By LINDA CHION KENNEY
linda@observernews.net
As summer nears and cost-of-living expenses increase, interest grows in museums, theaters, and educational, arts and recreation centers offering free admission, cost breaks and low-workshop fees for youth and adults alike.
From Armed Forces Day (May 16) through Labor Day (September 7), the Blue Stars Museums program features free admission to active-duty military personnel and up to five family members. Participating museums are added throughout the season. On tap so far are the Tampa Bay History Center, which explores Florida history through immersive exhibits, and The Dalí Museum, known for its extensive collection of Salvador Dalí’s surrealist works.
“Art on the House” is a recurring Thursday feature at the Tampa Museum of Art, featuring free admission 4 to 8 p.m. for all visitors. “Art on the Spectrum” runs 9 to 11 a.m. the last Sunday of the month, specifically designed for individuals with sensory sensitivities, developmental differences and their caregivers. Crowds are small, with noise-canceling headphones and specialized support resources available. Admission is free.
Summer art camps at the Tampa Art Museum include photography-focused instruction tied to gallery-inspired projects. Likewise, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts offers summer workshops and classes in photography, including cellphone photography, composition, and lighting, designed for youth and adult learners.
Focused on Tampa history, genealogy and architecture, the Henry B. Plant Museum promotes free educational workshops and discounted summer programs, in the south wing of Plant Hall on the University of Tampa’s campus.
The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) offers affordable hands-on summer programming for kids and adults through structured STEAM field trips centered on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Adult trips cost $15 or $17, depending on age. Included is access to interactive exhibits and one show in the Saunders Planetarium and Digital Dome Theatre. Optional hands-on educational workshops cost $5 per person and virtual reality experiences, $8 per person. Required group size is 15 participants, making this an ideal option for clubs and groups.
For youth groups, MOSI provides educational field trips starting at $12 per student, which include museum admission and a planetarium show, with optional 45-minute workshops available for an additional $5 per student. More intensive experiences, such as dissection labs, are available at higher add-on costs, depending on grade level and program length.
Moreover, The Hillsborough County library system, through its Discovery Pass, offers free admission or tour pass to select local museums and attractions, available on a first-come first-served basis. One Discovery Pass can be checked out per adult library card per institution per year.
For movie lovers, prices at AMC Theatres, including AMC Riverview 14 in Gibsonton, are 20 percent lower before 4 p.m., compared to the evening ticket price. Returning is Summer Movie Camp, featuring discounted tickets to family friendly movies Mondays and Wednesdays, June 22 through August 12. The lineup includes Paddington in Peru, David, How To Train Your Dragon, The Lego Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Bad Guys 2, The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants and Muppet Treasure Island.
Ongoing through the end of September is an intensive restoration project for the historic Duncan Auditorium at Tampa Theatre in downtown Tampa, set to celebrate in October its 100th anniversary. To accommodate the theatre’s expanding education program, more than 3,000 square feet of underutilized office and storage space will be transformed into dedicated classrooms on the Florida Avenue side of the venue.
Meanwhile, Tampa Theatre has scheduled community screenings at no charge at remote locations, including The Hunger Games (June 7 at 2 p.m., Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, Odessa), Sunshine State (June 13 at 1 p.m., Reeves Theatre, Vaughn Center, University of Tampa), and The Black Pirate (Aug. 8 at 8 p.m., Sykes Chapel, University of Tampa). Also with 2 p.m. starts at Starkey Ranch, are Stand By Me (June 28), The Princess Bride (July 12) and Little Women (July 26). Three summer sing-alongs, starting at 6:30 p.m. — High School Musical (June 28), The Little Mermaid (July 26), and Wicked (Aug. 23) will also be held at Sparkman Wharf. Educational and environmental programming is a main attraction at the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County campus, based in Seffner. Offered are a growing number of low-cost summer workshops focused on gardening, landscaping, sustainability and youth development.
Among the most popular offerings is the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Incentive Program workshop series. The final workshop in the current series is scheduled for May 30 from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., with a makeup session on June 13. Participants learn landscape design, micro-irrigation, soil preparation and water-saving gardening techniques. Residents who complete the program might qualify for landscaping rebates through Hillsborough County’s FLIP incentive initiative. Registration costs $10 per workshop.
Meanwhile, the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation system includes more than a dozen recreation centers, more than 200 parks and nature preserves, 700 miles of trails and more than 61,000 acres of preserved land. The list of recreation centers includes locations in Apollo Beach, Balm, Riverview, Gardenville and Ruskin, with offerings overall including senior wellness activities, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, walking groups, open gym programs and community events. For more, visit Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation online.
