15 Cheap Places to Travel That Are Packed With Free Things to Do

I will happily die on this hill: the best trips I have ever taken cost me the least. Somewhere along the way we got sold the idea that a good vacation has to drain the bank account, and it simply is not true.

The country is stitched together with places where the fun is basically free for the taking. Museums that never charge a dime, beaches that belong to everyone, fountains and shows that light up the night on somebody else’s tab.

Below are fifteen American destinations that punch far above their price tag. Pack light, keep the credit card mostly in your pocket, and let a little planning stretch a small budget across a very big country.

1. Savannah, Georgia

Some cities make you pay for the pretty. Savannah just hands it to you. Twenty-two green squares, laid out in 1733 by James Oglethorpe, sit shaded by live oaks so old they drip with Spanish moss.

Wandering them costs nothing but shoe leather, and the historic district is flat and walkable. Forsyth Park anchors the south end with its 1858 fountain, ringed by benches made for a picnic lunch you packed yourself.

Come on a weekday morning to catch the squares nearly empty, when the light through the moss is at its softest and every shaded bench is yours for the reading.

Where: Savannah sits on the coast off I-16, an easy drive from the Georgia shore. Worth a stop:

• Forsyth Park, where Drayton Street meets Gaston Street, free fountain and lawns
• The historic squares, running north from Forsyth toward the river, all free to wander
• River Street, along the Savannah River, free to stroll the old cotton warehouses

2. Washington, District of Columbia

The capital hands you the best free museums in the country. Every Smithsonian, from Air and Space to Natural History to the National Gallery of Art, charges nothing at all to walk in.

The National Mall stretches two miles of open lawn between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, and the monuments never close or charge. Cherry trees ring the Tidal Basin each spring in a pink haze.

Add the free National Zoo, the solemn changing of the guard across the river at Arlington, and hours of marble history, and a family fills days here without a single ticket.

Where: Washington sits at the top of I-95, a quick Amtrak ride into Union Station. Worth a stop:

• National Air and Space Museum, 600 Independence Ave SW, free timed passes
• Lincoln Memorial, west end of the National Mall, open and lit all night
• National Gallery of Art, between 3rd and 7th on the Mall, free every day
• Smithsonian National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, free to enter

3. Chicago, Illinois

Chicago has a big-city price reputation, and then it quietly gives away its greatest hits. Millennium Park is free to roam, and the mirror-polished Cloud Gate sculpture, the one everybody calls the Bean, reflects the whole skyline back at you.

The lakefront trail runs eighteen miles along Lake Michigan past free public beaches and some of the best skyline views in the country. Lincoln Park Zoo has stayed free since 1868, one of the last free zoos in America.

Add a walk down Navy Pier and a summer splash in the Crown Fountain, and the city fills a whole day on almost nothing at all.

Where: Chicago sits on Lake Michigan where I-90 and I-94 meet. Worth a stop:

• Cloud Gate and Millennium Park, 201 E Randolph Street, free to visit
• The Lakefront Trail, running along Lake Michigan, free beaches and skyline views
• Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N Clark Street, free to enter since 1868

4. New Orleans, Louisiana

You do not go broke in New Orleans. You go slow. The French Quarter, laid out in 1718 and rebuilt by the Spanish after two great fires, is an open-air museum of iron balconies and pastel shutters.

Street musicians turn Royal Street into a rolling concert most afternoons, the tip jar entirely optional. Watch the freighters slide past from the Moonwalk along the river, and browse the free French Market at your own pace.

Wander into St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active cathedral in the country, where entry is free and the painted ceiling alone earns the stop.

Where: New Orleans sits on the Mississippi off I-10 in southern Louisiana. Worth a stop:

• Jackson Square, 701 Decatur Street, the free heart of the French Quarter
• The French Market, along the 1100 block of Decatur Street, free to browse
• The Moonwalk riverfront promenade, along the Mississippi, free to stroll

5. Page, Arizona

Nature does not send an invoice, and northern Arizona proves it in spectacular fashion. Horseshoe Bend curls the Colorado River into a near-perfect loop a thousand feet below a rust-colored sandstone rim.

The overlook asks only a modest parking fee and a three-quarter-mile walk from the lot, and the reward is one of the most photographed views in the West. Come at sundown, when the desert light goes copper and the whole canyon turns molten.

Bring more water than you think you need. The trail out to the rim runs mostly in the open, and the desert has a way of making an easy walk feel longer.

