MOSI discounts on Saturday

The Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., is a fun way to spend a few hours. They have a number of interactive exhibits and the IMAX theater is an impressive place to watch a movie. The problem is that it’s not cheap to go: A trip to the museum and a standard IMAX movie will run you about $20.
Unless you go today, of course.
Admission and an IMAX movie will only cost a total of $8 as part of the 2009 Hurricane Expo. Since the hurricane season is fast approaching it’s a good time to get up-to-date information about evacuation zones and emergency planning. Dozens of vendors will be at the museum to provide information, hold giveaways and conduct seminars. You can also eat there for between $3 and $5. Plus, like I said, you get a big discount to the museum and see a movie, too. That’s a good deal.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

A Taste of Pinellas this weekend

A Taste of Pinellas technically started yesterday (sorry), but you still have the rest of the weekend to enjoy the music and activities. They even have a Kids Zone so it’s a family-friendly event. Best of all, most of the fun is absolutely free.
If you don’t know how the “taste” format works, it’s simple: You buy tickets and use them to sample food from area restaurants. A sheet of eight tickets costs $5 and each sample costs a certain number of tickets. It’s a nice way to try different food from a variety of vendors and it’s a benefit for All Children’s Hospital.
But really, I’m mentioning A Taste of Pinellas for the free stuff—namely, free admission and free music. Saturday they have different acts starting at 1 p.m. and ending with a concert by Travis Tritt at 8 p.m. There’s also a fireworks show at 9:45. On Sunday the music also starts at 1 p.m. and ends with a set by KC & the Sunshine Band at 5:30. You can bring a blanket and some folding chairs and enjoy all the music without spending a penny. Free entertainment is always a good thing.
A taste of Pinellas is held at Vinoy Park, 501 5th Ave. NE, and begins at noon on both remaining days. For more information, visit www.tasteofpinellas.com.

Free Memorial Day Entertainment for Military

Memorial Day is more than an extra day off (if you’re lucky). It’s an opportunity to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for their country. At the same time, it’s a chance to show appreciation for those active and retired service personnel who make daily sacrifices as well. And one way to show appreciation is to send some free stuff their way. Fortunately, some local businesses have put together a few nice entertainment options on Monday that are totally free for active and retired military. Here are a couple of good ones:

* Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., is offering free admission for active and retired military, drilling reservists, National Guardsmen and up to three dependents of military personnel. Dependents can take advantage of the offer without the service member but an adult must accompany child dependents. This is a great deal for families, including those who have a loved one serving overseas.

* The Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., is offering free admission for active and retired military. Not only do they get admission into the regular MOSI exhibits, but they also get to see the popular Body Worlds exhibit and an IMAX movie. That’s a $30 value. Additional family members and guests will receive $5 off their tickets as well. MOSI will also have inflatable batting cages with the Rays’ Street Team and radio broadcasts, so it should be a fun event.

Both of these are great deals, so try to catch them if you can. And if you know someone in the military, say thanks and tell them about it.

Visit Lowry Park Zoo for $5 on Sunday

Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., is an impressive local attraction. It’s rated the best zoo in the United States according to Parents Magazine. It has more than 2000 animals. It has activities for both children and adults to enjoy.

And it costs $20 to get in. Unless, of course, you know when to go.

The right time is today, which just happens to be $5 day at the zoo. For $5 you get to enjoy everything you would at the regular price. It’s just cheaper. So a family of four can go to the zoo for the cost of one adult admission. That saves you about $50 right there.

If you haven’t been to Lowry Park Zoo lately, they have petting zoos, aviaries, an aquatic center, sections representing Asia and Africa and a variety of different shows. There’s plenty to see and you can certainly spend a few hours there. Today (and every day) the zoo is open from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Enjoy.

If you know of a fun (and cheap) thing to do, send it my way at vivamurillo@hotmail.com.

Mother's Day: Cheap, free and fun

Some people think it’s a bad idea to hunt for Mother’s Day bargains. After all, if there’s anyone who should get an expensive outing, it’s mom, right?
 
