Kids get in free!
I’m always looking for new things to do with my 2-year-old. One of the best things about our weekend outings is that almost anywhere I take him, he gets in free. So I thought it might be helpful to other parents if I compiled a list of the most popular things to do with kids in the metro area where they can get in at no charge.
Myriad Botanical Gardens & Crystal Bridge: Age 3 and younger FREE. 301 W. Reno. 297-3995. myriadgardens.com.
Science Museum Oklahoma: Age 3 and younger FREE. 2100 NE 52. 602-6664. omniplex.org.
Oklahoma City Zoo: Age 2 and younger FREE. 2101 NE 50. 424-3344. okczoo.com.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art: Age 5 and younger FREE. 415 Couch Dr. 236-3100. okcmoa.com.
Sam Noble Museum of Natural History: Age 5 and younger FREE. 2401 Chautauqua, Norman. 325-4712. snomnh.ou.edu.
Oklahoma River Cruises: Age 5 and younger FREE. Regatta Park, 725 S. Byers. 702-7755. okrivercruises.com.
Oklahoma City National Memorial: Age 5 and younger FREE. 620 N. Harvey. 235-3313. oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: Age 5 and younger FREE. 1700 NE 63. 478-2250. nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Frontier City: Age 2 and younger FREE. I-35 between 122 & Hefner Rd. 478-2140. frontiercity.com.
White Water Bay: Age 2 and younger FREE. 3908 W. Reno. 943-0392. whitewaterbay.com.
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art: Age 5 and younger FREE. 555 Elm Ave., Norman. 325-4938. ou.edu/fjjma.
Oklahoma Redhawks games: Age 2 and younger FREE. AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Dr. 218-1000. oklahoma.redhawks.milb.com.
Ford Center: Age 2 and younger FREE at most events. For a specific event, call 602-8700.
Heartland Flyer: Younger than 2 – FREE, ages 2-5 half off fares. 1-800-872-7245. heartlandflyer.com, amtrak.com.
Oklahoma State Fair: Age 5 and younger FREE. 1-800-511-1552. 2008 Fair dates are Sept. 11 – 21. Tickets go on sale July 12. okstatefair.com.
If you know of any other venues or events that kids can enjoy free of charge, let me know here or e-mail me at esmith@oklahoman.com. I’d love to add it to this list!
-Erica Smith
Risque business for Miley Cyrus?
Parents of “’tweens” and younger children have probably heard by now about the controversial photos of Miley Cyrus that will appear in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair magazine. To some, the photos by Annie Leibovitz are suggestive and inappropriate for the 15-year-old star of the Disney sitcom “Hannah Montana” and the clean image that Cyrus projects to her fans. Others, who think the photos are artistic and classical, wonder what all the fuss is about.
In any case, she (but especially her parents) should have known that provocative photos of a 15-year-old girl, even if innocent, would take on a life of their own among her young fans and the parents who are trying to protect them from the smuttiness of today’s world.
I don’t know what Cyrus hoped to accomplish with those photos — a more grown-up image, perhaps? — or if she was just having fun with a renowned photographer and in awe of the spectacle of being Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and the doors that the character has opened for her.
As parents, we try to stay on guard to make sure good judgment prevails when it comes to our children, long before people are saying, “well, hindsight is 20/20, but … ”