Where: Horseshoe Bend Overlook, off US-89 about five miles south of Page, AZ 86040, a short walk from the parking area.

6. Boulder, Colorado

Boulder puts the Rocky Mountains at the end of Main Street and charges nothing for the view. The Flatirons tilt over town like stone sails, and the trails up to them start right in the city.

Pearl Street Mall is four car-free blocks of buskers, fountains, and window shopping. You can watch a juggler, dip your feet in Boulder Creek, and never once open your wallet.

Chautauqua Park lays out free meadows and a web of hiking paths beneath the peaks. Pack a lunch, climb until the town shrinks below you, and let the mountains do the entertaining.

Where: Boulder sits 30 minutes northwest of Denver on US-36, at the foot of the Flatirons. Worth a stop:

• Pearl Street Mall, downtown between 11th and 15th Streets, free to wander
• Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road, free trailheads under the Flatirons
• Boulder Creek Path, running the length of town, easy and paved

7. San Diego, California

California has a reputation for emptying wallets, but San Diego quietly refuses to play along. Balboa Park spreads over 1,200 acres of Spanish-Renaissance buildings, gardens, and open lawns, all free to walk.

Free concerts ring out from the Spreckels Organ Pavilion on Sunday afternoons, the beaches cost nothing, and the sea lions bark and sun themselves along the La Jolla cove whether or not you bought a ticket.

Many of Balboa Park’s museums open free to local residents on rotating Tuesdays, and the outdoor spaces alone can fill an entire sun-drenched afternoon.

Where: San Diego sits in the far southwest corner of California off I-5. Worth a stop:

• Balboa Park, 1549 El Prado, free gardens and Sunday organ concerts
• La Jolla Cove, 1100 Coast Boulevard, free tide pools and sea lions
• The city beaches, from Ocean Beach to Coronado, free to enjoy

8. Portland, Oregon

Portland runs on small free pleasures. Powell’s City of Books fills a whole block with a million volumes, and browsing its color-coded rooms is a free afternoon all its own.

Washington Park climbs the west hills to the International Rose Test Garden, free to walk and blooming from late spring, with the city and Mount Hood laid out below.

Down along the Willamette, Tom McCall Waterfront Park gives you miles of riverbank, bridges to count, and a food-cart lunch for a few dollars. This city rewards a slow wander.

Where: Portland sits where the Willamette meets the Columbia, off I-5 in northwest Oregon. Worth a stop:

• Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside Street, free to browse
• International Rose Test Garden, 400 SW Kingston Avenue, free and open daily
• Tom McCall Waterfront Park, along Naito Parkway, free riverside paths

9. Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The single most visited national park in the country charges nothing to enter, and Gatlinburg sits right at its front door. Great Smoky Mountains National Park never took an entrance fee, thanks to an old road deal.

So the misty ridges, the wildflower trails, and the tumbling waterfalls are all yours for the price of gas. The town itself is a free stroll of mountain views, candy shops, and a riverside path.

Black bears roam these hills, so keep a respectful distance, and you may spot one from the road at dawn along with the elk grazing the meadows.

Where: Gatlinburg sits at the Tennessee gate of the Smokies, off US-441. Worth a stop:

• Sugarlands Visitor Center, 1420 Fighting Creek Gap Road, the free park gateway
• Clingmans Dome road, the highest point in Tennessee, free to drive up
• The Parkway riverwalk through downtown Gatlinburg, free to stroll

10. Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston keeps its prettiest streets free for anyone with time to walk them. The pastel row houses along the harbor and the cobblestones underfoot make a stroll feel like stepping back a century.

The Battery promenade traces the waterfront past white porches and old cannons, with Fort Sumter out in the harbor. The Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park is free to sit beside.

Rainbow Row’s candy-colored facades draw every camera in town, and the historic market keeps browsing cheap. Bring comfortable shoes and let the sea breeze set your pace.

Where: Charleston sits on the coast where US-17 meets I-26 in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Worth a stop:

• Rainbow Row, 79 to 107 East Bay Street, the painted Georgian houses
• The Battery and White Point Garden, at the southern tip of the peninsula
• Waterfront Park and its Pineapple Fountain, off Vendue Range, free

11. Orange Beach, Alabama

Some of the whitest sand on the Gulf sits in Alabama, and it costs nothing to sink your toes into. Orange Beach and its powder-soft shoreline draw families who know this stretch is a bargain.

