Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Elsmere

Wilmington & Western Railroad

Wilmington & Western Railroad

Sightseeing ride by vintage steam train. Rail tour through a wooded valley on a restored steam locomotive, over track laid down in the 1870s.

Visit
Delaware Children's Museum

Delaware Children's Museum

Interactive play for kids of all ages. Riverfront building for toddlers to teens features interactive exhibits & a climbing structure.

Visit
River Walk

River Walk

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Hoots Hollow

Hoots Hollow

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
The Gumball Machine

The Gumball Machine

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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DuPont Environmental Education Center of Delaware Nature Society

DuPont Environmental Education Center of Delaware Nature Society

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Hagley Museum

Hagley Museum

Gunpowder mills & du Pont family history. Riverfront site featuring regional industrial history, including gunpowder mills & the du Pont home.

Visit
Wilmington State Parks

Wilmington State Parks

Riverside park with trails & a zoo. Park along the Brandywine River with a paved greenway trail, historic sites, picnic areas & a zoo.

Visit
Brandywine Park

Brandywine Park

Scenic green space along the river. This scenic tract along the river features monuments, attractions, sports fields & a walking path.

Visit
Rodney Square

Rodney Square

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Brandywine Zoo

Brandywine Zoo

Small zoo with mammals & birds. Zoo in Brandywine Park with lemurs, capybaras & bobcats, plus condors & eagles.

Visit
Alapocas Run State Park

Alapocas Run State Park

Forest with trails of varying length. State park featuring forest trails of varying length & difficulty for hiking, biking & jogging.

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Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

Dinosaurs & other kid-friendly exhibits. Cozy, kid-friendly museum featuring dinosaurs, shells, a butterfly garden & interactive exhibits.

Visit
Mt. Cuba Center

Mt. Cuba Center

Woodland gardens at a 1930s manor house. Parkland at a Colonial Revival mansion, planted with native species & open in summer for tours.

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Can-Do Playground

Can-Do Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Winterthur Enchanted Woods

Winterthur Enchanted Woods

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Brandywine Creek State Park

Brandywine Creek State Park

Historic preserve with forest & marshes. 933-acre preserve divided by 19th-century stone walls, with tulip poplar forest & nature center.

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Coverdale Farm Preserve of Delaware Nature Society

Coverdale Farm Preserve of Delaware Nature Society

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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New Castle Battery Park

New Castle Battery Park

Riverside site for strolls & picnics. Dog-friendly urban park with riverfront views open to the public during daylight hours.

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Fox Point State Park

Fox Point State Park

Outdoor recreation & beautiful vistas. Playground, picnic area & trails are featured in this riverside state park with beautiful vistas.

Visit
Paper Mill Park

Paper Mill Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Labyrinth of the Ardens

Labyrinth of the Ardens

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Brandywine Railroad

Brandywine Railroad

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Oasis Family Fun Center

Oasis Family Fun Center

Indoor play place with games & snacks. Children's indoor play zone includes a rock climbing wall, laser maze, trampoline basketball & more.

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Newlin Grist Mill Park

Newlin Grist Mill Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Bette's Family Fun Center

Bette's Family Fun Center

Spacious indoor play area with snack bar. Expansive indoor play area offering inflatable structures, video games & slides, plus a snack bar.

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Thousand Acre Farm Wedding & Event Venue

Thousand Acre Farm Wedding & Event Venue

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lums Pond State Park Campground

Lums Pond State Park Campground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Frightland

Frightland

Seasonal haunted attractions & rides. Annual attraction with carnival rides & fear-themed areas from a haunted barn to a horror hay ride.

Visit
Augustine Beach Access Area

Augustine Beach Access Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Governor Printz Park

Governor Printz Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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C & D Canal Museum

C & D Canal Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
M/V Summer Breeze

M/V Summer Breeze

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Family Fun Galaxy

Family Fun Galaxy

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Novus Escape Room - Middletown Delaware

Novus Escape Room - Middletown Delaware

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Your Creation Station

Your Creation Station

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Main street pocket park

Main street pocket park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Silver Lake Park

Silver Lake Park

Park with sports, a poll & skateboarding. Community facility offering basketball, tennis, track & soccer, as well as ball fields & a pool.

Visit
Charles E. Price Memorial Park

Charles E. Price Memorial Park

Picnic areas, trails & a fishing pond. Large park offering a fishing pond, walking trails, picnic pavilions, a dog park & playgrounds.

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Willey Farms

Willey Farms

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Townsend Municipal Park

Townsend Municipal Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum

Family-friendly, interactive exhibits. A large environment with a focus on ages 3-12 contains hands-on attractions, plus an on-site cafe.

