4 Budget-Friendly Summer Activities for Retirees

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Retirees who want to avoid the bustle of the busy summer travel season might not want to take a full vacation — but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a few choice activities to make it a summer worth remembering without beating up their nest eggs.

The following activities don’t cost much but deliver summer fun, socialization, exercise and excitement for retirees on a budget.

Visit a Museum

Museums are quiet, interesting and air-conditioned — and they’re one of the few summer activities that leave you knowing more when you exit than you did when you walked in. 

Even better, many of them offer senior discounts. Here are just a few examples:

• Autry Museum of the West in Los Angeles: $14 for seniors instead of $18. Free for veterans.
• B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore: $17 for seniors instead of $20.
• Henry Ford Museum of Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan: $32.50 instead of $36.
• B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi: $12 for seniors instead of $15.
• National World War II Museum in New Orleans: $32 instead of $35.

Explore a National Park

Same as with museums, no matter where you live in the U.S., a national park is probably close by. Most of them are free to visit, but some have entrance fees and require vehicle registration. A standard pass is good for seven days and pays your way into one park. But if you plan to visit more than one park over the summer and beyond, the National Park Service has a pair of plans just for seniors.

America the Beautiful is the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands pass. It covers entrance fees and standard amenity fees for all lands managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents ages 62 and up can buy an annual America the Beautiful pass for $20 or a lifetime pass for $80. The Senior Pass also provides a 50% discount on some amenity fees, such as swimming, boat launch and camping.

Take a Guided Tour

Guided tours might be on foot or, for retirees not interested in exercise, a bus, trolley or even a golf cart. Either way, there’s something for everyone and you can have fun while learning about your interests — and you don’t have to spend a lot for the pleasure.

According to Viator, a TripAdvisor company, the following are just a few examples of some of the many tours available across the country:

• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour (New York): $44
• Freedom Trail — Small Group Tour of Revolutionary Boston: $39
• New Orleans Ghost, Voodoo and Vampire Walking Tour: $26.69
• History and Hauntings of Salem Guided Walking Tour (Massachusetts): $32.94
• Beneath the Streets Underground History Tour (Seattle): $29

Go on a Pub Crawl

The best pub crawls are like guided tours with adult beverages — and retirees shouldn’t worry. The good ones are classy and fun without a frat party vibe.

Just like tours, a guide leads a group from one place to the next, imparting wisdom about the history, architecture and events that shaped each location along the way. The difference is that each stop on the tour is a bar, pub or restaurant where the group has a prearranged beer, drink or glass of wine waiting for them at each new location. Sometimes, appetizers or small plates are part of the package. 

Retirees can meet other people in their age group, explore new places to eat and drink and learn a little about their city of choice along the way. According to the lifestyle site Always the VIP, the average pub crawl costs $20-$30.

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