Frugal or Free: 6 inexpensive options for entertainment

Tired of busting your budget to entertain yourself in the Lakes area? Maybe you're crunching cash this Saturday after taking the family out for a movie - complete with popcorn, sodas and Junior Mints. Or you're trying to save up for that big dinner date at Yesterday's followed by hand-holding at the Okoboji Summer Theatre?

The Lakes area is packed full of entertainment options in the summertime. Some of them require a bit of dough, but surprisingly, a good number of possibilities exist to fit a frugal budget.

Take a Nature walk

What you'll need: directions to a good nature area

Money spent: bug spray $5

Dickinson County is home to some spectacular nature trails. With half a dozen state parks and an extensive trail system, finding a place to hike and see nature is never a problem.

Parks with trails include the Lower Gar State Park, the Elinor Bedell State Park, the Kettleson-Hogsback Complex, Gull Point State Park, and others. The trail system, created for walkers, runners, and bikers also offers many opportunities to experience nature as it takes bends through woods and near lakes.

The Dickinson County Conservation Board also maintains a nature-filled trail system at the 180-acre Horseshoe Bend Park south of Milford off Highway 71.

Find your inner artist

What you'll need: an artistic mind

Money spent: $0 for a visit, $6-$10 for a class

With no admission fee, the Pearson Lakes Art Center on Highway 71 is one of the area's most overlooked treasures. It hosts a number of permanent and traveling art exhibits from various artists. Currently, the art center features a cartoon exhibit the whole family is sure to enjoy. (But hurry, the toons exhibit only runs through Saturday, June 27.)

For more inexpensive family fun, visit the interactive art gallery called Art Smart or send the kids to an art class. Thursday evening free events include a film series and open studio for ceramics, painting and drawing.

Take a photo safari

What you'll need: a camera, preferably with self-timer

Money spent: Cost of photo printing - $5-$10

No one needs to be told that the Lakes area has scenic landscapes and photographic opportunities. Don't let the summer pass without photographic proof of the paradise that it is.

Take an afternoon and a camera and photograph your favorite people and places. You can even be in the photos if your camera has a self timer. For a Lakes area flare, pose in front of the lake at Gull Point State Park or the nautical artifacts at the Maritime Museum.

Once you've got a good set of photos, have the photos one hour processed and pick out frames for the evidence of your frugal fun.

Rock the Roof

What you'll need: your dancing shoes

Money spent: a few bucks for a beverage

Hundreds of people are drawn to the Roof Garden in Arnolds Park each Thursday evening for the weekly Rock the Roof events. The concert season kicked off last week and runs through Aug. 20. Shows run from 6 - 8:30 p.m.

This season's concert season features many returning musicians as well as bands reuniting especially for Rock the Roof. Along with a hot line-up and youth-infused opening acts, the RockNRoll Music Association is also excited to introduce a dance contest in 2009, so bring your dancin' shoes.

Along with the Rock the Roof events, free concerts are also held each Saturday evening at Arnolds Park's Preservation Plaza.

Hit the beach

What you'll need: sunscreen and a smile

Money spent: sunscreen $5

Now that the sun's finally shining, it's time to catch some rays.

If you're wanting to swim, two of the best beaches in the area are found at state parks. Pikes Point and Gull Point State Park both offer nice sandy swimming beaches and some nearby shade for relief from the blazing heat.

Just want to take a stroll or do some people watching? Visit the beach at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park or the city beach in Arnolds Park at the bridge.

A day at the museums

What you'll need: curiosity

Money spent: most area museums or free, but consider donating a buck or two

The various museums in the area provide several opportunities to take a step back in time.

The Iowa RockNRoll Museum, located near the Arnolds Park Amusement Park next to the Pavilion, features memorabilia from Iowa musicians and those who frequented Okoboji's Roof Garden. Just across the street, the Maritime Museum takes you back to when steamers, motor launchers and wooden cruisers floated atop the Great Lakes.

Also consider a visit to the Abbie Gardner-Sharp cabin and museum, set on the exact spot the Spirit Lake Massacre occurred in 1857. Other museums to put on the tour include the Dickinson County Museum in Spirit Lake, set in one of the original train depots along the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul railroad, Clark Museum in Milford, and the Higgins Museum, where you'll discover the history of national banking in the United States from 1863-1935.