Visit
The Treehouse

The Treehouse

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Big Cat Falls

Big Cat Falls

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Philadelphia Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo

Many animals & an education center. Large zoo with nearly 1,700 animals, including rare & endangered species, plus an education center.

Visit
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

Expansive play area with an iconic slide. Iconic playground with a historic wooden slide & 16,000-sq.-ft. playhouse on 6.5 wooded acres.

Visit
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute

Kid-friendly, interactive science museum. Lively, family-friendly science museum with many interactive exhibits & displays plus a planetarium.

Visit
The Universal Sphere

The Universal Sphere

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Family-friendly natural history museum. Research institution's natural history museum featuring dinosaur bones, a butterfly house & more.

Visit
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Mosaicked folk art & a sculpture garden. Funky folk art venue provides mosaicked galleries, a sculpture garden maze & educational programs.

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NEST Center City

NEST Center City

Children's activity center with classes. Play space hosting events for kids up to 6-year-old, including music classes & birthday parties.

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Blackbird State Forest

Blackbird State Forest

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Once Upon A Nation

Once Upon A Nation

Historic district info & storytelling. This spot provides information about historic district tours, storytelling benches & re-enactments.

Visit
Independence Square

Independence Square

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Independence National Historical Park

Independence National Historical Park

National shrine with the Liberty Bell. This landmark-filled park covers 20 city blocks with museums, Independence Hall & the Liberty Bell.

Visit
Museum of Illusions Philadelphia

Museum of Illusions Philadelphia

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Franklin Square

Franklin Square

Playground with mini-golf & a carousel. Centered on a historic fountain, this park offers mini-golf, a classic carousel & a burger joint.

Visit
Spruce Street Harbor Park

Spruce Street Harbor Park

Seasonal pop-up park with games & food. This popular summer staple with games, events & food features gardens, an urban beach & hammocks.

Visit
Painted Sky Alpaca Farm & Fiber Mill

Painted Sky Alpaca Farm & Fiber Mill

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Wagner Free Institute of Science

Wagner Free Institute of Science

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Wiggins Waterfront Park

Wiggins Waterfront Park

Outdoor music venue & marina. City-view outdoor venue offering a concert stage, river promenade & 50-slip boat marina.

Visit
Adventure Aquarium

Adventure Aquarium

Diverse aquarium with a theater & hippos. Massive aquarium with a 3D theater, plus hippos, stingrays & an underwater shark tunnel.

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Challenge Grove Park

Challenge Grove Park

Park with a playground, gardens & more. This 18-acre park features playgrounds, a bike path, picnic areas, sports facilities & a garden.

Visit
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Salt-marsh preserve & birding haven. Tidal salt marsh & birding destination with trails, observation towers & a 12-mile wildlife drive.

Visit
Delaware State Police Museum

Delaware State Police Museum

History exhibits in a small space. This small museum on the history of the Delaware State Police features a helicopter & vintage car.

Visit
Miles the Monster Statue

Miles the Monster Statue

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Delaware Agricultural Museum

Delaware Agricultural Museum

Tractors, farm equipment & an 1890s town. Museum showcasing tractors & farm equipment, with an adjacent 1890s village (barn, windmill, etc.).

Visit
Fork Branch Nature Preserve

Fork Branch Nature Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Silver Lake Park

Silver Lake Park

Scenic outdoor area for recreation. 182 acres of woodsy green space with walking trails, a playground, picnic shelters & water access.

Visit
First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries

First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries

Visitor facility with tours & exhibits. Information center with Delaware history displays & pamphlets on notable local attractions.

Visit
Constitution Park

Constitution Park

Compact plaza with a dramatic sculpture. Snug public plaza featuring a striking sculpture honoring the constitution in leafy surrounds.

Visit
Biggs Museum of American Art

Biggs Museum of American Art

Antique furniture & decorative arts. Museum with decorative art, antiques & local pieces.

Visit
The Old State House

The Old State House

Majestic capitol building, built in 1791. Former state capitol building, built in 1791, featuring a geometric staircase & gilt ceiling sham.

Visit
The Green

The Green

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
First State Heritage Park

First State Heritage Park

Park area with cultural & historic sites. Outdoor space linking historic landmarks such as the public archives, museums & the State House.

Visit
John Bell House Interpretive Center

John Bell House Interpretive Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Johnson Victrola Museum

Johnson Victrola Museum

Ode to sound-recording pioneer. Museum focused on life of Dover native E.R. Johnson, who founded Victor Talking Machine Co. (1901).

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