15+ fun (and free!) family things to do across Oklahoma City metro this summer
School is out, summer fever is high, and parents know all too well that their children soon will be uttering those dreaded words "I'm bored."
Fortunately, not all forms of family-friendly entertainment are devised to break the bank.
Throughout the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, free museum admission, concerts, performances and outdoor movies are all on the calendar for June, July and August.
Here's a sampling of some of the free entertainment options offered this summer across the OKC metro:
Spark Summer Movies
Where: Devon Lawn, Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno Ave., downtown Oklahoma City.
Information: www.myriadgardens.org.
The local burger chain Spark is the new sponsor of the long-running free summer movie series on Wednesday nights through June 26. Local food trucks will start serving at 7 p.m., with preshow activities at 8 p.m., and the films rolling at 9:15 p.m. Titles left on this year's series include "Bob Marley: One Love" on June 12, "Soul" on June 19 and the 1996 Oklahoma-made blockbuster "Twister" on June 26.
Scissortail Park Concerts
Where: Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn, Scissortail Park, 300 SW 7, downtown OKC.
Information: https://scissortailpark.org/mec-category/concert-series.
Concertgoers are urged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Most shows start at 8 p.m. The lineup includes “A Night of One Love,” featuring The Wailers, on June 14; the OKC Philharmonic's Red, White & Boom! on July 3; Summer of Soul Night on July 19; A Night of OKC Voices, featuring "The Voice" contestants AJ Harvey, Taylor Deneen, Tanner Massey and OK3, Aug. 9; Sunday in the Park with the OKC Philharmonic on Sept. 15; and The Indigo Girls on Oct. 11.
Summer Thursdays at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame
Where: Oklahoma Hall of Fame Gaylord-Pickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, OKC.
Information: https://www.oklahomahof.com/program/summer-thursdays
The museum offers free admission and summertime activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday in June and July. The activities center around a different Oklahoma Hall of Fame member.
41st annual Jazz in June, Norman
Where: Andrews Park, 201 W Daws St., Norman.
Information: https://www.jazzinjune.org.
The free three-day festival includes outdoor performances at 7:30 and 9 p.m. June 13-15 by Paul Benjaman and Brandon Goldberg; King Cabbage Brass Band and Sungazer; Summer Jazz Collective (featuring Vincent Herring, James Carter, Randy Brecker and Adam Neely) and Something Else!, along with afternoon workshops at Norman Library West, 300 Norman Center Court.
Summer Beats and Eats, Moore
Where: Central Park Amphitheater and Pavilion, 700 S Broadway Ave., Moore.
Information: https://www.cityofmoore.com/upcoming-events/summer-beats-and-eats.
The free concert in the park from 6 to 9 p.m. June 7 will include live music from Southern rock and blues band Deja Blue, lawn games and the food trucks Dos Gringos Cabana, Newman's BBQ, Some Like It Tot, Abu Omar Halal and HTeaO. Anthem Brewing and Wildhorse Canyon Farms Winery will be serving up beer and wine.
Heard on Hurd, Edmond
Where: Corner of Broadway and Hurd, downtown Edmond.
Information: https://www.facebook.com/heardonhurd.
From 6 to 10 p.m. every third Saturday from March through October, the free monthly street festival showcases live, local music and a variety of food trucks and pop-up shops. The June 15 installment will include live music from Koolie High and Friends, The Tap Band and Mariah Brown. The series will continue July 20 and Aug. 17.
Neighborhood Arts
Where: Metropolitan Library System locations, Harrah Senior Center, Rodeo Cinema Stockyards City and Scissortail Park Farmers Market.
Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/neighborhoodarts.
The local summer staple showcases eight weeks of free rotating performances through July 27. This year's lineup includes OKC Improv, Oklahoma Violin Ensemble, Lyric Theatre, Lucas Ross, Clips and Hips, Painted Sky Opera, Groovemeant Community and RACE Dance Collective.
Access for All at Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Where: 415 Couch Dr., downtown OKC.
Information: https://www.okcmoa.com/visit/events/access-for-all.
