1. Go to the Denver Art Museum.  It is $3 for kids six to 18 if they live in Colorado.  It is a cheap and fun way to see amazing modern art or old artifacts. You can take your friends to the museum and then meander around downtown Denver.

2. Window shopping on 16th Street.  This long strip of road has tons of cute shops that are based here in Colorado.  There are pianos that sit, waiting to be played.  It is a great, cheap way to hang out with friends and enjoy the summer sun.  There are great lunch places around as well such as, Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, who is around town during the week serving up delicious hotdogs.  It is cheap and fun!

3. Have a picnic.  If you are on a small budget a picnic is one of the cheapest way’s to have lunch.  Have each of your friends bring either food, a blanket, or the basket.  It is a fun way to get outside and hang with your friends.  You can tan and enjoy the weather.  There are parks everywhere you can go to one close to your house or to the bigger parks downtown.  Washington Park is a big park that has lots of open space.

4. Have a water park party.  Water World and Elitches are expensive.  But having fun in the sun is easier than you think.  You can set up a slip and slide have the sprinklers going and have a specific spot for tanning.  Have a water balloon fight and invite your friends and family.  Then have a BBQ in your backyard.  It is cheaper than having to go out to lunch at a water park and more healthy.

5. Go to the Farmer’s Market in Town Center, Highlands Ranch.  The market lasts from ten to two o’clock.  It is a great way to buy locally grown produce and locally made items.  It is an open market that has great food and great people. You don’t even have to buy anything and samples are provided at some stands.