget about it. So where can you take your family to have some fun and spend time together? The beach! There are a wide variety of coastal activities available to families that are inexpensive or even free, allowing you to get your family out of the house and put a smile on their faces without worrying about breaking your budget.
Along just about every coast there are a set of scenic and historic lighthouses which are open for viewing to the public. Your family will be incredibly intrigued by this unique coastal activity, especially as they climb the spiral staircases to the massive beacons and learn about how lighthouse management and caretaking has changed throughout the centuries. Imagine how thrilled your children will be thinking about what life was like hundreds of years ago when families worked those beacons by hand and lit them with candle lanterns instead of electricity! Lighthouse tours are often free or accessible with a nominal entry fee.
If history is your family's thing, then you will also find a great entertainment resource in the form of coastal maritime museums. Maritime museums are dedicated to the history of ships and man's experience on the ocean. They explore military ventures on the sea, navy and marine operations, shipbuilding, whaling, sailing, and professional fishing. Exhibits include explorations of navigation devices, ship construction techniques, and even investigations of the business of piracy. Entry into maritime museums is very inexpensive and is often free to children under fourteen.
Coastal communities are frequently hosts to unique and spectacular festivals and annual events. Kite flying exhibitions, aerial stunt displays, and sandcastle building competitions occur all year across beaches throughout the country providing perfect family destinations for an afternoon, a weekend, or even a whole vacation. Clam chowder competitions, seafood contests, and other food fairs are also commonly found across the coast and make great ways to spend a few hours with your kids. The Tall Ships exhibit, a floating museum of eighteenth century ship life, travels throughout the year to ports everywhere and serve as a piece of history your family can touch, see, and even stand on!
Then there are the traditional coastal activities such as beach walking, star gazing, firework observing, sunbathing, and of course swimming which are free all the time and never fail to interest kids of all ages. Who needs expensive video games when you have such beauty and versatility for free whenever you want it?
The bottom line is that if you are looking for a fun and cheap way to entertain your family and find excuses to be together this year all you need to do is look to coastal activities to find your solution. Beaches and waterfront towns provide good clean fun that often includes a dose of healthy learning and even a little romance, making them perfect destinations not only for you and your kids but you and your partner. Moonlit walks along the surf, dinner at a little seaside shack, or drinks on the pier can bring you closer while keeping your budget intact. So what are you waiting for? Go coastal and really understand why life is a beach!
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