2011 Summer Activities for Kids in Gainesville

2011 Summer Gainesville Kids Activities: Below is a list of places to go and things to do with kids during summer break in Gainesville, FL this year. Summer time is hot and humid and the days are long...even longer if you have kids in the house who are driving you crazy because they are bored. Even though there are not a lot events during the summer, there are still PLENTY of things to do with kids, and many of them are free or low cost.

For over 1000 listings of kids activities in the Gainesville area, visit www.fun4gatorkids.com

1. Check out the School's Out 4 Summer Children's Activities Tour Once a week 106.9KZY and fun4gatorkids.com are hosting an event at a location offering free children's activities. Events will include popular kids activities like bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, hands-on arts and crafts and MORE! Click here for dates, locations, and event details.   
2. Get wet! All three City of Gainesville Municipal Pools are open now. Admission is under $4/ person at the pools with season pass memberships available. On  Monday and Tuesday nights in June, Mickle Pool on SE 15th Street hosts Family Fun Nights and pool admission is FREE! Right next to the Hal Brady Rec Center in Alachua is a FREE sprinkler park - perfect for little kids to get wet and have lots of fun. Take the kids on a day trip to one of the water parks in the nearby area. There are 10 water parks within a 2 hour drive of Gainesville, and all of them have features suitable for toddlers as well as teenagers. Click here for a complete list of all the places to go swimming and splashing in the Gainesville area. Click here for a complete list of all the water parks within a 2 hour drive.
3. Let the kids run around inside! Not at your house of course, but O2BKids, Sun Country Sports Center, and Skate Station Funworks all have large indoor playgrounds where kids can play and be entertained for hours.  Admission ranges from $6 - $8 per child. Adults are free at all 3 locations. Click here for a complete list of all the indoor play places in the Gainesville area.
4. Bring them to the museum The Florida Museum of Natural History offers many attractions for children this summer. First, is the popular Discovery Room for kids which includes arts and crafts, hands-on exhibits, story times, puppet shows and more. the Discovery Room and all the permanent exhibits are FREE. Kids will love seeing the giant shark teeth, exploring the Native American artifacts, and learning about animals and caves in Florida. In addition, the museum has a new exhibit all about sounds of nature which is sure to appeal to children of all ages. This exhibit is not free, but admission is a minimal charge, as is admission to the adjacent butterfly rainforest.
5. Take them to the library During the summer, Alachua County Libraries offer dozens of fun programs for kids to enjoy. Jugglers, clowns, magicians, story tellers, puppet shows, Gentle Carousel Minature Horses, arts and crafts, book clubs, Wii game time, and more fill the schedule this summer. There is something happening every day of the week but Friday.
6. Go bowling! Alley Gatorz is the official location for the Kids Bowl Free program, and Alley Katz is offering its own version, called AMF Summer Unplugged. Kids can bowl 2 free games a day every day of summer, all summer long.
7. Enjoy a kids movie - Regal Cinemas shows 2nd run kids movies every Tuesday and Wednesday for $1. Tioga Town Center shows a family friendly movie outside at dusk on the 2nd Friday night of every month. Every month, several of the Alachua County Libraries show a family friendly movie.
8. Enroll the kids in a one day camp If enrolling your kids in camp for the whole week is too overwhelming or too expensive, consider one of the camps that allows your child to attend for just the day. There are more than 20 camps with one day options. Click here to see listings for all the summer camps in the area, and check the box for 1 day camp options.
9. Do some arts and crafts - The Little Shop, Do Art, Gifts of Avalon and Bead All About It, are all stores offering art classes, or open studios where kids can make jewelry, create pottery or mosaic pieces, and more. Plus, Artsy Kids Studio offers an open studio for families every Saturday from 12-6 where kids can paint on a blank canvas or on blank wood cutouts for only $5 -$11. Visit the stores' website for details.
10. Listen to a good story - There are three new places to take your kids for storytime this summer. In addition to the public libaries which all offer several story times a week, The Learning Path, Sprout Learning Resources, and the Florida Musuem of Natural History are all offering FREE story times this summer. Click here to see listings for all the places with story times this summer.
11. Explore a Nature Park  - Florida State Parks is sponsoring a 2011 Outdoor Challenge for Children this summer. Kids can have fun while completing five activities off a checklist you can download from the website. After all activities have been completed, you can mail in yoru entry form and receive a FREE one day pass for your family to any Florida State Park.
12. Go golfing - At Ironwood Golf Course, kids can golf all day long for only $5!