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    Home»Central New York Resources»Family Fun on a Budget
    Central New York Resources

    Family Fun on a Budget

    Family TimesBy Family TimesJune 30, 2025Updated:July 1, 2025No Comments6 Mins Read
    Strong Museum of Play
    Strong Museum of Play. Photo courtesy of Strong Museum of Play
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    Local Offers

    Syracuse Orchestra
    Children under 18 attend all series Syracuse Orchestra concerts for free (with an adult). Photo provided by Syracuse Orchestra

    Apex Entertainment
    Offer: Score discounted games during ‘Half Priced Arcade Wednesdays,’ or choose three attractions and enjoy a complimentary kids’ meal for $25, available Wednesday through Friday for children 12 and under.
    Location: 9583 Destiny USA Drive, Syracuse.
    More information: apexentertainment.com.

    Children’s Museum of Oswego
    Offer: On select days each month, adults get in for free with a child’s paid admission.
    Location: 7 W. Bridge St., Oswego.
    More information: cmoo.org.

    Get Air Trampoline Park
    Offer: Families of four to 10 can take 20% off every Monday (excluding socks) or pay for one hour and get the second free every Tuesday.
    Location: 7687 Frontage Road #4, Cicero.
    More information: getairsports.com.

    iSmash Syracuse
    Offer: Starter and Standard Splatter Packages are half off for children under the age of 12 on Tuesdays.
    Location: 2104 Genesee St., Syracuse.
    More information: ismashusa.com.

    Movie Tavern
    Offer: Children ages 11 and under can watch select movies for $7.50 until 4 p.m. Location: 180 Township Blvd., Camillus.
    More information: marcustheatres.com.

    Regal Destiny USA
    Offer: On Tuesdays, standard movie tickets are $7.99 or under for loyalty members. Location: 9586 Destiny USA Drive, Syracuse.
    More information: regmovies.com.

    Strong Museum of Play
    Offer: From 4 to 8 p.m. each Friday, the museum offers 50% off general admission.
    Location: 1 Manhattan Square Drive, Rochester.
    More information: museumofplay.org.

    Syracuse Orchestra
    Offer: Children under 18 attend all series concerts for free (with an adult).
    Location: Varies.
    More information: syracuseorchestra.org.

    Borrow More than Books

    Your library card isn’t just for books. You can use it to check out everything from museum passes and musical instruments to robots and baking pans:

    Beaver Lake Nature Center
    Visit Beaver Lake Nature Center with an Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass. Courtney Kless photo

    Elbridge Free Library
    Available items: Cake pans; Empire Pass; Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass.
    More information: elbridgelibrary.org.

    Fairmount Community Library
    Available items: Baking kits; game night kit; Empire Pass; museum passes (Children’s Museum of Oswego, Corning Museum of Glass, Everson Museum of Art, MOST, Rochester Museum & Science Center); Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass; STEM kits; story time kits.
    More information: fairmountlibrary.org.

    Fayetteville Free Library
    Available items: Empire Pass; Everson Museum of Art pass; Leap Frog Globe; musical instruments; MOST family pass; Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass; robots; Tonies Music Box Storytime.
    More information: fflib.org.

    Liverpool Public Library
    Available items: Board games; Empire Pass; museum passes (Children’s Museum of Oswego, Corning Museum of Glass, Everson Museum of Art, MOST, Seward House Museum, Oneida Community Mansion House); musical instruments; Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass.
    More information: lpl.org.

    Manlius Library
    Available items: Binge boxes; Empire Pass; museum passes (Everson Museum of Art, MOST); Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass; specialty bakeware; Stone Quarry Art Park pass.
    More information: manliuslibrary.org.

    Marcellus Free Library
    Available items: Empire Pass; museum passes (Children’s Museum of Oswego, Corning Museum of Glass, MOST, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Sciencenter); Nintendo Switch games; Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass.
    More information: marcelluslibrary.org.

    Northern Onondaga Public Library
    Available items: Binge boxes; Dash and Dot kits; Empire Pass; fishing poles; Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass; STEAM to go kits; video games.
    More information: nopl.org.

    Onondaga Free Library
    Available items: Empire Pass; MOST pass; Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass; storytime to go kits.
    More information: oflibrary.org.

    Skaneateles Library
    Available items: Discovery backpacks; Empire Pass; explore the world backpacks; museum passes (Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Children’s Museum of Oswego, Everson Museum of Art, MOST, National Women’s Hall of Fame, PlaySpace, Sciencenter, Seward House Museum); Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass; Tonieboxes.
    More information: skanlibrary.org.