Wrong. Didn’t you learn anything from your mom-- the one who told you to be smart with your money? Doing something with your mother—within the constraints of a sound budget—shows her that you actually listened when she tried to teach you the value of a dollar. There are plenty of things you can do on Mother’s Day weekend that offer both quality time for families and a great value:
 
* Friday, May 8: Take mom to the Florida Orchestra — for free. The orchestra will be performing at Lowry Park (7525 N. Boulevard) at 7:30 p.m. as part of their “Pops in the Park” series. Bring lawn chairs and whatever helps you get comfortable and enjoy the music.
 
* Sat.-Sun. May 9-10: Take mom to the Lowry Park Zoo (1101 W. Sligh Ave.). On Saturday and Sunday moms get in free with a child’s admission ticket. That saves you $20 right there. If you haven’t been to the zoo in a while, it’s easy to forget how much there is to see. And even if you have been recently…did you take your mom last time?

* Sunday, May 10. Okay, this is the big day, so you have a few options. For some reason, everyone wants you to take mom to an expensive brunch, but that’s just not going to work. You want to do something fun and cheap, right?
The zoo has its special and the Florida Orchestra is playing for free again, this time at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N. Bayshore Drive in Safety Harbor. But if you already did those things, you might want to try something different—like Sunken Gardens, 1825 4^th St. N. in St. Petersburg. Mom gets in free with another paid admission, which saves you another $8. It’s a good time to check out their collection of more than 50,000 plants and flowers, and a great cap to a fun (and cheap) Mother’s Day. 

Tampa Theatre tour May 6

Tampa Theatre, located at 711 Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, is the kind of place you visit while focusing on something else-- a movie or a concert or whatever. But this historic landmark could be a destination in its own right. The architecture alone makes it special, and it would be interesting just to check it out and learn about its history without anything else going on.

On Wednesaday morning, you can do that during one of its Backstage to Balcony tours. The tour runs about an hour and a half and takes you all over the theater...you know, from the backstage to the balcony. You'll hear about history, stories (including ghost stories) and other anecdotes spanning its 82-year-history. And the whole thing costs just $5. It's definitely worth it.

The tour starts at 11:30 a.m. 

Free SkyWatch at the Museum of Science and Industry on May 2

Isn’t it nice to look up at the sky on a clear night and admire the moon and constellations? Maybe, but the truth is you won’t get to see much detail even if you have perfect eyesight. Plus, most people don’t know all that much about astronomy, so aside from picking out the Big Dipper (which I can’t even find) do you even know what you’re looking at?
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place with high-powered telescopes to guarantee vivid images, and maybe experienced people around to tell you what to look for and exactly where to find it in the sky? Oh, and all this should be free, of course.
Welcome to SkyWatch on Saturday night.
A few times each year, the Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., has an event where you can do just what I described. Held at their Butterfly Garden, MOSI’s Astronomy Club sets up some high-powered lenses stationed at different points and lets the public take a peek. Assuming good weather and a clear night, they’ll help you locate the most interesting sights in the sky and answer any questions you might have. It runs from 8 until 10, so this is a fun event to check out either after dinner or before you head out somewhere else. And like I said, it’s free.
They only have SkyWatch events a few times a year (and the next one isn’t until September) so take advantage of it Saturday night.

H.B. Plant Museum May 2-- Free for teachers

In order to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week (which I didn't know existed until recently) Saturday is Teacher Appreciation Day at the H.B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. The former Tampa Bay Hotel and National Historic Landmark will give free admission to all teachers on Saturday.

The museum takes visitors back to when it was the area's premier hotel from 1891- 1930, and they have a number of exhibits and items from that era. It's a fun place to visit, especially if you like local history. And what teacher doesn't like history?

The admission price is just $5, but teachers won't pay anything. And hey, $5 is $5, right? Check it out.

For more information, visit http://www.plantmuseum.com/.