Lowell Folk Festival - A Great $10 Date

Nothing like a good cheap date or a bargain to give this girl a thrill. Here's this week's perfect summer weekend pick for a great date for $10 or less.

Lowell Folk Festival. Doesn't matter how your musical tastes run, there is something for everyone at this festival - the largest of its kind in the country. Polka, Bluegrass, Jazz, Gospel, Zydeco. Quebecois, Western Swing, honky-tonk, brass bands, and many more. Definitely, a fun time and the potential for dancin' in the streets. Music is free at one of 6 outdoor venues across the City. Ethnic foods and arts/crafts also available. It must be good - New York Times just identified it as one its top picks for a summer getaway!

And while you're in Lowell, check out these other great things to do...

Visit the Lowell National Historic Park. Take a canal boat tour and explore the Merrimack River. $10

Boott Cotton Mill Museum. Visit the weaving room. Learn about the Industrial Revolution, the labor movement, and the rise, fall, and rebirth of Lowell. $6

American Textile History Museum. Learn all about the history of textile manufacturing revolution in America. Current exhibits are quite good. $8 -but save yourself some money and use a $2 off coupon available.

Free Fun on Friday

As most of you already know "free" and "Friday" are two of my favorite things. Free chocolate, free books and now, free museum admissions and movies - all available to you on Friday (tomorrow). So, after you register for your free chocolate bar and the chance to win a free book, save more money on Friday by visiting a museum or watching a movie for free.

Free Fun Fridays . The Highland Street Foundation is providing free admission to a designated Massachusetts museum or attraction for ten Fridays this summer. The event listings are:
7/10 - JFK Museum
7/17 - Boston Harbor Island Ferry (free rides to the Harbor Islands!)
7/24 - Franklin Park Zoo
7/31 - Boston Children's Museum
8/7 - Plimoth Plantation
8/14- Stone Zoo
8/21 - Peabody Essex Museum
8/28 - MFA
9/4 - Springfield Museums


Free Friday Flicks. And after a day at a museum, why not grab a beach blanket and head over to Hatch Shell for a Free Friday Flick. Free Outdoors Movies, sponsored by the MA Dept of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and WBZ Radio. All movies start at sundown (8:30 pmish)
7/10 - Kung Fu Panda
7/17 - Get Smart
7/24: Madagasascar: Escape 2 Africa
7/31: Mama Mia!
8/7 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars
8/14: Inkheart
8/21 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
8/28: Iron Man

Holiday Fun. Go Early. Save Big

Every Christmas season, I plan a day of holiday celebration of fun, laughter, and good cheer with Dreamboat (my husband). It's a day for ourselves to enjoy some simple luxuries offered during the season that don't involve mall shopping. Good cheer at a considerable discount is our focus (and we'll be using our Discover Cash Back Rewards to purchase our tickets so it literally won't cost us anything!) Passing along a few good bargains I've discovered in hopes that you'll plan your own little adventure.

Christmas Festival November 7 - 9. Hundreds of American Craft Artists appear at this Christmas festival hosted at the Seaport World Trade Center. The Festival runs this weekend (November 7 - 9) will put you in the holiday spirit. Buy direct from the artists can save you a holiday bundle. Check The Boston Globe for $2-3 discounts off the admission price. Kids under 2 go free!

BlueMan Group. Now - November 16. Buy tickets early for the holiday season and save a bundle. Tickets only $45 (regularly priced $58) must be purchased by November 16 for shows December 3 - January 4.

City of Boston Tree Lighting. Nov 29@ 6 p,m. Nothing starts the holiday season off like a good 'ole fashion tree lighting. And nobody does it better than the City of Boston with A-list celebrities, local performers, carolers, Santa and more at the Boston Commons and Public Gardens. Free.

Half price tickets within City of Boston. The City of Boston and ArtsBoston are offering a limited number of half-priced tickets for almost every major holiday show in town. Thank you Mayor Menino for pulling this effort together.

Holiday Zoolights at Stoneham Zoo. November 27 - December 23. Get into the holiday spirit by strolling along tree-lined paths lit by thousands of twinkling , visiting some animals, and sitting with Santa for a free photo opp! Tickets cost $4 per person. Visit during opening weekend (Nov. 27 - 30) and save your self $1 per ticket.

Christmas in Salem December 5 -7. Halloween ain't the only game in this town. Spend a day touring Salem’s beautiful and historic homes while they’re decked with boughs of holly. $25 per ticket if you buy in advance; $30 per ticket if you buy on a tour days. And don't forget stop by your local library and reserve a free pass to the Peabody Essex Museum. Its top notch!

See you around town!