The downtown OKC museum offers free admission from noon to 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Summer dates are June 9, July 14 and Aug. 11. Free admission tickets to those dates are limited and will only be made available online the week of the events.
Dancing in the Gardens: Bollywood Night
Where: Seasonal Plaza, Myriad Gardens, downtown OKC.
Information: https://myriadgardens.org/june.
The popular free series gives attendees the chance to learn different styles of dance. Co-hosted and emceed by the India Association of Oklahoma, the June 14 event will start at 7 p.m. with lessons in different styles of Indian-inspired dance from Nritya Arpan Dance School; Samarpan, Dances of India; Madhu Shikharipur; Teena Varghese; and Neeharika Andavarappu. At 8 p.m., DJ Blake O will crank up the tunes so people can practice their newfound dance skils.
Sunday Twilight Concert Series
Where: Devon Lawn, Myriad Gardens, downtown OKC.
Information: https://www.artscouncilokc.com/twilight.
Arts Council Oklahoma City's long-running series brings free live music to downtown OKC from 7 to 8:30 p.m. select Sundays. The year's lineup features OKC indie rockers Husbands on June 16, Michigan folk-rock band Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers on June 30, Tulsa electro-funk singer-songwriter Branjae on July 14 and Vermont-based folk-rock trio The Sweet Remains on July 28.
Mud Fest
Where: Lower Park, Scissortail Park, downtown OKC.
Information: https://scissortailpark.org/events/mud-fest.
Attendees can celebrate International Mud Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m June 22 by making mud pies, taking a mud bath and getting delightfully messy. A clean-up station will be available where people can wash up, but participants are encouraged to wear clothes they don't mind getting grubby.
Free Summer Admission at Mabee Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee
Where: 1900 W. MacArthur, Shawnee.
Information: https://www.facebook.com/mgmoa.
One of Oklahoma's oldest museums boasts an eclectic collection that includes the only ancient Egyptian mummies in the Sooner State. The Shawnee museum annually offers free admission in June, July and August.
Route 66 Blue Hippo Festival, Edmond
Where: Edmond History Museum and Stephenson Park, 431 S Boulevard, Edmond.
Information: https://www.edmondhistory.org/event/blue-hippo-festival.
The free event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15 is themed around Edmond's whimsical novelty attraction the Blue Hippo, with family-friendly activities including Hungry, Hungry Hippo battles, live blues and bluegrass music and a classic car show spotlighting blue cars.
Summer Breeze Concerts, Norman
Where: Lion's Park, 450 S Flood Ave, Norman.
Information: https://www.normandepot.org/summer-breeze.
Music fans are invited to bring picnics, blankets and snacks and partake of the outdoor music series at 7:30 p.m. every other Sunday night through Aug. 25. Lazy Circles Brewing, Native Spirits Winery and Brascoe's Chicken and Waffles will be selling food and drinks. This year's lineup includes The Sensational Barnes Brothers on June 16, Em and the MotherSuperiors on June 30, Mariachi Orgullo de América on July 7 (rescheduled from June 2), Mouths of Babes on July 14, Caleb McGee on July 28, The Imaginaries on Aug. 11 and Homegrown on Aug. 25.
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman
Where: 555 Elm Ave., Norman.
Information: https://www.ou.edu/fjjma.
Admission is always free to the University of Oklahoma's art museum, where the new exhibit "Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art," organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, is on view through Sept. 22. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; the museum is closed Mondays and OU holidays.
Rock the Route, Yukon
Where: Route 66 in downtown Yukon.
Information: https://www.yukonok.gov/350/Rock-the-Route.
Texas country band Shane Smith and The Saints will headline the popular free concert from 6 to 11 p.m. Aug. 31. The event is organized annually on the Thursday before Labor Day.
Movies in the Park, Moore
Where: Various parks in Moore.
Information: https://www.cityofmoore.com/upcoming-events.
The free outdoor film series will show the animated adventure "Migration" from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 9 at Central Park, 700 S Broadway Ave., and the musical sequel "Trolls Band Together" from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 23 in Little River Park, 700 SW 4.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Free things to do in OKC: Movies, concerts, museums and blue hippos
