1. GET OUTSIDE - Take a prayer walk together, have a picnic in a nice park or public garden. Find ducks and go feed them. Buy/make an inexpensive kite and go enjoy some fresh air. If in the DFW area, have you ever tried Thanksgiving Square? (take a camera!) http://www.thanksgiving.org/, or been to the Nature Center & Refuge around Lake Worth ($5)? There are lots of trails, free naturalist-led hikes, and they have a Prairie Dog town :)
2. LIVE IT UP - Go to a fancy grocery store. They often have a cafe and usually have a calendar full of events. You can try looking at the calendar pages of local book stores too...I've gone to see great poetry readings and live artists. Local coffee shops might have these too.
3. GET CULTURED - Go visit a museum for free. Research your own area or if in DFW: the Amon Carter & the Kimbell Art museums offer free admission to their permanent collections. The Modern Art museum is free on the 1st Sunday of every month and every Wednesday. The Meadows Museum at SMU has the most comprehensive collection of Spanish art outside Spain (inexpensive). Other ideas? http://dallas.about.com/od/museums/tp/FreeMuseums.htm. Go to the library, a book store, even a half-price book store, relax & find something unique to read. (not your normal topic)
4. GET GRATEFUL - Visit a hospital. I know that can seem weird...but they have exhibits there! In DFW: Children's Medical Center of Dallas (Super Model Train exhibit - free! Parking - small fee). - Baylor University Medical Center - Truett Building - 1st floor (Hands On exhibit, M-F 8am-9pm.) This was a very interesting exhibit to see. They also had a prayer/meditation garden were you can walk a prayer path. Maybe you can ask them about how to volunteer there. You might also want to find an animal or people shelter & volunteer together. Have a craft night and make things to encourage other people. This works well around almost any holiday. Find a neighborhood clean up group or a school who is planting a community garden. They're out there.
5. THINK OUTTA THE BOX - Watch billon's of dollars be printed! Yup. Located in Ft. Worth, TX the BEP's Western Currency Facility Tour is a great place to learn about US paper currency. It's free...(the only other one is listed in Washington, DC)
http://www.moneyfactory.gov/tours/fortworthtxtours.html. Mrs. Baird's Bread Factory has a free tour (you need to provide them a 2 weeks notice you're coming). Wanna hold a meteorite? :) Here ya go....http://www.monnigmuseum.tcu.edu/index.shtml
Here's another good site to check out no matter where you live in the US: http://www.uptake.com/
For other ideas in Texas, check out the TourTexas.com website.
Have a blast! Let me know if you have other ideas...let's share and inspire each other :)
