1.) Take the ferry to Bell Island, explore abandoned mines at the Grebe’s Nest. (Ferry With Car $6.88)
2.) Make a picnic, get the Metrobus to Bowring Park ($3 baguette, $3.93 mini bottle
of Barefoot Cab Sauv, $2.25 bus fare)
3.) Check out the Storytellers Circle every second Tuesday at The Crow’s Nest, listen to stories and recitations from Newfoundland’s finest storytellers, and enjoy a pint in a rare glimpse of this Officer’s club, which looks like the galley of an old ship. ($3 Admission + $6 Pint)
4.) Behave like a true St. John’s local and pick up a copy of Free Frame Zine at Broken Books and a pour-over at Fixed Coffee and Baking, and lounge in the grass beside the War Memorial on Duckworth Street. ($5 Zine + $3.50 Coffee)
5.) Do a tour of Quidi Vidi Brewery, sample some locally made beer, and see how it’s made.
($10 Brewery Tour)
6.) Team up with a buddy and rent a tent from The Outfitters for a night and go camping
on the East Coast Trail or in Pippy Park. ($10 each x 2)
7.) Go for a boil up b’y. ($2 wieners + $3 box of Tetley + $1.50 bic lighter + your roommate’s
pot = boil up)
8.) Wander around the Farmers Market – pay a visit to the Waffle Lady, get some samosas, or take a peek at all the crafts, jewelry, and art. Then hang out in the grass outside, and you might catch a Shakespeare By the Sea performance or a few buskers. (As many snacks as you can get for $10)
9.) Bet on horses at the racing track in The Goulds. (<$10)
10.) Get totally lost in Three Pond Barrens, Pippy Park, while you try and navigate to one of the ponds for a swim. Pet all the pups that pass. Eventually stumble across one of the ponds just as you are giving up. Go for a dip. (Super free)
11.) Do an art tour of downtown, starting with the Red Ochre Gallery on Duckworth East, Christina Parker Gallery on Water Street East, Eastern Edge Gallery on Harbourside Drive, the Leyton Gallery in Baird’s Cove, and then pop in to The Sprout to see what local exhibition they’ve got on at the moment, and get a snack. After fueling up, scoot up the hill to the Peter Lewis Gallery on Church Hill, Spurrell Gallery on Long’s Hill, and Richard Steele Gallery on Harvey Road. See The Rooms on your right. Might as well, b’y. ($9 Open Sesame Sandwich at The Sprout)
12 Make the trip to Berg’s in Manuels for an old fashioned ice cream, sundae, or float;
eat your ice cream on a waterfall off the Manuels River Trail. Best. (<$5)
13 Take a stroll through the MUN Botannical Gardens. See things bloom, convince yourself
to do the same. ($PWYC First Wednesday of each month, Free May 1-7)
14 Join a Band Off. Show up at the potluck on May 13 at Eastern Edge to submit your name and be matched with a band. Pick an instrument. Learn it. Play a show on May 27. Bam. ($Free as can be. Borrowing of instruments encouraged.)
15 Rainy days are for board games and tea at Mochanopoly on Water Street. ($5 for tea and treats)
I never realized a return ticket to Bell Island was so cheap If those people want better ferry service maybe they should pony up some more cash.
Very disappointed that the ponies aren’t running this summer (2016) at Gould’s racetrack.
Living in NL, the scenery outside your door and in your neighborhood is spectacular and free. Water surrounds ya. The sea life has charming, whales, icebergs. You can go fishing or, kayaking. Children stay busy , in the fresh salt air and they love the shores, looking for treasure, running, playing outside in the breeze. Out in the middle of the Atlantic its always windy, 4 seasons in one day. You would see a lot of St. John’s on the bus, and I think you can get on and off, here and there and use your original ticket. Bird watching I love. I take my camera and sit on a blanket, on the beach for hours and become one with the landscape. Wildlife across the island is something too. All for the cost of 0. Picnic lunch from home.
No racing at The Goulds track and you’d better not get caught with that open booze in the park picnic. Otherwise… some great ideas.
Race track is permanently closed as of this year.
Fantastic article! With all the talks of expensive events, shows or restaurants, it’s great to read about the every day ideas in the City! This would be a great article every month!!!!!!!!!
/ I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else eniurnteocng issues with your site. It appears as if some of the written text on your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This could be a issue with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Appreciate it
hej xboy, det har tydligen kommit en ny uppdatering idag 27/11, skulle logga in och då kom det upp om en uppdatering igen???har redan gjord första uppagterinden som kom nyligen, men nu kom det en till idag.kan ni bekräfta detta?
It is the spirit of the article that counts, and no matter what they are cheap and fun things to do.
You won’t be betting on no horses in the Goulds. Unfortunately , No racing this year 🙁
Megan, thank you! I can’t stand how negative people are these days. Like. The point of this article is “Cheap things to do!” let’s be honest: who even rides the fucken Metros bus. we all drive right? Jess is an annoying idiot. bringing down a fun and informative article with her downer-ass math. Point is: here;s 15 cool local things to do for cheap. No one is impressed with your comment, Jess. Please piss off.
Calm down. A lot of people need the metro that can’t afford to drive. Half the people driving in this city Is made possible by their mommy and daddy’s bank account. Not everyone has the luxury to drive, or the luck. That said, it is a good article for cheap plans.
-” I can’t stand how negative people are”
-curses and talks down to someone merely pointing out discrepancies. So say someone is really broke for money and wants to find cheap suggestions, don’t you think they’d rather accurate information to them instead of stuff that they can’t afford but is in good spirit?
PS the price of actually doing the bell island mine tour is $12/person alone
If a dollar or two is a deciding factor in your plans, you should stay home.
Actually it states abandon mine in Grebe’s nest which is actually free it’s not a guided mine tour 😉
I don’t mind if it’s a little over $10. The post shows cheap ways to get out and do something new. I never heard of Mochanopoly before. And a Band off!! How awesome is that!
Mochanopoly charges $2.50 per hour per person for board games and their tea and snacks will cost more than $5. Two teas is $6.
The title of this article is a bit misleading. If you have to take the bus to Bowring Park, you have to take the bus back. Fare listed is only for one way, so #2 is actually over $10. I’ve never taken the Ferry, but I assume that #1 is in the same boat (pun intended). Similarly, having to get a bus to and from Downtown also puts #3, 4, 5, and 11 all over the limit as well.
You must be a nightmare when its time to split the cab fair home from George Street.
haha! So true DT. What an anal, shitty comment. The spirit of the article is “fun and cheap things!” Missus here cracking out her calculator: please F*^k off!
The Bell Island ferry price is return.
Yes, the Metrobus cost is doubled. They forgot that one. Make a picnic that’s under 5.00, and you’re set.
If you rely on the bus for transportation, you probably have a monthly bus pass, so the cost is moot for all the other numbers you mentioned.
Admission to MUN Botanical Garden is free the first Wednesday of each month, but admission rates apply on other days! (Always free for MUN students)
Great article. Here’s something you can do for free. The East Coast Trail Assn has FREE guided hikes every weekend.
http://www.eastcoasttrail.ca/scheduled_hikes/schedule.php
I work all weekend