Here are some options for totally free activities to help stretch your budget.
In Seattle:
Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Ave.
Seattle
206-622-9250
Always free
Center for Wooden Boats
1010 Valley St.
Seattle
206-382-2628
Free “Living Museum” and free boat rides on Sunday afternoons
Ballard Locks
3015 NW 54th St.
Seattle
Free guided tours from March – November
Call for tour times, 206-783-7059
Museum of Flight
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle
206-764-5720
Free from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. the first Thursday of every month
Coast Guard Museum
Pier 36, 1519 Alaskan Way S.
Seattle
206-217-6993
Free admission
Washington Park Arboretum
3501 NE 41st St.
Seattle
206-543-8616
Free guided tours
McCaw Hall
321 Mercer St.
Seattle
206-733-9725
Free tours the first Tuesday of every month
Benaroya Hall
200 University St.
Seattle
206-215-4800
Free tours on Tuesdays and Fridays at noon and 1 p.m.
Paramount Theatre
911 Pine St.
Seattle
206-682-1414
Free tours the first Saturday of every month
In Tacoma:
Washington History Museum
1911 Pacific Ave.
Tacoma
888-238-4373
Free from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month
Free on your birthday
Tacoma Art Museum
1701 Pacific Ave.
Tacoma
253-272-4258
Free from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month
Tacoma Nature Center
1919 S. Tyler St.
Tacoma
253-591-6439
Free self-guiding paths with wildlife observation
In Olympia:
Washington State Legislative Building
416 Sid Snyder Ave. SW
Olympia
Free tours
In Keyport:
Naval Undersea Museum
1 Garnett Way
Keyport
360-396-4148, x220
Free admission and free parking
In Long Beach:
Marsh’s Free Museum
409 S. Pacific
Long Beach
360-642-2188
Always free
In Snohomish:
Blackman House Museum
118 Avenue B
Snohomish
360-568-5235
Open Saturday and Sunday from noon – 3 p.m.
Free, donations accepted
Labor Day Weekend, 2010:
Olympia Harbor Days in Olympia
Bremerton Blackberry Festival in Bremerton
On September 25 & November 11:
Free admission to Olympic National Park
Free admission to Mt. Rainier National Park