    Free Museum and Historic Site Admission for Kids

    • Cayuga Museum of History & Art (Auburn) – Ages 12 and under.
    • Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum (Chittenango) – Ages 3 and under.
    • CNY Living History Center (Cortland) – Ages 5 and under.
    Corning Museum of Glass. Photo courtesy of Corning Museum of Glass
    • Corning Museum of Glass (Corning) – Ages 17 and under.
    • Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse) – Ages 5 and under.
    • Fenimore Farm and Country Village (Cooperstown) – Ages 6 and under.
    Fort Ontario Historic Site
    Fort Ontario Historic Site. Photo courtesy of Fort Ontario Historic Site
    • Fort Ontario State Historic Site (Oswego) – Ages 12 and under.
    • Fort Stanwix National Monument (Rome) – All ages.
    • H. Lee White Maritime Museum (Oswego) – Ages 12 and under.
    Lorenzo State Historic Site
    Lorenzo State Historic Site. Photo courtesy of Lorenzo State Historic Site
    • Lorenzo State Historic Site (Cazenovia) – Ages 12 and under.
    • Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (Syracuse) – Under age 2.
    • Museum of the Earth (Ithaca) – Ages 3 and under.
    • National Baseball Hall of Fame (Cooperstown) – Ages 6 and under.
    • Salt Museum (Liverpool) – All ages.
    • Schweinfurth Art Center (Auburn) – Ages 12 and under.
    • Sciencenter (Ithaca) – Under age 2.
    • Ward W. O’Hara Agricultural and Country Living Museum (Auburn) – All ages.

    Family Meal Deals

    Syracuse Mets
    Photo provided by Syracuse Mets

    Spaghetti Warehouse
    Deal: Free kids’ spaghetti meal when you order a full-priced entrée.
    When: Mondays.
    Where: 689 N. Clinton St., Syracuse.
    More information: syracusespaghetti.com.

    Syracuse Mets
    Deal: Free voucher for a Hofmann hot dog, fountain drink, bag of chips, and Perry’s ice cream cup for children ages 12 and younger.
    When: Sundays.
    Where: NBT Bank Stadium, 1 Tex Simone Drive, Syracuse.
    More information: milb.com/syracuse.

    Tully’s Good Times
    Deal: $4.99 Little Slugger entrée (includes a drink) for children age 10 and younger.
    When: Wednesdays.
    Where: 7838 Brewerton Road, Cicero (Cicero location); 3355 W. Genesee St., Syracuse (Fairmount location); 520 Towne Drive, Fayetteville (Fayetteville location); 311 7th North St., Liverpool (Liverpool location); 2943 Erie Blvd. E., Dewitt (Syracuse location).
    More information: tullysgoodtimes.com.

    Key Lime Coconut Donuts

    Photo and recipe courtesy of Hood

    Hood Key Lime Coconut Donuts
    Ingredients

    Donut:

    • ⅔ cup Hood Low Fat Cottage Cheese
    • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 large egg
      ½ cup canola oil, or coconut oil, if desired
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • ⅔ cup sugar
    • ⅔ cup Hood 2% Reduced Fat Milk
    • 3 tablespoons key lime juice
    • 2 teaspoons key lime zest

    Topping:

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice
    • ½ cup toasted coconut*
    • 1 tablespoon key lime zest
    Directions

    STEP 1
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

    STEP 2
    Coat two standard donut pans with
    cooking spray.

    STEP 3
    Place cottage cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth, about 45 seconds. Set aside.

    STEP 4
    In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

    STEP 5
    In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the oil, vanilla, sugar, milk, lime juice, lime zest, and cottage cheese, combining well.

    STEP 6
    Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

    STEP 7
    Spoon the batter into the donut pans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 2 minutes before removing. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.

    STEP 8
    To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and lime juice in a small bowl until smooth. Top each donut with an equal amount of glaze, coconut, and lime zest.

    STEP 9
    *To toast the coconut, place in a dry skillet over medium heat for about five minutes, stirring constantly until just golden brown.

    Budget-Friendly central new york Discounts Empire Pass Indoor Entertainment Library of Things Onondaga County Parks Explore Outdoors Pass Outdoor Entertainment Summer Summer Activities Syracuse Syracuse Mets things to do
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