Gulf State Park lays out miles of free trails and boardwalks through the dunes, and dolphins surface just past the breakers most mornings. Sunsets here go pink and gold over calm water.

The park lends out free beach wheelchairs and rents bikes cheaply, so the whole shoreline opens up to just about anyone who wants a slow roll past the sea oats.

Where: Orange Beach sits on the Alabama Gulf coast off Highway 182. Worth a stop:

• Gulf State Park, 22050 Campground Road, free trails and boardwalks
• The public beaches along Highway 182, free to claim a patch of sand
• Gulf State Park Pier, a few dollars to walk out over the water

12. Las Vegas, Nevada

Here is the trick locals know: you can have a wonderful night in Las Vegas without gambling a single dollar. The Bellagio fountains erupt in a choreographed water ballet every half hour after dark, set to music and free to all.

The Strip is a free-to-walk parade of themed resorts, from a scaled-down Eiffel Tower to a glass conservatory that changes its display with the seasons. You can drift from Venice to ancient Rome in one evening on foot.

Leave the tables alone, and the greatest free show in the desert turns out to be the city simply being itself. Stroll, gawk, and let the neon do the spending.

Where: The Strip runs along Las Vegas Boulevard, off I-15 in southern Nevada. Worth a stop:

• Fountains of Bellagio, 3600 S Las Vegas Boulevard, free shows after dark
• Bellagio Conservatory, inside the Bellagio, free seasonal gardens
• The Venetian and its Grand Canal, 3355 S Las Vegas Boulevard, free to walk

13. Portland, Maine

New England hides a lot of free beauty, and Portland stacks it along the water. The Old Port’s cobblestone lanes and brick warehouses make a walkable district of shops and salt air.

The Eastern Promenade rolls out grassy hills above Casco Bay, free to picnic on, with the islands scattered offshore and the ferries sliding past. Sunrise here is worth the early alarm.

A short drive south, Portland Head Light has guided ships since 1791 from the rocks of Fort Williams Park, and the grounds cost nothing to roam. Pack a sweater and stay for the view.

Where: Portland sits on Casco Bay off I-295 in southern Maine. Worth a stop:

• Portland Head Light, 1000 Shore Road in Fort Williams Park, free grounds
• The Eastern Promenade, along Cutter Street, free waterfront lawns
• The Old Port, around Exchange and Wharf Streets, free to wander

14. Waco, Texas

Texas earns its spot with a city that gives away most of its best days. Waco strings its highlights along the Brazos River, and the walking between them costs nothing at all.

The 1870 Waco Suspension Bridge still carries foot traffic across the river, a photogenic span lit up after dark. Cameron Park spreads more than 400 acres of bluffs and trails right in town.

Magnolia at the Silos is free to stroll, and the riverwalk ties the whole day together. Come hungry, wear good shoes, and let the Brazos set your pace.

Where: Waco sits halfway between Dallas and Austin on I-35 in Central Texas. Worth a stop:

• Waco Suspension Bridge, 100 University Parks Drive, free to cross on foot
• Cameron Park, 2601 Sturgis Road, free trails and river bluffs
• Magnolia Market at the Silos, 601 Webster Avenue, free to walk the grounds

15. Miami Beach, Florida

Miami has a flashy reputation, and yet the best of it is the part that never charges you. The sand along South Beach is public and free, and the Atlantic stays warm through most of the year.

The pastel Art Deco buildings along Ocean Drive make a walking gallery from the 1930s, and the bold murals over in Wynwood cost nothing to admire. People-watching is a free sport of its own.

The candy-colored lifeguard stands make some of the most photogenic snapshots in Florida. Bring sunscreen and a little curiosity, and the day fills itself.

Where: Miami Beach sits across the causeways from Miami off I-195. Worth a stop:

• South Beach, Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets, free public sand
• The Art Deco District, along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, free to walk
• Wynwood Walls murals, 2516 NW 2nd Avenue, free outdoor street art

Start Planning the Cheap Trip You Will Brag About

One thing ties these fifteen places together: the memory you take home almost never came with a receipt. The free museum, the public beach, the fountain show, the walk through a centuries-old square. That is the good stuff, and it was always within reach.

Pick one, chart the drive, and go prove that a small budget and a big trip are not opposites. The whole country is waiting, and the best of it is still, gloriously, free to enjoy.

Featured image: Augusto Perera via Forsyth Park