We felt you might want to know what festivals, exhibits, movies and other “funtivities” will be free to partake in over the spring months. So here are our top choices for things to keep your wallet unmolested.
Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College
Tuesday through Sunday, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park
Enjoy art both cutting-edge contemporary and historically quaint at this campus gem. And it’s free!
Photo via Cornell Fine Arts Museum/FacebookWinter Park’s Farmers Market on Saturdays
Saturdays from 7 a.m.-1 a.m., 200 W. New England Ave., Winter Park
Healthy food and unfettered vibes are yours for the taking at this weekly gathering of farm and city folk. The food ain’t free, but it is free to attend this heart-cradling event that shows some people are still keeping health in the forefront of their cerebellum.
Photo via Winter Park Farmers Market/Facebook3rd Thursdays downtown
Every third Thursday of the month, at City Arts Factory and various bars and galleries downtown
On the third Thursday of every month this gallery hop envelops downtown Orlando. Enjoy an evening with the most provocative pieces Orlando’s curators have to offer.
Photo via City Arts Factory/FacebookThornton 2nd Thursday Wine & Art Walk
The second Thursday of every month, 622 E. Washington St.
Parking may not be easy to come by, but the following walk around the aesthetically pleasing Eola-adjacent neighborhood is beyond worth the hefty fee of free. Check out some local artists exhibiting their wares and buy a wine cup to slosh it up.
Photo via jasonllee/InstagramPopcorn Flicks in the Park
7 or 8 p.m. on every second Thursday of each month, Central Park in Winter Park
How can one find the gumption to say no to a free movie in the park and follow it with a life lived fully? You cannot, in short, so snag your friends and fam and check out this monthly treat for the active public.
Photo via theromanticvineyard/InstagramMusic at the Casa Feliz Historic Home and Venue
Every Sunday from 12-3 p.m., 656 N. Park Ave., Winter Park
Flourish your pinky and step into the classical setting at Casa Feliz any Sunday afternoon to indulge in some high-society toonage and light refreshments. If you like music, there’s no excuse for you not to sample all angles of looking at it.
Photo via vanna_a/InstagramMoonlight Walking tours through Greenwood Cemetery
May 12, 1603 Greenwood St.
If you don’t learn from the mistakes of the past then you are a straight-up dingus. If you missed the last free educational tour through this historic cemetery, don’t repeat that flaw in your life by missing the upcoming one. Spooky and informative, this venture is worth it.
Photo via mikefreeman77/InstagramMount Dora Blueberry Festival
April 29-30, 100 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora
With a current yield of 17 million pounds of blueberries, Mount Dora’s 3rd annual festival is likely to attract any respectable blueberrenthusiast. With events for all ages and a wonderful atmosphere, this festival is easily one worth planning for.
Photo via Mount Dora Blueberry Festival/FacebookFort Christmas Historical Park
9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 1300 N. Fort Christmas Road
Walk into pioneer life from the 1870s at this replica of the historical Fort Christmas that was erected during the Second Seminole Indian War. Information on the history of the fort is offered as well as picnic pavilions and a playgrounds for the young’uns. Learn about your local culture and enjoy a day in the past with this quick trip east.
Photo via victo_e._diaz/InstagramFleet Farming’s Swarm Ride
April 23, May 14; this is a bi-weekly event, 3201 Corrine Drive
Join this movement and learn how to farm while transporting farmed foods to five separate farms through the power of bicycling. This is a fun experience that helps cut down the C02 emissions that come from transporting food. Be mindful and do something communal with your free time.
Photo via Fleet Farming/FacebookOrlando’s Bike Trail System
Whenever, multiple locations throughout the city
There are so many ways to move around, but two-wheeling over the hidden trails that cut through the city like arteries is one of the best things you can do in this city. So pump up dem tires, don a cool cat’s helmet and exercise around your city, you bum.
Photo via Exploring Orlando/Facebook Credit: Exploring Orlando/FacebookDisney’s Fort Wilderness Resort camp fire with Chip n’ Dale
Daily, 4510 N. Fort Wilderness Trail
Little known fact: There are free things to do near the Magical World Of Disney. Hang out with the beloved characters Chip and Dale and roast some s’mores around a campfire every night if you can. A free Disney movie is also screened after the campfire hangout.
Photo via Josh Bailey/FacebookMountain bike the Snowhill Trail
Go whenever you feel like testing your limits; it’s in Little Big Econ State Forest
Swamps, trees and foliage galore borders this free-to-access path, and it’s easy to find. Follow the Econ River and enjoy Florida as it is meant to be enjoyed: outdoors.
Photo via Ositoking Racing/FacebookFringe Lawn
May 16-29, Loch Haven Park
The shows at Fringe aren’t free, but the lawn is! Come experience free stage performances from local bands, dancers and comedians.
Photo via orlandofringe/InstagramLeu Gardens
Free on the first Monday of May and June, 1920 N. Forest Ave.
The finest gardens in the tri-county area are something that you cannot just push into the “I’m not feeling it” pile. This breathtaking walkabout is Orlando’s natural gem and at the hefty price of free, is definitely worth taking a Monday off for.
Photo via derekcann/InstagramHang out in Big Tree Park
Daily 8 a.m.- dusk, 761 General Hutchinson Parkway, Longwood
Feeling overly confident? Why not humble yourself a bit and meander through the trails in Big Tree Park, where exhibitions of nature’s abilities tower over you in an almost taunting fashion?
Photo via alisaavasilieva/InstagramOrlando Brewing Company’s free tours
Mon-Sat at 6 p.m., 1301 Atlanta Ave.
You are what you eat, and since a lot of you have a healthy habit of replacing food with liquid, Orlando Brewing Company has been offering free tours of its brewery to show what exactly it is that you are becoming.
Photo via orlando_brewing/InstagramLittle Big Econ State Forest’s 10-mile trail
Whenever; Lockwood Road near Seminole State College: Oviedo Campus
This trail is an easy must-do unless you take pride in being a lazy potato. Snag your bug spray, sack up and strap your hiking boots on, for the forest beckons you forth.
Photo via howesahike/InstagramWorld of Orchids
9:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 2501 Old Lake Wilson Road, Kissimmee
With 1,000 orchids to view, this educational greenhouse offers the public the opportunity to gaze at one of the most powerful of flowers in a focused habitat. Babbling brooks and natural settings worth an ogle can all be yours fo’ free if you time it appropriately.
Photo via Patricia Gomez/FacebookGo stare at that sad gator at Black Hammock for free
Free every day, 2316 Black Hammock Fish Camp Road
Sitting only a stone’s throw from Lake Jesup is a fenced-in behemoth of an alligator who can be looked at for free at Black Hammock. This restaurant and airboat ride establishment sits on a body of water that houses an estimated 9,000 alligators. This spot is easily one of the coolest and underplayed destinations in the Orlando area, and although not everything here is free, it is worth a fraction of your springtime.
Photo via devigable/InstagramFood Truck Fridays at Dr. Phillips Center
Every Friday until June 30, 445 S. Magnolia Ave.
What more must one say to get your attention than “food truck”? Does the addition of “war” help? If so, head down to this weekly battle and enlist in some rewarding food-ordering.
Photo via Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts/Facebook
