Budget Friendly Family Fun in Lincoln

Written by Emily Podbury:

When my 4 year old was tasked with making a scrapbook of his summer holidays I experienced a mix of reactions! Excitement, dread, creative ideas, and the overwhelming thought “what if the holidays are really boring?!” I imagined him showing off his scrapbook to his new class in September with his highlights paling in comparison to elaborate holidays abroad. Then I pulled myself together, reminding myself of a few truths:

• It’s ok for kids to experience boredom. This often fuels creativity. They don’t need to be having fun every minute of the day. 
• Comparison is the thief of joy!
• The amount of money you spend doesn’t equal the amount of fun experienced. 
• There are loads of budget friendly activities available!

So I’m here to share some of the things I’m doing this summer, with the hope that you can find some inspiration. 

You may have seen some colourful elephants dotted around the city! These are part of Elmer’s BIG Art Parade which is available to enjoy until Sunday 15 September. Brochures cost just 50p, all of which will be donated to BookTrust. These are available from various places in the city, including the Central Library. As part of the trail there are storytelling sessions and crafts – more information can be found on the Lincoln BIG website. 

Our Energize project has two more Family Fun Days left of the summer! These fun days are free to attend and offer loads of free activities. Face painting, inflatables, sports, henna and glitter tattoos to name a few!

7th August – Lincoln Central Fun Day at the Arboretum 

21st August – Lincoln South Fun Day at Moorland Avenue

Check out our Energize page on our website for more information on other trips and holiday schemes happening over the summer. 

One of my favourite things to do is to have an evening picnic. We usually cook some hotdogs at home, pop them into a flask and grab some bread buns, the picnic rug and some drinks and head to a park. The Lawns is one of our favourite spots for this. 

Another great picnic spot is Lincoln Castle. The grounds are free to enter, and the kids can spend ages rolling down the hill. There’s also Lucy the Dragon to entertain little ones! 

Cornhill Cove is back again in the Cornhill! It has free crazy golf and a pop up bar for the grown ups. There is live music, DJs and street theatre scheduled. Check out the Lincoln BIG website for more information!

We love the museums that Lincoln has to offer, including the Lincoln Museum, the Lincolnshire Life Museum and The Usher Gallery. I’ve lost count on how many times we’ve been but I come away with new knowledge after every visit! 

Never underestimate a walk and trip to a park! The Arboretum, the Lawns, Boultham Park and Hartsholme Park are all great places for this! 

A short drive away from Lincoln is Whisby Nature Park. Its a couple of pounds for the parking, but there are lots of lovely walks and a great park which has water play and sand play. Take a change of clothes for the kids!

Bransby Horses is a short drive outside of Lincoln which is free to visit. They are a charity, so are appreciative of any donations and money spent in their shop and cafe. It’s a lovely walk round all the horse and donkey enclosures, with lots of benches to stop for a few minutes to watch the horses. They have an excellent play park too! 

If a trip to the beach is what you’re looking for then the number 56 bus takes you to Skegness. This can be a really cheap day out if you take a picnic and spend your time enjoying the sand and sea!

So this summer I’m remembering that money spent does not equal fun achieved! I’ll schedule in some of the activities listed above but I’ll also be making room for hanging out at home and relaxing with my family before September comes around and routine starts again. 

If you get to the end of the school holidays and are in need of an uninterrupted hot cup of tea, some grown up conversations and some time to get your wellbeing in order then come along to one of our Hour of Wellbeing sessions:

11th September at The Bridge Hub

19th September at Lincoln Community Grocery