Search
Close this search box.

8 Free or Low Cost Things to Do with Your Kids

As we all know, summer is upon us! Next week is the last week of school for kids in Okaloosa County and many of us may be wondering how we’re […]

As we all know, summer is upon us! Next week is the last week of school for kids in Okaloosa County and many of us may be wondering how we’re going to get through summer without going crazy or blowing money on activities to stay busy! We’ve got you covered with these free or low cost things to do with your kids over the summer.

🤑Free🤑

Niceville Children’s Park

One of the nicest parks in our area may very well be the Niceville Children’s Park. The park is one acre and has a splash pad as well as a ton of other fun equipment for the kids to play on. There are gazebos and other coverings that offer shade if you want to take a picnic! Another cool perk of this park is that there are actually park attendants that work there, which ensures that the park is always a clean and safe place for your children!

Bonus: You can reserve one of the gazebos for a kid’s birthday party for a small fee by calling 850-642-7457.

Bowling at White Sands in Fort Walton Beach

White Sands in Fort Walton Beach is participating in Kids Bowl Free. May 1-August 5 on Mondays-Thursdays, your kids can bowl two games for free. They must wear bowling shoes, which are available for rent. A family pass is available for an affordable rate, which allows parents to bowl as well. Sign up HERE!

Home Depot Workshops

In the past we’ve mentioned the Home Depot Kids Workshops and they’re still happening! The first Saturday of every month, Home Depot offers free workshops for kids, where they will get to make a craft to take home. They can also get an apron as they recieve pins every time they complete a workshop, as well as a certificate of completion! You can check out participating locations here!

Sunday Cinemas at Baytowne Wharf

On Sunday evenings, The Village of Baytowne Wharf is hosting family movie night out on the lawn. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy a free movie together! The next two movies will be Incredibles 2 and Moana.

Image from The Village of Baytowne Wharf

👍Low Cost👍

Vacation Bible School

Keep an eye out for all of the fun Vacation Bible Schools that are about to take place! Many are free and some are $30 or less. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is offering a free Vacation Bible School June 3-7 in the evenings. Also, Village Baptist Church is offering their VBS on the same dates with an “In the Wild” theme, which costs $30, but is in the morning!

Summer Movies for Kids

Beginning June 1, New Vision Boulevard 10 at Grand Boulevard will be having a summer kids movie series every Thursday. The first movie will be “An American Tail” and the cost is only $4.50! The Regal movie theater by the Santa Rosa Mall will also be doing a summer movie series, so stay tuned for that!

Playzone Xtreme Destin

Let your kids release some energy at Playzone Xtreme in Destin! They have indoor bounce houses and other fun activities for your kids. Their prices start at $6 for 30 minutes, $10 for an hour, and go up to $15 if you decide to do an all day pass.

Open Gym at Emerald City Gymnastics

Emerald City Gymnastics offers open gym on certain days for kids to tumble and play! Monday and Friday from 9:30 – 11:00 AM, kids 5 and under are welcome. The cost is $3 for crawlers and $7 for walkers. Open gym for ages 6 and up are Fridays from 7:30-9:00 PM and the cost is $10 per child. What a fun way to get the wiggles out!


We hope these recommendations will help you make some fun, stress free memories with your kids this summer.

What are your favorite affordable ways to get your kids out of the house during the summer? Let us know!

PROMOTION

Join the conversation...

Continue reading 👇

Community Comments

“My family and I crossed the Atlantic in 1961 on the United States. I wish that they could have saved her! I think the coin should be made available as...”
Respond
“From the Public Comment Dock: Has My Branch Pile Been Snubbed? Dearest readers, Today’s question: if the debris truck passes one’s house without collecting everything, must one immediately demand an...”
Respond
Denise commented on WordroW: October 16, 2026
“fun game”
Respond
“Where can we find your list of all 10 questions?”
Respond
“They've done a great job. Let's consider burying lines from here on out”
Respond
Anne Porter commented on WordroW: October 14, 2026
“Having been without TV since Isiasis, give us an update on Spectrim’s progress restoring cable, please,”
Respond
“It is Wednesday morning Oct.14 and we have a downed electric pole in our front yard in incorporated Okaloosa county. So no thanks from us. We reported it when it...”
Respond
“Thank you to all the linemen who left their homes to ensure those of us affected by this hurricane got our power back. I know they worked long hours and...”
Respond
“I attended last year's casino night and had a great time. The food was delicious and the games were fun. Its also cool having an event in the Legendary show...”
Respond
“Ok, but to ignore the Chelco outages in an article gives a false impression on recovery of power outages. If you had the info, why wouldn't you report a more...”
Respond

GET OUR FREE LOCAL NEWSLETTER

Get the weekday email that actually makes reading local news enjoyable again.