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Bargain Experts Offer List Of Free & Affordable Summertime Fun

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There's so much to do outside in our area to take advantage of the nice summer weather, and a lot of it's free. The ladies at LivingPittsburgh.com have their top five picks for free summer activities.

Whether you like classical, jazz, opera, folk, bluegrass, musical theater or dance, there's a free outdoor concert for you to enjoy this summer.

"Kids love to dance to that kind of stuff. It's fun for families to do," said Rachel Booth, of Living Pittsburgh. "Hartwood Acres great - people playing ball, blankets, have picnics going."

Bring your newspaper, your breakfast, your children, even your dog and enjoy Bach, Beethoven & Brunch at Mellon Park every Sunday morning.

You'll also find outdoor concerts in the evenings in South Park, Riverview Park, Monroeville and Hartwood Acres.

Also in the parks, the Living Pittsburgh girls say there are some unique playgrounds and spray parks that are free for anyone.

Check out the Highland Park "SuperPlayground." It's an enormous wooden structure that fosters endless hours of creative play.

The Blue Slide Playground in Frick Park has a slide built into the hillside that's fun for kids and grown-ups.

To cool off on a hot day, the ladies recommend heading to any of the Pittsburgh spray parks for a world of water.

"If you have younger kids and they don't know how to swim on their own, they can run around all spraying colorful spray structures. It's a safe way to cool off," said Walsh.

Kids will also love the Roving Art Cart, which travels all around the city providing free arts and crafts to children. New this year, a spin on spin art. It's a pedal-powered spinning table that splatters paint into fantastic creations.

Just check CitiParks online to see where the cart will be each day.

If your younger kids are going stir-crazy at home, head to Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There's story-telling, crafts, ice cream, face painting and more.

If you want a peaceful boat ride out in nature, push out onto Lake Elizabeth, right on the North Side. You can try kayaking for free on the small, man-made lake every Thursday and Friday, 4 p.m. till dusk. On weekends it's only $5 a boat.

As a bonus, you get a view of the Pittsburgh skyline peeking over the treetops, and bring some bread to feed the ducks.

One more free thing this summer is Cinema in the Park.

Every night of the week, there's a movie playing on a big screen outside in a park. You can get the listings online. There are some great, pretty recent movies - from action adventure to kids to comedy – on the play list.

RELATED LINKS:
LivingPittsburgh.com
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