Where to Find Free Activities in a New City

There’s nothing quite like those first few weeks in a new city, when everything from the street you live on to the grocery store around the corner is novel and exciting. But if you’ve ever taken the leap and moved to a brand new place, then you also know that it can be difficult to find your footing and get comfortable. One good way to start feeling like your new city is less of a novelty and more like home though is to ingratiate yourself in the community. And where better to start than with free activities?

Most cities offer a lot of free activities that give people a chance to meet, mingle, and share in their common interests. Finding these activities can make a big difference when you’re trying to settle in somewhere new, and they’re also a great way to explore more of what your city has to offer.

So how do you find ‘em? Start with these 10 places.

Parks

Museums and galleries

Libraries

Street fairs and festivals

Farmers’ markets

Community gardens

Walking tours

Head to a meet up

Start volunteering

Street art

Apps for finding free activities

We’ve gone over a few useful website and apps already for finding free activities, but here are some others to check out during your search:

Field Trip. This app is like having a personal tour guide to your city in your pocket. As you walk around the app will notify you with a pop-up if you’re by any cool spots worth checking out. It also shares interesting tidbits and trivia.

Eventbrite. This all-in-one platform is a great source for discovering interesting (and often free!) events in your area. Scroll through regularly so that you don’t miss anything exciting.

Like a Local. Play tourist at home with an app designed to help visitors experience cities at their best. Simply pull up a map around you to see what’s going on, or take a look at the livestream for a regularly updated list of what’s worth checking out.

Moving is expensive, but discovering all that’s great about your new city doesn’t have to be. Search around for free activities and you should have no trouble finding fun things to do that don’t require spending any money.